Relationship Between Negotiators

Phatak and Habib suggest that the relationships developed among the principal negotiating parties before the actual negotiations will also have an important impact on the negotiation process and outcome. Negotiations are part of the larger relationship between two parties. The history of relations between the parties will influence the current negotiation (e.g., how the parties frame the negotiation), just as the current negotiation will become part of any future negotiations between the parties.

Desired Outcomes

Tangible and intangible factors also play a large role in determining the outcomes of international negotiations. Countries often use international negotiations to achieve both domestic and international political goals. For instance, one of the main goals of the North Vietnamese during the Paris Peace Talks to end the war in Vietnam was to be recognized formally by the other parties to the negotiation. Similarly, in recent ethnic conflicts around the world, numerous parties have threatened that unless they are recognized at the formal negotiations they will disrupt the successful resolution of the conflict (e.g., Northern Ireland). Ongoing tension can exist between one party’s short-term objectives for the current negotiations and its influence on the parties’ long-term relations. In trade negotiations between the United States and Japan, both sides often settle for less than their desired short-term outcomes because of the importance of the long-term relationship.

Immediate Stakeholders

The immediate stakeholders in the negotiation include the negotiators themselves as well as the people they directly represent, such as their managers, employers, and boards of directors. Stakeholders can influence negotiators in many ways. The skills, abilities, and international experience, also known as “cultural intelligence,” of the negotiators can have a large impact on the process and outcome of international negotiations. In addition, the personal motivations of the principal negotiators and the other immediate stakeholders can have a large influence on the negotiation process and outcomes. People may be motivated by several intangible factors in the negotiation, including how the process or outcome will make them look in the eyes of both the other party and their own superiors, as well as other intangible factors like their personal career advancement.

In summary, models such as Phatak and Habib’s are very good devices for guiding our thinking about international negotiation. It is always important to remember, however, that negotiation processes and outcomes are influenced by many factors, and that the influence of these factors can change in magnitude over time. The challenge for every international negotiator is to understand the simultaneous, multiple influences of several factors on the negotiation process and outcome and to update this understanding regularly as circumstances change. This also means that planning for international negotiations is especially important, as is the need to adjust as new information is obtained through monitoring the environmental and immediate contexts.