A632.4.4.RB - Deception in Negotiations

During the course of negotiations, people often misrepresent information to gain at least a temporary advantage. For example, a seller may fabricate existence of another interested buyer, or a buyer may misrepresent the price and availability of an item from a different vendor. Reflect on deceptions in negotiations, and describe four ways to reduce your vulnerability to deception during negotiations. Relate an example of a recent negotiation in which you were misled and one in which you may have overstated a claim. In the case of the overstatement, how far would you have gone, or did you actually go, to leverage your position?

Hoch & Kunreuther (2005) stated  there are steps that one can take during negotiations to lessen the possibility of people using deception. Some of those steps are:

Establishing Trust – from the very beginning of the  process, negotiators must strive hard to sustain a foundation of trust where both sides can corroborate that there will be no deception to used on the negotiation table.

Asking direct questions and listening carefully – during the negotiation process, we need first to evaluate the happenstance of our negotiation by asking a direct question with the goal of having the other side of the table work with us and not against us. Asking direct questions is important because it allows verbal, vocal, visual clues and additional ones regarding the question(s). Listening can also indicate the mood of the conversation regarding the level of interest either party has regarding the subject matter and build up better insight of the other individual’s thought process to further explicate his/her justification or rationale.  Listening carefully is a necessity in that it can pick up tone of voice, as well as diversion if some area of interest is being passed over.

Paying attention to nonverbal cues – Hoch & Kunreuther (2005) recommended that as we are listening to the responses of the other individual, it is of utmost importance that we concentrate on the visual clues of the other individual such as respiration changes, increased blinking, etc. In many instances, lack of direct eye contact, diversion to another subject, delays in the response, agitation of body motion and other clues may indicate truth is being avoided.  People who are lying has the tendency to get emotional for fear of being caught and feeling guilty or shameful.

Keeping records and getting things in writing – One of the most important bargaining points is keeping good written records. During the negotiation process, it is essential to maintain records of all claims that the other person(s) are making. Consequential information(s) that has/have significant meaning to the deal must be placed in writing and guarantees have to be in place. Looking for loopholes in any document is best done by utilizing multiple players with checks and balances in mind. Continuous review with experienced like minded people to assure nothing is left out is imperative. Without well written agreements and documented statements, word of mouth can change directions without any notice like an oncoming storm. 

A recent example of when I was misled was in dealing with my property managers and tenants in a rental property.  The tenants contract was scheduled to end 31 October 2019.  The tenants asked to stay an extra 30 days until they moved to their new unit out of state.  My husband and I negotiated the terms of the lease extension through the property managers.  However, the property managers failed to mention that the current tenants recently had a baby and would not allow the property to be shown sooner than 30 days before them moving out.  

I overstated a claim recently when I was negotiating a manning move.  At work, there are rotations to different sections such as support and back shop.  When discussing the members who were eligible to move, I knew I couldn't afford to lose my stronger Airmen or any with too many certifications as that would hurt my qualified manning left in the shop. Therefore, I overstated my claim that the Airman I was moving was harder working than was true.  He is a decent worker but not really one that stands out among his peers.  I didn't have to go far to leverage my position as I had the upper hand.  The section I was negotiating with gave me a short turn around time for a name.  They came to me Wednesday and asked the member to be moved the following Monday.  Also, the member we were getting back in return was also not the hardest working Airman.  

References:
Hoch, S. J., Kunreuther, H., & Gunther, R. E. (2001). Wharton on making decisions (1st ed.). New York: Wiley.