Negotiating Beyond Tomorrow: A Systems Approach to Negotiation

Our lives represent the sum total of what we negotiate. And throughout history, Hominids have had two choices of interaction: peaceful negotiation or violent conflict. Research presented in Negotiating Beyond Tomorrow demonstrates we are hard wired to negotiate in one respect, but often do not understand the complexity of this multipart system. Using research conducted over the last century generally, and the last two decades specifically, a model of negotiation as a system involving three subsystems emerges and enlightens the intended readers, those of us who negotiate.
This book informs everyone who negotiates, whether it is a Chief Financial Officer closing billion dollar merger, a diplomat allocating international water rights or a parent influencing a surly teenager to make the right life choice. Martin Medeiros has pioneered system-based complex negotiation models based on: strategic or longer-term concerns; short-term or tactical concerns; and, the physical or environmental concerns -- all of which may determine the outcome of our negotiation efforts. Using a probability based algorithm integrating data of human behavior, outcomes, transaction forms, gender, nationality, body language, facial expression, and many, many other variables based on his research, Medeiros clearly communicates the anatomy of a negotiation, for professionals and amateur’s alike.
The book includes five parts that track the subsystems. Part 1 deals with strategies, those things we must know prior to entering the negotiation. The second part involves tactics, things we do at the negotiation “table.” This section also includes data from surveys conducted by the author’s company, Negotiation Strategist Research, headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Part 3 involves the physical or environmental side of the negotiation; how the people, communications, physical surroundings and medium (face-to-face, electronic, or telephonic) chosen influence the outcome of a negotiation. Part 4 provides the system applied to examples. Examples throughout the work include employment contracts, union negotiations, divorce settlements, legislative debates, information technology transactions and energy pricing, to name a few. The author presents advice on how to “train” for a negotiation, much like an athlete trains for competition. Finally, a robust appendix includes tactics and parries, psychological typing aids, pricing theories and other information.
Concrete data samples of actual dialogs, statistics and vignettes provide colorful and witty illustrations of the concepts throughout the work. The vignettes are generally based on the author’s actual experiences over the last two decades as a professional negotiator of thousands of transactions. This book may be called an aggregation of the best in the business and academic press that covers the spectrum from the theoretical, to the practical. Sections on using game theory add additional authority to the author’s well cited systematic approach. The author filters his educational background in finance and calculus with accessible examples using simple multiplication to explain game theory. A basic understanding of game theory enables negotiators to navigate the statistical side of negotiation management. Photos and diagrams of illustrate: negotiation room layout dynamics; where to sit at the table; facial expression “tells” or microexpressions; and how to hold one’s posture -- all with the goal of optimizing performance by empowering the negotiator with information.
Negotiating Beyond Tomorrow's innovative systems based approach is a must read for everyone who wants to obtain a desired outcome that involves another person. This is not a static book to occupy the shelf, but one of great utility, to be searched, referenced, written on, dog-eared and referred to again and again. Learners and leaders can use this to prevail in a negotiation, mediation, arbitration, litigation or in the marketplace by increasing accord durability and avoiding destructive conflict.
Martin Medeiros © 2012