IMPOSING YOUR WILL

About 9.1% of over 2500 international middle and senior managers in our benchmark group impose their will to achieve what they want.

Imposing uses power, authority and leverage to achieve a desired outcome. Competitive tactics take advantage of weaknesses in the other side's position or skill, whilst using one’s own power to pressure an outcome.  Another user of imposing tactics is to hold firm on a position.  Whilst this may be competitive, it is also used by negotiators to stand up to pressure and to counter sharp tactics from the other side.  Imposing one's position on the other side is warranted in many situations (e.g. non-performance, default, etc.), but will impose a strain on the relationship.

Making demands, compelling action or enforcing compliance can be useful when:

  • You are empowered to act and the situation requires immediate and urgent action

  • You have a lot of negotiation power, and the relationship is not important to you

  • You want to delay or deadlock the negotiation for a while

  • You need to block or counter overly-assertive tactics by the other side

 

Downsides of Imposing:

  • Requires a substantial imbalance of power in your favour – or at least the perception by the other side that you hold most of the power

  • Whether warranted or not, imposing can foster resentment and may leave your side open to payback when the power balance changes.

Retailers who had a habit of exploiting their market power pre-COVID suddenly found the roles had reversed when supply constraints gave suppliers the upper hand.

Imposing does have advantages in certain situations…

Upsides of Imposing:

  • Where there is no long-term relationship to consider, it can be advantageous to use your power to impose key conditions

  • Provides clarity and can be very effective where outcomes are required quickly

  • Can focus and streamline the process and limit the concessions required

  • Can become necessary to secure agreement on issues that are non-negotiable for one side, although trained negotiators will probably avoid imposing a “No” by using other skills and techniques to avoid deadlock.

 Using power effectively can be done with low skill (bullying tactics), medium skill (confident assertion) and with great skill.  Achieving your preferred outcome without damaging relationships is what skilled negotiators learn to do.

Matt Lohmeyer