Interests in Negotiation

[ni-goh-shee-ey-shuh n] [in-ter-ists]

Negotiation interests are considered to be the motivating factor(s) and the underlying reasons behind the ‘negotiation position’ adopted by a negotiation party. Negotiation interests often entail some combination of economic, security, recognition, and control issues, or the desires, concerns, aims or goals of a negotiating party in a negotiation process.

When negotiating with an organization, it’s important to not focus exclusively on satisfying the interests of the organization. To achieve maximal buy-in, it’s crucial to also focus on satisfying the interests of the department and people at the table. Often stakeholders who are usually not present at the negotiation meeting will also want their interests to be satisfied. It’s best to find out the organization‘s decision-making process to better understand who’s interests you need to fulfill.