"Getting to Yes: Negotiating a Deal Without Giving Up" by: Peter BlockWritten: 11/28/05For our book review on IS planning and management, we needed to read and review, Getting to Yes: Negotiating a Deal Without Giving Up, by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton. The book was written to educate readers on how to become better and more effective negotiators. They begin by defining the difference between negotiations of position and negotiations of principle. They then go on to describe the four principles of effective negotiation: people, interests, options and criteria. Additionally, they describe three common obstacles to negotiation—when the other party is more powerful, what happens if they don't play the game, and when the other party uses dirty tricks—and discuss ways to overcome those obstacles. They also emphasize that all four negotiation principles should be used throughout the negotiation process. Finally, the team of authors answers ten frequently asked questions. In this review we will briefly touch on these points. The most common form of negotiation depends on the hiring and subsequent disposal of a position. A typical example of this type of negotiation would be the classic scene of a trader in a bazaar, bargaining with a potential customer. Each of them clings to an ideal thought about a price for a bobble, neither of them willing to budge. This type of negotiation, according to the text, can produce "imprudent agreements" and is also labeled "inefficient" as both parties tend to entrench themselves. This lack of progress is directly linked to ego and pride as it imprisons all participants. They can neither retreat nor change position for fear of "losing face" and embarrassment. This type of bargaining can become even more complicated if there are more than two participating parties. Principled negotiation is negotiation on the merits of a concept or idea. This, according to the text, can be boiled down to four main points: 1) People: separate people from the problem 2) Interests: focus on interests, not positions 3) Options: offer a variety of possibilities before deciding what to do 4) Criteria: Insist that the outcome be based on some objective standard. By separating the people from the problem, you attempt to remove emotions from the negotiation. You try to build a team environment between your party and the other so that everyone focuses on the issue at hand instead of a battle between "parties"".