Considering Attitudes in Strategic Negotiation over Brownfield Disputes

Abstract

An innovative negotiation methodology for resolving disputes in brownfield reconstruction is presented for handling negotiation in the presence of multiple decision makers (more than two). A unique feature of the proposed negotiation methodology is that it takes into account the attitudes of the decision makers, which is an important psychological factor in construction negotiations. The methodology is developed at the strategic level of decision making in which the graph model for conflict resolution is employed to help participants determine the most beneficial strategic agreement, given the competing interests and attitudes of the decision makers. A real-life case study of a brownfield reconstruction negotiation is used to illustrate how the proposed methodology can be conveniently applied in practice and to demonstrate the importance and the benefits of incorporating the attitudes of multiple decision makers into the negotiation process in order to better identify the most feasible resolutions. The proposed negotiation methodology is implemented in a negotiation decision support system that assists managers in tackling real-world controversies, particularly complex construction disputes.