DIscussion due at 3pm pacific time on 8/4/2017, essay due on 8/6/17

NEGOTIATING STYLE

SELF-ASSESSMENT

The purpose of this self-assessment is to help you examine your personal negotiating style.

Negotiation – a process by which two parties communicate with each other in order to reach an outcome on which they mutually agree.

Directions

PRINT THIS SELF-ASSESSMENT OUT!
Read the definition of negotiation above to make sure that you understand it.
Answer all questions to the best of your ability. There are no right or wrong answers. Don’t try to think of the “correct” or most “desirable” response, but simply respond with your honest reactions.
Respond by putting a check-mark or X in one column per question or statement.
Proceed to the second page where you will find a number of questions that ask you to consider how likely or unlikely you are to behave in a certain way when you are negotiating.
On the third page you are required to rate your level of agreement with a number of statements.
Proceed to the fourth page where you will find the scoring key and interpretation guide.

How likely are you to do each of the following when NEGOTIATING?	Very Unlikely	Unlikely	Neither Likely nor Unlikely	Likely	Very Likely
I’ll come up with a plan so that I can steer the negotiation to go my way.
I’ll do things expressly to make sure that the negotiation stays friendly and comfortable.
I’ll go out of my way to make sure that the outcome for the other person is fair.
I’ll do things so that both of us can get what we want from the negotiation.
If something needs to be negotiated, I’ll immediately step forward to do it.
I’ll give some in order to get some from the person I’m negotiating with.
If the negotiation is not going my way, I’ll bail out of the negotiation.
I’ll suggest creative solutions that allow both of us to get what we want from the negotiation.
If it seems important for the other person to come out on top, I’ll give in to them.
I’ll avoid difficult issues to keep the negotiation from getting nasty.
If the other person compromises their position, I’ll compromise my position in return.
I’ll make sure that both of our needs are understood so that both of us can come out on top.
I’ll present information, when negotiating, even if it doesn’t necessarily always support my position.
I’ll propose a place in the middle where we both can meet.
I’ll try to see things from the other person’s viewpoint and be considerate of their needs.

Rate your level of agreement with each of these statements.	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neither Agree nor Disagree	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
In every negotiation, both sides have to give something up to get something in return.
What’s good for me is really all that matters when negotiating.
I’ll do almost anything to keep from having to engage in negotiation.
In negotiating, someone wins and someone has to lose.
The feelings of the other person that I’m negotiating with are important to me.
Negotiation works better when the focus is on common agreement rather than differences.
I can be aggressive when it comes to getting my way from a negotiation.
When you compromise in a negotiation, you really just lose.
If the other person gets a “raw deal” from our negotiation, that really doesn’t matter to me.
Keeping the comfort level high is very important to me when I’m negotiating.

NEGOTIATING STYLE

SELF-ASSESSMENT – Interpretation Guide

Background

It is important that you, the student, review the discussion of collective bargaining behavior in Chapter 6 of Holley, Jennings, & Wolters, 8th edition, before continuing. Holley, Jennings, & Wolters identify two distinct and very different approaches to bargaining.

Distributive Bargaining approaches negotiation as a win-lose exercise where the gains of one party must come at the expense of the other party. The sole focus of the negotiator is to maximize his/her own outcomes. In the negotiation literature, this orientation is referred to as Assertiveness.

Mutual Gain Bargaining approaches negotiation as a mutual problem-solving exercise. Relying on open communication, trust, and mutual respect, negotiators focus on fulfilling the mutual interests of both parties. In the negotiation literature, this orientation is referred to as Cooperativeness.

Negotiators that exhibit Assertiveness tendencies are more likely to engage in Distributive Bargaining behavior while negotiators that are high in Cooperativeness are more likely to use a Mutual Gain Bargaining approach. Thus, this self-assessment will help you examine your levels of Assertiveness versus Cooperativeness.

