The Negotiation Skill of the Manager or Leader That Is Calling the Meeting - Coursework Example

Topic: The ability to negotiate is a key communication skill and frequently takes in the context of meeting. How can meetings me managed to ensure useful outcome are achieved particularly when the participants may have different objectives? 1. Introduction This paper seeks to suggest and discuss strategies that will produce useful outcomes in a meeting particularly when the participants may have different objectives from that of the person calling the meeting. Primary focus is put on the negotiation skill of the manager or leader that is calling the meeting. Various concepts and issues are gathered from different sources in relation to attaining useful outcome in meetings where the ability to negotiate is major consideration, hence and analysis are prepared on said writings in order to respond to this issue at hand. 2. Analysis and discussion 2.1 Meetings are for what? Organisations have goals and objectives which could be economic and economic. These objectives must be met and that is the reason managers are hired to implement decision of corporate owners via the board of directors in case of corporation. Economic objectives include the need to produce profits to sustain operations. Meetings are organisational objective which also consume resource. In a study conducted by the Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK (Oshagbemi, n.d.), it was found out that managers are using almost half of their times in meetings. In case of partnership or sole proprietorship, the managers may actually be the owners. To put it simply an organization moves and it moves with people in the attainment of its objectives. People may not know what to do and where go if communication within the organization is not good enough. There are many ways or communicating in the organization. It could be done through memorandums, telephone, bulletin boards, text messages, and every thing that present technology allows. Aside from this there is indispensability of meetings in organizations. In laws, corporations are required by law to have their annual stockholders meetings, and even the monthly board meetings. The real purpose of said meeting is to produce decisions which will eventually put into writing in for form of minutes of meetings, which will become part of the records of the business. (See Appendix A) Inside the organization are also meetings between the president or the executive officers and his or her managers and between the managers and their staff or subordinates. These meetings may frequently occur depending upon the problems that need to b addressed upon in organizations. In a certain department of the organization, for example, is a meeting between and manager and his people it is possible that his people may oppose what the manage wants to happen or these people below may have something better to say than the manager. Add this to the fact that when people meet in a meeting they normally have other feelings and sentiments about their jobs which may be different to the agenda that the manager will have to discussed during a scheduled or even an unscheduled meeting. It is in this context that this paper is being prepared. How would a manager or a supervisor produced successful outcomes in meeting by using is ability to negotiate? 2.2 Why do we need to have useful outcomes in meetings? When we say useful outcomes we mean productive outcomes or where the output of these meetings accomplishes the purpose of the meeting. Meetings occupy a time and space during the day for the life of employees. The alternative for these meetings would be the employees in their place of work doing their assigned functions. Jobs in organizations have deadlines too. If an employee has not finished his job on time, he will have to answer to his boss. Hence, if an hour is spent for a meeting during the day, the employee is actually deprived of a reduction in the time available in meeting the deadline in his job assignment. If the clerk will happen not to finish the job assignment, he may face disciplinary action my management or he could be fired. But if there were justified reasons for not completing on time because of meetings with the boss, the only justifiable reason to excuse that employee would be that the meeting was productive or useful not only for his work but also for his boss. If we try to look at it, producing a useful outcome is as important to both the manager and his subordinate. But real world problems sometimes exhibit unique situations to that require unique solutions. 2.3 Who are the participants in a meeting? As explained earlier, the context of this paper assumes that the normal participants in a typical meeting are the manager, the supervisors and the rank and files in a certain department. We thus assume a department meeting for purpose for illustration. The department is headed by an accounting manager, and he has at least five supervisors per section. Each section has at least three subordinates. Meeting is held at least twice a month but sometimes there are unscheduled ones. Unless indicated otherwise this example is used in through out the paper. 2.4 What could happen in meetings? How to make is successful? How to address opposing views in meetings? As discussed earlier, meeting could become unproductive. To illustrate a case where a meeting could become unproductive is when some of the attendees, the subordinates, will use the meeting to air their emotional situations to their boss. In the meeting this could happen because people are human beings with emotions. What happens yesterday, weeks ago, a month ago, a year ago or even a lifetime ago could immediately be part of the meeting. The manager may not be ready to respond if he does not know so what he will do. How will he behave or how he will handle through negotiation is important to have a successful meeting. 