Positions%20vs.%20Interests%20in%20Negotiating%20Agreements

1
Positions vs. Interestsin Negotiating Agreements

• POLR Negotiated Rulemaking
• October 2006

2
What is a position?

• Position - a statement about what you want to
  happen. One solution to a problem.
• Examples
• You should get rid of your dog.
• The church definitely should buy a new organ.
• You have to be home by 10 pm.

3
What is an interest?

• Interest the need or needs underlying a
  position
• Example 1
• Position You should get rid of your dog.
• Underlying interest I need to get more sleep but
  your barking dog makes that difficult. (I work
  night shifts and sleep during the day.)
• Example 2
• Position The church definitely should buy a new
  organ.
• Underlying interests
• Were afraid that we wont have enough money to
  keep fixing our old organ, which keeps breaking
  down.
• Good organ music is something we like and want to
  keep.

4
Why think about interests?

• Interests express the underlying needs
• Knowing these needs makes it much easier to
  identify various possible solutions

5
Knowing interests helps open the dialog to more
potential solutions
Possible Solutions
Get rid of the dog (original position)
Interest
I need to get more sleep but your barking dog
makes that difficult
Keep the dog indoors at identified times
Move the dogs pen to the other side of the yard
Make an effort to train the dog
6
To help move a discussion

• Listen for interests in the dialog.
• Explore for unvoiced interests through open-ended
  questions, such as
• Why do you want your neighbor to get rid of the
  dog?
• What about this situation bothers you?
• Could you please explain in more depth what you
  are trying to accomplish?
• Try to listen to these interests with an open
  mind.

7
What does a successful interest-based negotiation
look like?

• Parties have an understanding of each others
  interests.
• Parties explore various options that address the
  interests of the various participants.
• Parties find the combination of options that
  addresses the expressed interests to an
  acceptable degree for the group as a whole.