According to the negotiation literature, the measurement of Assertiveness and Cooperativeness requires the consideration of five distinct negotiation styles. The five negotiation styles are:

Competing - Negotiators that exhibit this style are results-oriented, self-confident, assertive, are focused primarily on the bottom line, have a tendency to impose their views upon the other party, and in the extreme can become aggressive and domineering. This style is high in Assertiveness and low in Cooperativeness.

Avoiding - Negotiators that exhibit this style are passive, prefer to avoid conflict, make attempts to withdraw from the situation or pass responsibility onto another party, and fail to show adequate concern or make an honest attempt to get to a solution. This style is both low in Assertiveness and low in Cooperativeness.

Collaborating - Negotiators that exhibit this style use open and honest communication, focus on finding creative solutions that mutually satisfy both parties, are open to exploring new and novel solutions, and suggest many alternatives for consideration. This style is both high in Assertiveness and high in Cooperativeness.

Accommodating – Negotiators that exhibit this style make attempts to maintain relationships with the other party, smooth over conflicts, downplay differences, and are most concerned with satisfying the needs of the other party. This style is low in Assertiveness but high in Cooperativeness.

Compromising – Negotiators that exhibit this style aim to find the middle ground, often split the difference between positions, frequently engage in give and take tradeoffs, and accept moderate satisfaction of both parties’ needs. This style is both moderate in Assertiveness and moderate in Cooperativeness.

Figure 1 displays the relationship between these five negotiating styles and the competing dimensions of Assertiveness versus Cooperativeness.

Figure 1

High	Competing		Collaborating
Assertiveness Distributive Bargaining		Compromising
Low	Avoiding		Accommodating
	Low	Cooperativeness Mutual Gain Bargaining	High

Competing Style

Part of the self-assessment measures the degree to which you exhibit characteristics consistent with the Competing negotiating style. In the table below, find the numerical score that corresponds to the column that you checked for each question. Enter that number to the left of the table for each question. For example, if you checked the “Neither Likely nor Unlikely” column for question #1, you would enter a score of 3 next to Q1.

QUESTION SCORE	Very Unlikely	Unlikely	Neither Likely nor Unlikely	Likely	Very Likely
Q1:
Q7:

	Very Unlikely	Unlikely	Neither Likely nor Unlikely	Likely	Very Likely
Q13:

	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neither Agree nor Disagree	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
Q17:
Q22:

TOTAL: (Add all scores)

TOTAL SCORE	INTERPRETATION
18 OR ABOVE	HIGH ON COMPETING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the top/fourth quartile (i.e., top 25%) of scores. This indicates that you strongly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Competing style.
16 TO 17	MODERATE TO HIGH ON COMPETING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the third quartile (i.e., between 50%-75%) of scores. This indicates that you moderately to strongly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Competing style. The higher your score is, the more strongly you exhibit characteristics consistent with the Competing style.

14 TO 15	MODERATE TO LOW ON COMPETING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the second quartile (i.e., between 25%-50%) of scores. This indicates that you moderately to weakly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Competing style. The lower your score is, the more weakly you exhibit characteristics consistent with the Competing style.
13 OR BELOW	LOW ON COMPETING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the bottom/first quartile (i.e., bottom 25%) of scores. This indicates that you only weakly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Competing style.

Avoiding Style

This part of the self-assessment measures the degree to which you exhibit characteristics consistent with the Avoiding negotiating style. In the table below, find the numerical score that corresponds to the column that you checked for each question. Enter that number to the left of the table for each question. For example, if you checked the “Likely” column for question #2, you would enter a score of 4 next to Q2.