2.5 What do theories say about successful meetings? A manager is a negotiator. He is also an advocate of organizational plan. By performing said functions he needs communications skills. He manages not only things but also people. People are unique hence the managers’ approach may actually have to be unique but there are general guides on how he will handle this function of negotiation. In relation to having successful meetings, Head Injury Hotline (1998) gave us the some theories as follows: Negotiation and Communication in Meetings. The resolution of many advocacy problems will involve one or more meetings with service providers and administrators. You will use all of the skills we have discussed; problem analysis, information gathering, action planning and assertive communication in preparing for and participating in these meetings. Comment: It must be pointed out that the possibility of different objectives coming from rank and file is also normal in an organization and hence we could consider as advocacy problem of the manager. In so doing therefore the negotiation, the manager should have prepared for the meeting my having his analysis of the problem, having gathered the necessary information’s. He must have an action plan in case the employees will bring out their personal concern and that he must be assertive. Head Injury Hotline (1998) also said: Whose Territory. Where a meeting is held will have a subtle but powerful impact on you and everyone else who participates. People generally feel more comfortable and in control of the situation when they are in their own territory. Conversely they feel less comfort and less control when they are in someone elses territory. Potential discomfort over being on someone elses turf can be decreased by increasing familiarity with the individuals you will negotiate with and increasing familiarity with the site of the proposed meeting. If you have control over where the meeting is held, request that it take place a neutral location. Its a good idea to arrive at the meeting location early. This will give you a chance to become familiar with and feel more comfortable in the meeting space. Secondly, it will give you some control over the seating arrangement. Some seating arrangements create a sense of equality among participants at meeting whereas others create a power imbalance. Comment: This theory could be only applicable if the department is big enough and the manager is not familiar with the other places of work in the department. Assuming he does not get support of the other supervisors, it is best for the manager to conduct the meeting it his office where he sits at his table which could indicate authority and seriousness of the agenda. However, for some informal meeting that may not to serious to require an outcome, he must still balance his strategy by making the supervisors who do not support him that he is avoiding the concerns of his people Head Injury Hotline (1998) mentioned about: The Numbers Game. Before the meeting, find out who the other party plans to have present. You will want to know their names and roles within the organization. If the other side plans to have several people present, bring several people with you. Equalizing the number of people representing each side will help to equalize the power. It will also allow you to assign tasks to your supporters, taking some of the pressure off of you. Comment: In an accounting department meeting, for example, where the supervisors for payroll section, billing section and disbursement section are present, inventory section, financial statement section, member of the department, wise manager should know his people or supervisors who are supportive to his programs. If for examples two of the supervisors are not normally supportive of his program of work, he will have to wait for the other supervisors to win this number game. There is this human feeling that an opposition could die my mere numbers not because the minority is convinced but would just keep silent because of the seeming futility of his cause. Head Injury Hotline (1998) also said: Controlling the Agenda. Its a fact of life, every party to a meeting brings along his or her own agenda. It does not matter whether the meeting is formal or informal, planned or "spontaneous;" the other party will have an agenda or set of objectives they wish to accomplish and a strategy for accomplishing their objectives. They may not describe this agenda to you but they will have one nonetheless. You must have a set of objectives and a plan to accomplish them also. If you do not, the other party will control the content and the outcome of the meeting. Use an advocacy plan as discussed earlier in this chapter to develop your objectives and strategy for the meeting. Comment: This is I suppose one of most important part of the strategy. Remember that the agenda will set the mind of the would be attendees of the meeting. It does not however mean that the manager will not listen to possible emotional appeal of the supervisors in bringing another issue. The manager realizing the importance of his agenda will just have to politely answer that any agenda not covered in what he has set will have to be scheduled in another meeting. By so doing the manager respects his subordinates opinion and right but he is just making it sure that his agenda will be put first so as to produce a useful outcome of the meeting. He must remember that one of the purpose if not the sole of the meeting is to get the support of his people in the department. Head Injury Hotline (1998) futher said: When you get to the meeting, negotiate an agenda to which all parties agree. The agenda should state the issues to be discussed and the order in which they will be discussed. Frequently, it is a good idea to define issues that will not be addressed during the meeting. Sometimes, such items are raised in an effort to throw opponents off track. When such matters are raised, calmly explain that you are not prepared to discuss it at this time, and offer to schedule a meeting to discuss it. Ordering of items on the agenda is also important; you might want to tackle less controversial issues first if there are several issues to be decided. This will give everyone a sense of progress and accomplishment and will create a more cooperative basis for tackling more troublesome issues later.  