Negotiation is an evolving process where two or more parties, individuals or organizations are dependent on each others conditions to reach and achieve their independent goals and desired outcomes. (Lewicki, Saunders & Barry 2015; Thompson, Wang & Gunia 2010) Since negotiation is indeed an evolving process and a strategy and choice in itself, planning in a negotiation is most crucial due to the outlining and insight of issues, constraints and needs and priorities of your party, and identification of interests and your partys ultimate goals is made clear. (Lewicki, Saunders & Barry 2015; Smelzter, Manship & Rossetti 2003) All these conditions and points need to be considered before you start negotiating so you know the direction you are headed for and for what you are aiming for. Planning is the linkage between stating your needs, desires and priorities before the execution of your negotiation. (Lewicki, Saunders & Barry 2015) Planning for negotiation can be attained by following the 12-point checklist, which reflect that goals need to be discussed and prioritised to produce particular, palpable and assessable objectives. (Lewicki, Saunders & Barry 2015; Cox 2012) In planning we choose a type of strategy in which we approach the negotiation, which becomes reflective of the direction reflecting our constraints of our particular desired outcomes. ( Lewicki, Saunders & Berry 2015) In negotiation planning, the dual concerns model identifies for us four different approaches through which we can achieve our desired outcomes, which is determined by the importance each party places on two defining aspects; one being the importance the party places on the relational aspect of the negotiation and two,
the importance the party places on the outcome and desired goal in the negation process. (Lewicki, Saunders & Berry 2015; Ury 2012) The four different approaches the model identifies and explains is the collaborative strategy; which takes an integrative approach to the overall negation and places an overlapping importance over the desired outcome than the relationship with fellow negotiators, while the competitive approach takes a distributive approach. (Ury 2013) The accommodating approach places more value into its desired outcome also however, it accommodates its outcome in the need to prioritise the relational component of the negotiation. Lastly the avoidance strategy is simply a pathway where negotiation is almost non-existent and is not required to achieve the outcome in your goals. (Savage, Blair & Sorenson 1989; Ury 2013) An alternative to this model to planning is the five P- words of negotiation preparation, (Ury 2013) which reiterate the important concepts in construction for negotiations. (Ury 2013) Negotiators must have clear goals, and perceptions of their partys needs, desires and constraints and identify and implement a suitable strategy to greater the chances to achieve your goals with less to lose or least difficulty because of the clarity you have going into the ground of negotiating. (Ury 2013) Without clear direction in negotiation, you are self-setting up for lack of targets, intention and knowledge of your own partys capabilities. (Lewicki, Saunders & Berry 2015) The risk of unsuccessful negotiation or over commitment in some cases, is bigger when you enter negotiation grounds without proper recognition of priorities and constraints. (Lewicki, Saunders & Berry 2015)