QUESTION SCORE	Very Unlikely	Unlikely	Neither Likely nor Unlikely	Likely	Very Likely
Q2:
Q10:

	Very Unlikely	Unlikely	Neither Likely nor Unlikely	Likely	Very Likely
Q5:

	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neither Agree nor Disagree	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
Q18:
Q25:

TOTAL: (Add all scores)

TOTAL SCORE	INTERPRETATION
18 OR ABOVE	HIGH ON AVOIDING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the top/fourth quartile (i.e., top 25%) of scores. This indicates that you strongly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Avoiding style.
16 TO 17	MODERATE TO HIGH ON AVOIDING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the third quartile (i.e., between 50%-75%) of scores. This indicates that you moderately to strongly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Avoiding style. The higher your score is, the more strongly you exhibit characteristics consistent with the Avoiding style.
14 TO 15	MODERATE TO LOW ON AVOIDING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the second quartile (i.e., between 25%-50%) of scores. This indicates that you moderately to weakly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Avoiding style. The lower your score is, the more weakly you exhibit characteristics consistent with the Avoiding style.
13 OR BELOW	LOW ON AVOIDING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the bottom/first quartile (i.e., bottom 25%) of scores. This indicates that you only weakly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Avoiding style.

Collaborating Style

This part of the self-assessment measures the degree to which you exhibit characteristics consistent with the Collaborating negotiating style. In the table below, find the numerical score that corresponds to the column that you checked for each question. Enter that number to the left of the table for each question. For example, if you checked the “Unlikely” column for question #4, you would enter a score of 2 next to Q4.

QUESTION SCORE	Very Unlikely	Unlikely	Neither Likely nor Unlikely	Likely	Very Likely
Q4:
Q8:
Q12:

	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neither Agree nor Disagree	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
Q19:

	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neither Agree nor Disagree	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
Q21:

TOTAL: (Add all scores)

TOTAL SCORE	INTERPRETATION
21 OR ABOVE	HIGH ON COLLABORATING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the top/fourth quartile (i.e., top 25%) of scores. This indicates that you strongly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Collaborating style.
19 TO 20	MODERATE TO HIGH ON COLLABORATING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the third quartile (i.e., between 50%-75%) of scores. This indicates that you moderately to strongly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Collaborating style. The higher your score is, the more strongly you exhibit characteristics consistent with the Collaborating style.
17 TO 18	MODERATE TO LOW ON COLLABORATING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the second quartile (i.e., between 25%-50%) of scores. This indicates that you moderately to weakly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Collaborating style. The lower your score is, the more weakly you exhibit characteristics consistent with the Collaborating style.
16 OR BELOW	LOW ON COLLABORATING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the bottom/first quartile (i.e., bottom 25%) of scores. This indicates that you only weakly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Collaborating style.

Accommodating Style

This part of the self-assessment measures the degree to which you exhibit characteristics consistent with the Accommodating negotiating style. In the table below, find the numerical score that corresponds to the column that you checked for each question. Enter that number to the left of the table for each question. For example, if you checked the “Very Unlikely” column for question #3, you would enter a score of 1 next to Q3.

QUESTION SCORE	Very Unlikely	Unlikely	Neither Likely nor Unlikely	Likely	Very Likely
Q3:
Q9:
Q15:

	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neither Agree nor Disagree	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
Q20:

	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neither Agree nor Disagree	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
Q24:

TOTAL: (Add all scores)

TOTAL SCORE	INTERPRETATION
19 OR ABOVE	HIGH ON ACCOMMODATING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the top/fourth quartile (i.e., top 25%) of scores. This indicates that you strongly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Accommodating style.
17 TO 18	MODERATE TO HIGH ON ACCOMMODATING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the third quartile (i.e., between 50%-75%) of scores. This indicates that you moderately to strongly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Accommodating style. The higher your score is, the more strongly you exhibit characteristics consistent with the Accommodating style.
15 TO 16	MODERATE TO LOW ON ACCOMMODATING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the second quartile (i.e., between 25%-50%) of scores. This indicates that you moderately to weakly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Accommodating style. The lower your score is, the more weakly you exhibit characteristics consistent with the Accommodating style.
14 OR BELOW	LOW ON ACCOMMODATING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the bottom/first quartile (i.e., bottom 25%) of scores. This indicates that you only weakly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Accommodating style.

Compromising Style

This part of the self-assessment measures the degree to which you exhibit characteristics consistent with the Compromising negotiating style. In the table below, find the numerical score that corresponds to the column that you checked for each question. Enter that number to the left of the table for each question. For example, if you checked the “Very Likely” column for question #6, you would enter a score of 5 next to Q6.

