Negotiating Ethics

When negotiating, it is important for both parties to be on the same page. Before you go into a situation of bargaining it would be smart to know who you are negotiating against. Knowing the tactics and style of your opponent will give you a leg up. Investigating the style of negotiating your opponent exudes will let you know what tactics to use. If your opponent is interested in ethical negotiating, you should be also. On the other hand, if your opponent is unethical then you should switch up your methods and play their game. Everybody wants to win and come out happy when negotiating. This is not impossible to achieve by any means. If everyone negotiated with ethics then it would be easy but as long as the negotiators are on the same page, a great conclusion should be met.

Even though I believe that negotiating with ethics is the best way to go, there may be some situations that warrant the opposite of my beliefs. There is always an exception to the rule. Aside from being on the same page of your opponent, there may be situations that call for an aggressive manner in negotiating. If a professional is negotiating a law or against a law or the state, when a position of disparity or other unfair circumstances are prevalent, I think that negotiating ethically should be out the window. When it is a situation where there is an unfair position or an unfair advantage on an opposing side than the under dog should negotiate using no holds barred. The negotiating arty in this type of situation should go all in and try their hardest to win as much as possible. These type of extreme situations are the only ones I think that being ethical is not relevant.

The fact of the matter is, different people have different views when it comes to negotiating. Some do believe in being ethical and they hold to that standard when practicing the art of negotiating. Others are on the opposite side of the scope, and they believe that the best negotiator should take it home. When negotiating, whether ethically or not, you should always play to your opponent’s standard. I think that in it self is being ethical. If your opponent is someone who is doing things honestly and ethically, then you should return the courtesy and do the same. On the other hand, if you are dealing with someone who is in it to win it, you should play their game and try to be in it to win it as well.