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Integrative and Distributive Negotiations

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Integrative and Distributive Bargaining Whether a negotiation involves working together toward a goal or working against one another to win, each party must use a strategy to reach a solution. The differences of distributive bargaining and integrative bargaining are parallel. The ways in which one method is competitive and the other is cooperative is described and related to a well-known case involving basketball player Juwan Howard. Distributive Bargaining In a competitive bargaining situation, referred to as distributive bargaining, resources are fixed and limited. Both parties want to maximize their share of the resources with each party’s goal conflicting (Lewicki, Saunders, & Barry, 2006). During a distributive bargaining, …show more content…

During the integrative negotiation, negotiators must be firm about their wants and needs but flexible as to how they are met to reach a solution to fit both sides. This cooperative type of negotiation was used at times during NBA free agent negotiations involving Howard. Howard’s team worked with the Heat to negotiate the terms of his contract and both sides met their needs, until the NBA stepped in. Juwan Howard’s resistance point was not beyond what the Heat was willing to give to add him to the roster. Although this scenario was very competitive at times, each side defined and pursued their own goals while keeping in mind the goals of the other party. Integrative bargaining will not work if either side is competitive or non-cooperative. Each side must work together toward the resolution. When there is something to be divided up, this is not the best method to use for negotiation. Another con to this method is that if one side fails to understand the other side, there will be conflict without reaching an agreement. The four steps to the integrative negotiation process are to indentify and define the problem, understand the problem and bring interests and needs to the surface, generate alternative solutions to the problem, and evaluate those alternatives and select among them. The process is designed to first create value, then to claim the value associated. Defining the problem is a difficult part of the

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