Introducing the book: “Strategic Negotiation: Achieving Organizational Excellence”

Strategic Negotiation: Achieving Organizational Excellence is a research-based work, published in 2023, that explores negotiation not only as an individual skill but also as an organizational capability. Drawing on their experiences working with international companies and academic research, the authors introduce a Negotiation Capability Model that enables organizations to move beyond ad hoc, individual-centered negotiations toward structured, repeatable negotiations aligned with strategic goals.

Through real-world examples, assessment tools, and questionnaires, the book helps managers and negotiation teams identify their strengths and weaknesses and improve negotiation processes. The primary focus is on creating alignment between individual negotiators’ objectives and the organization’s overarching strategies, so that negotiation outcomes yield not just short-term wins but sustainable, repeatable achievements for the organization.

The book critiques traditional negotiation approaches that emphasize individual skills and isolated solutions, offering a new model that defines negotiation as an organizational and systemic process. The authors first examine common myths about negotiation, showing that lasting success cannot rely solely on skilled individuals. They then introduce four maturity levels of organizational negotiation: ad hoc solutions, repeatable competence, adaptive flexibility, and optimized performance. Each level is detailed with its characteristics, challenges, and assessment tools.

The book emphasizes that achieving desirable, repeatable outcomes requires aligning negotiation processes with organizational strategies, values, and structures. It also discusses the role of human capital, training, incentives, and performance measurement in negotiation success, demonstrating practical applications across different industries. Finally, readers are provided with tools and questionnaires to evaluate and improve negotiation processes.

With a structured, experience-based approach, this book helps organizations and managers elevate negotiation from an individual skill to an organizational capability. By studying this work, readers become familiar with the Negotiation Capability Model, which enables evaluation, improvement, and repeatable success in negotiations. Practical tools, worksheets, and real examples clarify the model’s implementation and help transform negotiation into a competitive advantage for the organization.

This book is suitable for managers, organizational leaders, HR consultants, sales professionals, supply chain managers, contract specialists, and students in management, business, and law. It is also practical for anyone seeking to improve organizational negotiation outcomes, foster a culture of collaboration, and enhance team performance.

Table of Contents of Strategic Negotiation: Achieving Organizational Excellence

• Introduction: The Power of Alignment; The Importance of Strategic Alignment in Negotiation and Critique of Individual-Centric Myths
• Chapter 1: Negotiation Assessment Tools; Introducing Four Levels of Organizational Negotiation Maturity and an Evaluation Questionnaire
• Chapter 2: Negotiation as Science and Art; Examining Distributive and Integrative Approaches, the Role of Power, Interests, and Relationships
• Chapter 3: Overview of the Negotiation Capability Model; Structure and Organizational & Individual Competencies
• Chapter 4: Level 2 – Repeatable Competence; Creating Repeatable Processes and the Role of Training and Preparation
• Chapter 5: Level 3 – Adaptive Flexibility; Developing Adaptive Skills and Creativity in Negotiation
• Chapter 6: Level 4 – Optimized Performance; Collaborative Cooperation and Joint Value Creation
• Chapter 7: Implementing Alignment – Mapping the Journey; A Practical Guide to Applying the Model in Organizations
• Chapter 8: Multiple Forms of Success; Applying the Model in Various Contexts such as Collective Bargaining, Project Management, Sales, and Supply Chain
• Chapter 9: Tools and Guides for Assessment, Planning, and Feedback; Providing Questionnaires and Practical Worksheets