1.5. PERSONAL VALUES
Values such as fairness, integrity, honesty and trust naturally encourage us to be open. Values can influence judgement, distort objectivity and lead to individuals compromising on otherwise strong commercial agreements. But the assumption that the longevity of relationships is dependent on cooperation is a common misconception. Personal values have their place within any relationship but business relationships can and often do exist, based on different value sets.
Values are usually deep-rooted and many people feel very defensive about them, as if their very integrity was being challenged. The point here is that they are not right or wrong. I am not suggesting that effective negotiators have no values — we all do. However, in negotiation, when you are involved in a process, what you do and what you are need not be the same thing. This is not about challenging who you are, but it is about helping you to change the things you do.
If you want to remain loyal to your values during negotiation there is nothing wrong with this. Others may not be as faithful to theirs, which could leave you compromised. In other words, if you choose to be open and honest by, for example, sharing information with the other party and they decide not to reciprocate, guess who will gain the balance of power? And how appropriate is that?
Where natural economic laws, such as supply and demand, result in people doing business with each other, a cooperative relationship can help to create ...
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