Negotiating

In class on Wednesday we further discussed negotiating and the prisoner's dilemma game. 

I found it interesting how if the person has their own self-interest in mind, that person will most likely choose to compete. This makes complete sense. If I'm only in it for myself I'm going to choose the best option for me. Dr. Goates then talked about the enlightened self-interest. This is where the person has to help others to help himself or herself. I found this tactic of negotiating rather interesting. Most people think of negotiating as a win or lose but sometimes both parties can win. This was clearly depicted in the activity Ken and I participated in on Wednesday. We both wanted the last orange and we had to negotiate to see who got it. Originally we both wanted the orange but then Ken decided to ask me what I needed it for. It turned out that I needed the rind and he the pulp so we were both able to be satisfied. It was a win win. Each of us got what we wanted.

This is called creating value, this means that conflicts are opportunities to gain something. A perfect way to show this is the example of utilities. I needed the rind for a cake and Ken needed the pulp to make juice. Each of those, juice and cake, represent their own utility. Because we created value by each getting what we wanted, Ken and I each got 1 utility instead of part of a utility if we wouldn't have created value.

From this activity I have learned that negotiations are actually opportunities to gain something. And when you employ the correct tactics, they can be very useful.