396 / SETTING YOUR STYLE
Ways to ensure that
the pie is sliced fairly
Negotiating fairly
Ensuring fairness
There are several categories of fairness
that contribute to creating successful
negotiations. Distributive fairness
relates to the distribution of outcomes
(the splitting of the pie). Negotiators
use three different principles of
distributive fairness:
•
Equality: this states that fairness is
achieved by splitting the pie equally.
•
Equity: this states that the outcome
should relate to the contribution made
by each party.
•
Needs: this states that, regardless of
their contribution, each party should
get what they need.
Fairness is an important characteristic in negotiations. Negotiators
need to believe that the negotiation process and its outcomes are fair,
otherwise they may choose to end the negotiations without coming
to an agreement, or fail to put the agreement into action.
SIMPLICITY
Ensure that all negotiating
parties can understand and
describe the pie-slicing
procedures you use to
guarantee smooth
implementation.
CONSENSUS
Confirm that all parties
in the negotiation are in
complete agreement
on the method of slicing
the pie.
CLARITY
Be certain that the
final decision is clear,
without any potential
misinterpretations.
CONSISTENCY
Make sure that you apply the
fairness principles (equality,
equity, or needs) in the same
manner throughout the
negotiation process.
SATISFACTION
Make sure that all
parties are happy with
the results—they are
then more likely to
follow through with
the agreement.
35%
of people in a survey
assumed the pie was
fixed and did not
consider all the factors
that would increase it
US_396-397_Negotiating_fairly.indd 396 30/05/16 3:06 pm
NEGOTIATING FAIRLY / 397
Creating a fairness frame
In addition, a negotiator’s level of
satisfaction and willingness to follow
through with an agreement are usually
determined by their perception of the
level of fairness of the procedure
(procedural fairness), and also the way
they feel they have been treated by the
other party (interactional fairness).
Fairness is a subjective issue. When
negotiating, if you first define what you
consider to be fair, you can then use
this “fairness frame” as a bargaining
strategy in your discussions with the
other party. Alternatively, if you state the
importance of fairness at the beginning
of the negotiation process, it may
encourage the other party to be fair.
SIMPLICITY
Ensure that all negotiating
parties can understand and
describe the pie-slicing
procedures you use to
guarantee smooth
implementation.
CONSENSUS
Confirm that all parties
in the negotiation are in
complete agreement
on the method of slicing
the pie.
JUSTIFIABILITY
Make sure that all parties
are able to explain why
you are slicing the pie this
way to someone else.
SATISFACTION
Make sure that all
parties are happy with
the results—they are
then more likely to
follow through with
the agreement.
Define what you consider
to be fair—you can then use
this “fairness frame” as
a bargaining strategy in
your discussions
US_396-397_Negotiating_fairly.indd 397 30/05/16 3:06 pm
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