A Few Different Approaches to Professional Negotiating

Mar 13, 2025

Negotiating skills are very important across many industries and professions, from attorneys to corporate executives and countless jobs in between. The importance of strong negotiation skills cannot be overstated in a professional environment; negotiation is not only a critical component of certain industries but also a valuable tool when collaborating with peers and communicating with vendors and clients. Business leaders often use negotiation strategies to resolve conflicts at work. While some professionals prefer to focus on a single style of negotiation, others shift between different strategies depending on the situation.

While the term “negotiation” may sometimes be associated with the concept of “compromise” in professional settings, negotiations are not always about ensuring that all sides are satisfied with the outcome. The competitive style of negotiation, also known as “I win, you lose” negotiations, is ideal when one side desires to give up as little as possible. This approach to negotiating is particularly effective if one side has an overwhelming advantage over the opposition; otherwise, this style can result in protracted discussions. Competitive negotiating is also helpful when time is of the essence.

That said, there are several drawbacks to competitive negotiating, which is a particularly ineffective strategy between co-workers or any two parties who expect to be working together and negotiating more in the future. Furthermore, if one side starts raising competitive points and arguments during negotiations, it becomes easy for the opposing side to hone in on these arguments and begin countering them, devolving the negotiation into an argumentative stalemate. This is underscored by the key strategy against competitive negotiators, which is simply to resist; the more a person appeases a competitive negotiator, the more they will ask for.

Accommodation is a style of negotiation that essentially functions in the opposite manner of competition. Also known as “I lose, you win,” these negotiations occur when one party believes, for whatever reason, that the other side should or will get what they want. In some situations, it may behoove a party to concede a smaller negotiation so that they are better positioned for a more impactful debate later on.

Despite the “I lose” moniker, negotiators cannot afford to give up what little leverage they have straight away. Instead, negotiators should force the opposition to reveal their strategy and concede on individual points as they arise. Giving up too early can cause several problems, such as opposing negotiators assuming they can achieve a superior deal, one that the conceding party simply cannot afford.

Winning parties must be cautious when claiming victory following an accommodation-style negotiation. Opponents may view such an agreement as a “gift” and expect some kind of return in the future.

Finally, compromise-focused negotiations represent some combination of “I lose and win some, you lose and win some.” Although compromises can be mutually beneficial, they also result in all parties achieving an outcome that is less than they initially desired. With this in mind, compromise-focused negotiators should start from a strong, potentially overly ambitious position so that they give up as little of their core desires as possible. Negotiators seeking compromises should be wary of competitive negotiators, who will seek to take advantage of an opponent’s softer positioning.