Comment: Telling people what will not be included in the meeting will work especially the meeting is very important. Cooperation is never imposed, it is earned like respect. Hence, a good negotiator must understand human nature and therefore balance his strategy. Head Injury Hotline (1998) reported: It is also a good idea to agree on how long the meeting will last since you or other participants may have commitments later in the day. If time constraints will not allow all issues to be dealt with, arrange for an additional meeting so that you will not be pressured into unacceptable compromises because of time limitations. Comment: Again, meeting consume time not only of the manager but also the employees. Hence, manager must not only we are but also must be in control of the situation. Head Injury Hotline (1998) talked about: Nonverbal Assertiveness Even when we are silent we communicate a lot -- through our eyes, facial expression, posture, gestures and personal appearance. Through these nonverbal behaviours we communicate who we are and how we feel. Others draw conclusions about our sincerity, credibility and emotional state based on our nonverbal behaviour. Poor eye contact, slouching, nervous gestures and other non-assertive behaviours can convince others that what we have to say can be safely ignored. Awareness of our nonverbal behaviour is an important advocacy tool.  Comment: The negotiator’s eye contact, posture, personal appearance, tone of voice, gestures and final expressions are elements of non verbal behaviour that must be carefully considered by an assertive and effective negotiator. 3. Conclusion and Recommendation 3.1 Conclusion: Meetings cost money and resources. We have seen how managers spend their time in companies in meetings in the performance of their functions. If meetings are not wisely handled it could amount to grandstanding and they could be just exercises in futility. Meetings, however, have their purposes, which include communication in an organization. Business objectives need to be communicated to managers and managers need to talk to people they manage. Although an encounter between manager and his subordinate may be called a meeting we limited out discussion and analysis to a meeting where there are at least three or more in the group, big enough to produce opposition on the point of view of the presiding speaker or leader. From that we have seen how an effective manager could wrestle the opposition and lead his people where it should go. To do so is not simple since it requires the employment of skills and strategies that may be dependent on the nature and composition of participants. 3.2 Recommendation A would be manager first and foremost must know the agenda of every meeting. His actions, his speech, his way of dressing, the way he will respond the question are things which cannot be neglected before any meeting. As a manager, the owners of business expects him to produce results and since meeting really occupies most of his time, he must prove that he is worth his pay by being able to manifest his skill in negotiation during meetings. If he happens to own the business, he cannot afford to lose time and money. References: 1. Head Injury Hotline (1998), Assertiveness Skills, {www document} URL http://www.headinjury.com/assertskills.html, accessed March 22, 2006 2. Oshagbemi, T. (n.d.), Management Development And Managers’ Use Of Their Time, Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK, {www document} URL interruptions.net/literature/Oshagbemi-JMD95.pdf, accessed March 22, 2006 Appendix A (retrieved from: www.renderx.com/demos/examples/ meeting/meeting_minutes.pdf) Minutes of Meeting of Board of "Castle Commerce" LTD January 11th, 2004 Attending: * Steve Robinson * Alex Goodwin * Jonathan Smithson * Michael Bull Agenda: 1. Change in board membership 2. Approve meeting minutes for July 10, August 7, September 17, October 22 and November 13 meetings of this year 3. Modification of email voting 4. Treasurer report 5. Next meeting 1. Change in board membership Alex reports that Martin Duke has sent his resignation to the board of directors and notes we will need another board member at some point to get back to 5 people on the board. He suggests people come up with names so they can be discussed on the board list and the people we like can be added to the board at the next meeting. Three people are mentioned: * Michael Bull suggests Drew Streib. Drew was one of the early "Castle Commerce" people, and is also active in projects such as the Unic Standards Groups key analysis and others. * Alex asks Martin if he would be interesting in becoming a board member. Martin is interested but would like more time to consider it. * Alex also proposes Thomas Bushnell, one of the Hurd developers. 2. Approving minutes from previous meetings Alex asks Michael if he has incorporated the changes he suggested for the July 17 minutes. Michael replies that he has. Since Jonathan lost his changes for the August 7 minutes, and the September 17 minutes are not in order yet, voting for them is postponed until the next board meeting. Michael asks everyone to use ISO 8601 notation for dates in order to prevent confusion. Nobody objects. Since the minutes for August 7 and September 17 are not ready voting on them is postponed until the next board meeting. The vote to approve the minutes of the October 22 meeting minutes was anonymous. The vote to approve the minutes of the November 13 meeting minutes was anonymous. 3. Modification of email voting Alex asked everyone if they have read Ians email. Not everyone has. Ian offers to rewrite his proposal as a resolution which will be resolution N-2001-11-26.1. Michael remarks he has no strong feelings on this topic and will vote with the majority. Ian asks over how long a period votes should be counted. Alex proposes a week. The resolution is passed with 4votes in favour and none against. 4. Treasurer report Michael asks for permission to ask Chris to go ahead and mail a letter to Darren Benham pressuring him to surrender all "Castle Commerce" materials he still holds. Alex asks Sean Perry for a last check to see if he has made any progressing in obtaining them. Michael proposes to try and contact Sean and Darren today for a last time, and if no progress has been made yet to proceed with the letter. Nobody objects. Jonathan mentions we also need to take care of the P.O. Box and ask if he can spend the 19 US dollar needed to open a P.O. Box in Indianapolis. Alex says he would rather have a forwarding service that we can continue to use when the board changes. Jonathan agrees but explains that we need a registered agent to do that so can not be done until he has the "Castle Commerce" materials that Darren currently holds. 5. Next meeting The next "Castle Commerce" board meeting is set for January 30, 2004 at 2:00 pm. This document is an example of minutes of meeting and doesnt correspond to validity. All the names and clauses of the meeting are invented. Read More