Successful negotiation in the Workplace
When making decisions in the workplace it is important that staff can provide feedback. Sandy Wright Executive Development Manager for People & Culture COE at AMP and speaker at the 2014 Macquarie University Women, Management and Work Conference, highlights how negotiation can achieve the most effective outcome.
Cecilia was exasperated. Her attempts at making her team more inclusive were backfiring.
She had recently approved flexible work for two of the mothers in her team after her organisation implemented a diversity strategy to improve female participation and retention.
Although she was a ‘woman of a certain’ age, she remembered how hard it had been to rear children and maintain her career in the past and she wanted to ensure it was different for this generation of women.
What she didn’t foresee or expect was the backlash from other members of her team. She had three complaints from others in the team about the unfairness of other team members being unavailable in the office all the time. While she suspected there was some concerted action, she knew she had act quickly.
She also knew that perceived fairness was important to the team and recognised that in her enthusiasm for embracing opportunities to support the mothers in the team she may have overlooked the impact of that on other team members.
What could she do to create an environment that allowed the team to recognise the importance of flexibility? She decided to create a process of negotiation that ensured the whole team was involved in creating a fair solution.
Using a number of negotiation techniques to bring everyone to the table, Cecelia ensured that everyone saw a personal benefit in being part of the process and made it clear that trying to go back to ‘the old days with no flexible work’ was unacceptable. She spoke with each person individually to probe their pain points and planted possible options. She wanted to ensure that everyone felt heard.
Finally, at the designated team meeting she facilitated the process transparently. The outcome was even better than she had hoped. The team negotiated a plan so that everyone had the opportunity to be flexible and, happily, over time, team productivity improved.
Successful negotiation involves both a mindset and a set of skills. The Macquarie University Women, Management and Work Conference will include a workshop for Negotiation in the workplace. Based on the research of Professor Deborah Kolb and designed by Interaction Associates, this is an engaging and highly useful workshop for anyone keen to get great workplace outcomes.
Sandy Wright is a speaker at the upcoming Macquarie University Women, Management and Work Conference, held in Sydney on 12 November 2014. Sandy is the Executive Development Manager for People & Culture COE at AMP. Shehas over 20 years’ experience in designing, developing and delivering corporate leadership and learning and development solutions in Australian blue chip organisations. She is currently leading executive development programs which include facilitated group events and 1:1 coaching for senior executives. Sandy has expertise and experience in assisting leaders build their capability in leading cultural transformation – a particular area of expertise that is a passion for her.
