Resources

The colourful truth about working collaboratively


Birds do it. Bees do it. Even Justin Bieber and Karl Lagerfeld are doing it. Everyone’s talking about collaboration at the moment. Deloitte Access Economics estimates that the ‘collaborative economy’ (the value of greater workplace collaboration) is worth a staggering $46 billion in Australia alone. So much of this talk is focused on using the […]

Getting to Yes


When the authors of the classic negotiation text Getting to Yes* penned the advice ‘focus on interests, not positions’, they couldn’t have chosen a simpler way to describe what in practice can often prove challenging. The guideline ‘focus on interests, not positions’ serves as a powerful remedy to the tendency for negotiators to focus on […]

Emotions and Negotiation – Like Oil and Water?


Is there a place for emotions in negotiation? People often say, “I’m a professional, feelings don’t matter.” “Good decision-making is objective. Emotions just get in the way.” Or my favorite, as tribute to the Godfather, “It’s not personal. It’s business.” But bets are that you’ve sat in a meeting, fuming on the inside not sure what […]

Reflections on a recent negotiation


I am in the process of organising my wedding, and recently had an interesting negotiation over the final contract with our preferred photographer. Part of the package that they put forward included 100 thank-you cards. We had already organised to get our thank-you cards printed with our invitations, so had no need for this.

Fixed positions, shaky ground


Negotiation skills training needn’t stop in the workplace. Tyla Locke offers some advice on how to manage conflict at home – read on! Q. I’ve been having trouble resolving an issue with the builder who built my house. The house has structural issues which have resulted in a leaking roof and damage to the walls […]

Moving on from a “No”


CMA Associate Rebecca Stowe offers this advice on how to manage the dreaded “no” within a negotiation. Read what she has to say here… Q. Sometimes, despite my best efforts to understand a customer’s needs and to come up with creative options, my counterpart rejects even my best offer and decides to go with our biggest […]