Abstract

The authors discuss the surprising shortage of
research on how organizations negotiate or plan to negotiate, when
the work is considered on a broader than individual level. They
contrast this with evidence that certain organizations have profited
enormously, and even become dominant players in their markets,
largely by adopting and enforcing one consistent style and approach
to negotiation, one which supports in every detail the organization’s
overall strategy. They argue that building on this evidence
represents a potentially huge strategic opportunity for organizations
which have not yet tackled consistency of purpose and of
execution across all of their relationships with suppliers, employees
and other stakeholders. They note, however, that the results of such
consistency are not always attractive to the outside observer.