Creativity, adaptation, flexibility: how to govern the complexity of negotiation

We do not negotiate for two main reasons: because we are not aware that we are facing a negotiation situation and because, as a consequence, we do not prepare ourselves by gathering the information that is essential for a 'robust' preparation. The mistrust, or rather the unawareness of being in a negotiation, can be traced back to earlier times when 'negotiating' somehow meant behaving in a particularly assertive manner, sometimes with the intention of prevailing over the other party. This way of negotiating, far from extinct, is not helpful in building long-term relationships and value for the negotiating actors.

There are seemingly 'lateral' elements to classic negotiation, such as emotions, psychology and the ever-present AI. How do these factors concretely affect the success of a negotiation?

If we put three people in a room who are very knowledgeable about the subject matter of the negotiation, what would create a competitive negotiating advantage? Exactly how much 'lateral' may seem to be absolutely central. Communicating - verbally and non-verbally, between artificial intelligence agents and/or between individuals - inevitably carries preconceptions and a narrative style that may be perceived in a completely different way by the listener: a message, for instance, may be perceived as 'aggressive' even though this was not the intention of the person who conveyed it. The history and background of each of us determines the 'lens' through which we interpret what is communicated to us, and some prefer direct communication while others prefer indirect communication. AI can significantly support negotiation dynamics, not only in terms of the

In an increasingly hybrid scenario, what is the most important competence to develop for those negotiating on behalf of an organisation? 

Negotiating in 'physical' environments, as they are defined in the book, requires special attention to the management of interactions between all negotiating actors. It is important, and even more so when communicating online than when in person, to manage timing, to have guidelines on how to intervene in the dialogue and how to facilitate verification of what is being said, to decide what language to use, whether very technical or high-level, multi-voiced or single-voiced. There are many aspects to consider.

Is there an anecdote about negotiation that particularly struck you in your academic or personal experience? 

One of the first 'lessons learned' that I have started to notice since I have been professionally involved in negotiations is how important it is to always verify underlying assumptions. We often think we have understood what the other party wanted to tell us but then, by verifying and deepening with the right questions, the gap between 'the perception of having understood' and 'the actual (or almost actual) understanding' of what the other negotiator meant becomes clearer. The second 'lesson learned' has to do with emotions: knowing how to manage them is as intangible as it is important for successful negotiations.

Final question: if you had to summarise the cornerstones of effective negotiation in three fundamental principles, which would you choose?

Understanding emotions, reading the social context and building trusting relationships: these are three principles inherent to human intelligence, which - precisely because of its capacity - must also learn to make appropriate use of artificial intelligence. Negotiation must be seen as a process of value co-creation on the assumption that negotiating implies creativity, adaptability and flexibility.