NEGOTIATIONS

Negotiations occur when there is a conflict among two or more people or parties.
Negotiations occur when there is no fixed or established set of rules, procedures, or
system for resolving a conflict, or when the parties prefer to work out side of the system
to invent their own solution to the conflict. Negotiation is a give and take situation,
whereby we expect that both sides will modify or give in somewhat on their opening
statements, requests, or demands.
To fully understand how negotiation as a process takes place, we will use a simple
real life example.
Two years back I taught in a school in Chitral when I was there for my summer’s
vacations. Pamir Public School, from where I also did my matric was going through a
tough time. It had just upgraded its status from a school to college. There are other
schools and colleges in the town but Pamir Public School is well known for its courses
and students.
When it upgraded itself to college level many issues arose. The most important
issue regarding the faculty was biting the management. There are two more colleges in
the town and offered the same courses which were offered by Pamir Public School. As it
is a small town there were not many teachers available to teach at all the colleges at the
same time. Pamir Public School started to hire those teachers who were already teaching
in the other colleges by offering them higher pay. This became a grave issue and became
a hot topic of discussion in the town. The management of other colleges began to blame
Pamir Public School for engaging in unethical act.
The issue got hotter and was creating hurdle for Pamir to operate on its routine
operations. Also the newly hired teachers were disturbed by their decision to join Pamir.
In such a situation Pamir Public School’s management had no other option but to
negotiate with other colleges for the services of the teachers.
A round of talks took place, where by the management and teachers of Pamir and
other colleges worked out possible settlement to the problem. The demand of other
colleges was that Pamir should return the faculty which it had hired from other colleges.
This was not a feasible solution to the problem. On the other hand, Pamir wanted to settle
the problem in a way that benefits all the colleges in town. Proposals were made by all
the parties to the conflict and were discussed. One college proposed to Pamir to hold its
classes in evening shifts. It was never possible in a town like ours whose culture didn’t
allow females to take classes in the evening. Pamir suggested that the newly hired
teachers would be registered under the Pamir administration but would be allowed to take
classes in other colleges as well. They suggested that all the colleges reschedule their
classes.
Talks went on with none of the parties coming to settlement point. After a week
long talks the parties came to agreement. The proposal put forward by Pamir Public
School was agreed upon after some amendments.
In this example we see how parties come under conflict and then negotiate and
settle down on the terms.