The Intelligent Negotiator Read Online Free PDF Page A

interaction with the notion that particular counterparts will be less proficient because of their ethnicity or gender, you give your counterparts an inherent advantage. For you have let your guard down and presented them with the opportunity to exploit the situation. If you are the target of such stereotyping by counterparts, take advantage of the situation, and claim everything you can for yourself.
    I am occasionally asked whether minority students perform as well on my negotiation exercises as non-minority students. In a recent article, James Sammataronoted the reluctance of African-American athletes to hire African-American agents, apparently believing that European-American agents would obtain better results from white owners. 3 This article induced me to review my own course data to see whether this supposition was correct. I found absolutely no difference between the results achieved by African-American and European-American students in my course. 4 Assuming differences based on the ethnicity of your counterparts can prevent you from successfully negotiating with them.
    Gender
    Gender-based stereotypes often cause negotiators difficulty when they interact with people of the opposite sex. Men see overt aggressiveness that they consider appropriate when employed by men as inappropriate when used by women. Some female negotiators try to obtain a psychological advantage against male counterparts by, for instance, resorting to foul language and loud voices. Male bargainers who would directly counter these tactics when used by other men find it difficult to respond in kind against “ladies.” When male negotiators limit their use of bargaining tactics this way, they provide female bargainers with a great advantage. Conversely, some male negotiators try to obtain a psychological advantage against aggressive female counterparts by questioning their femininity. They hope to embarrass their counterparts and make them feel self-conscious.
    Never allow male or female counterparts to undermine your negotiating approach. Any negotiator has the right to use techniques you consider appropriate—regardless of the gender-based stereotypes they may contradict.
    If you are a woman and find that the gender-based beliefs of your coworkers are negatively influencing your bargaining interactions, you can raise the subject directly. Politely ask your colleagues if they find it difficult to negotiate with women. They will undoubtedly deny any such problems, but will privately reevaluate their own behavior.
    Empirical studies have shown that men and women do not behave identically in competitive situations. 5 Women tend to be initially more trusting and more trustworthy than men, but less willing to forgive violations of their trust. If you are a male negotiator interacting with female counterparts, establish a trusting environment that facilitates the discussions—and be careful not to engage in disingenuous behavior that may destroy the trust that develops. If you are a female negotiator interacting with male counterparts, do not automatically assume you are facing an Adversary; and conversely, male negotiators should not assume female counterparts are Cooperators.
    Other gender-based stereotypes may influence male and female bargaining interactions. Men are expected to be task-oriented, while women are supposed to be more concerned with maintaining good relationships. Men are expected to be aggressive and openly competitive, while women are expected to be passive and submissive. When men and women interact, men tend to speak for longer periods of time, and they tend to interrupt more often. In negotiating settings, men tend to use more forceful language, whereas women use more modifiers, such as “don’t you think …” and “it seems to me …,” which undermine their persuasiveness. On the other hand, women are generally better listeners than men, and better readers of nonverbal signals.
    When women enter the marketplace, others may