Interest-Based Negotiation: A Case Study

Abstract

In September 1995, the city manager of San Marino decided to take a new approach to upcoming negotiations between management and the firefighters association. In the past, relationships had been, at a minimum strained, and at times, strongly adversarial. The city manager felt that this year would be a good time to work on a new contract with the hope of rebuilding relationships for the long term. He contacted the author/consultant, who enlisted the help of a colleague with expertise in this area, and the decision was made to at least explore an interest-based negotiation approach between the city council and the fire association. The city manager met with the president of the firefighters association to determine his willingness to consider a new approach; he was willing. A proposal was then made to city council to bring in an outside consultant to work with the city to train representatives of both management and firefighters association representatives in the interest-based negotiation process, and for the consultants to facilitate at least four days of the negotiation - city council approved it. Introductory Meeting We first held a 1.5 hour meeting with the combined representatives from management and the firefighter association to introduce them to the basic premises of interest-based negotiation. This meeting was not only informational, but it also gave the trainers/facilitators the opportunity to build rapport with participants, and for everyone to be together. All participants were encouraged to voice any initial concerns and questions; after the informational part of the meeting, future interviews were scheduled, and the meeting was concluded with a group luncheon. Background Information Although we met individually with management representatives, the firefighter representatives preferred meeting as a group. We emphasized that interviews were confidential. Our goals were to understand the history of city/firefighter negotiations, and to learn any concerns or reservations they had about the process. We collected valuable information that made us aware of areas where we might experience roadblocks or conflict during the training and negotiation. The Training Following the introductory meeting and interviews, the two-day training program was scheduled two-and-one-half weeks later to accommodate schedules. Two consecutive training days were scheduled to assist in transfer of training from the first day, which was primarily informational, to the second day, which included extended practice exercises in negotiation. The first day of training began with an introduction to the training objectives: to introduce participants to the premises of interest-based negotiation; to develop the skills of participants in using the interest-based negotiation process; and to improve relationships between management and the firefighter association, not just for the labor negotiation process, but over the long term. After a trust-building exercise, we reviewed the premises of interest-based negotiation, such as principles, assumptions of the approach, steps comprising the process (see Figure 1), and the techniques used during the negotiation. We also conducted skill building exercises in brainstorming, group memory, process checking, listening, and consensus-building. Exercises using the skills and techniques they had learned the first day comprised the entire second day. Both interpersonal and process skills were emphasized; for several exercises, the groups were mixed (participants from management and labor), and people were also asked to take the role of the other side in one exercise. Throughout the training, participants were reminded that our goal was to help them build better relationships over the long term in the overall organization, not just in the negotiation. As a final note, participants were asked to prepare for the first day of the negotiation by writing an opening statement, and identifying the issues and interests they wanted to address. …