QUESTION SCORE	Very Unlikely	Unlikely	Neither Likely nor Unlikely	Likely	Very Likely
Q6:
Q11:
Q14:

	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neither Agree nor Disagree	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
Q16:

	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neither Agree nor Disagree	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
Q23:

TOTAL: (Add all scores)

TOTAL SCORE	INTERPRETATION
20 OR ABOVE	HIGH ON COMPROMISING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the top/fourth quartile (i.e., top 25%) of scores. This indicates that you strongly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Compromising style.
18 TO 19	MODERATE TO HIGH ON COMPROMISING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the third quartile (i.e., between 50%-75%) of scores. This indicates that you moderately to strongly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Compromising style. The higher your score is, the more strongly you exhibit characteristics consistent with the Compromising style.
16 TO 17	MODERATE TO LOW ON COMPROMISING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the second quartile (i.e., between 25%-50%) of scores. This indicates that you moderately to weakly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Compromising style. The lower your score is, the more weakly you exhibit characteristics consistent with the Compromising style.
15 OR BELOW	LOW ON COMPROMISING STYLE – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the bottom/first quartile (i.e., bottom 25%) of scores. This indicates that you only weakly exhibit characteristics consistent with the Compromising style.

Assertiveness Index

Now that you know each of your negotiation style total scores, it is possible to determine your level of Assertiveness. The formula is as follows: Assertiveness Index = (Competing Style Total Score + Collaborating Style Total Score)

- (Avoiding Style Total Score + Accommodating Style Total Score)

ASSERTIVENESS INDEX	INTERPRETATION
5 OR ABOVE	HIGH ON ASSERTIVENESS – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the top/fourth quartile (i.e., top 25%) of scores. This indicates that you strongly exhibit characteristics consistent with Assertiveness.
1 TO 4	MODERATE TO HIGH ON ASSERTIVENESS – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the third quartile (i.e., between 50%-75%) of scores. This indicates that you moderately to strongly exhibit characteristics consistent with Assertiveness. The higher your score is, the more strongly you exhibit characteristics consistent with Assertiveness.
-2 TO 0	MODERATE TO LOW ON ASSERTIVENESS – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the second quartile (i.e., between 25%-50%) of scores. This indicates that you moderately to weakly exhibit characteristics consistent with Assertiveness. The lower your score is, the more weakly you exhibit characteristics consistent with Assertiveness.
-3 OR BELOW	LOW ON ASSERTIVENESS – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the bottom/first quartile (i.e., bottom 25%) of scores. This indicates that you only weakly exhibit characteristics consistent with Assertiveness.

Cooperativeness Index

Likewise, it is also possible to determine your level of Cooperativeness. The formula is as follows: Cooperativeness Index = (Collaborating Style Total Score + Accommodating Style Total Score) - (Competing Style Total Score + Avoiding Style Total Score)

COOPERATIVENESS INDEX	INTERPRETATION
9 OR ABOVE	HIGH ON COOPERATIVENESS – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the top/fourth quartile (i.e., top 25%) of scores. This indicates that you strongly exhibit characteristics consistent with Cooperativeness.
5 TO 8	MODERATE TO HIGH ON COOPERATIVENESS – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the third quartile (i.e., between 50%-75%) of scores. This indicates that you moderately to strongly exhibit characteristics consistent with Cooperativeness. The higher your score is, the more strongly you exhibit characteristics consistent with Cooperativeness.
2 TO 4	MODERATE TO LOW ON COOPERATIVENESS – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the second quartile (i.e., between 25%-50%) of scores. This indicates that you moderately to weakly exhibit characteristics consistent with Cooperativeness. The lower your score is, the more weakly you exhibit characteristics consistent with Cooperativeness.
1 OR BELOW	LOW ON ASSERTIVENESS – Compared to a national sample of students, your score falls in the bottom/first quartile (i.e., bottom 25%) of scores. This indicates that you only weakly exhibit characteristics consistent with Cooperativeness.