composing of a Team

Passage 1Composing of Negotiation TeamNegotiation can be called either science or art, which exists everywhere, but the results may vary because the methods we adopt are different. As a matter of fact, it greatly relies on the negotiator’s qualities, the strategies and the negotiating skills they adopt during the course of negotiation. Therefore, it is very important to select proper members to build up an efficient negotiating team.In a comparatively grand, formal and complicated negotiation, a team that is composed of competent people will usually finish tasks well. Therefore, for a successful negotiation, it becomes an essential precondition to constitute a powerful, efficient and authoritative group.Thus, what kind of people does this group demand? How many persons are needed? How to make the team run in a proper way? In the meanwhile, it is also necessary to select people who enjoy the desirable qualities for negotiating such as the qualities to cooperate with others. Therefore, in the first place, we have to solve these two problems as follows: to select the team members and to divide the work. How to build up a team or to divide the work should meet the factual requirement of the negotiation. If there are redundant people in this group, it will result in disharmony, which means inner depletion and extra expense and even directly delays the process of the negotiation. On the contrary, if there is lack of negotiators, the difficulties arising in the negotiating process may be the lessening power to deal with the opponents, which means the loss of opportunities. Thereby, we should consider the composition of the group according to nature, object, content and aim of the negotiation.1. Composing principles of negotiating groupThe principle of requirement：We have to suit the size of the negotiation team to the content and the degree of complexity as well as the work-load of the negotiation. In a general negotiation, only one or two persons are needed while in an economic cooperation, especially a development project with large investment. Negotiators from every necessary field are needed to solve the connected problems such as production organization, technological problems and investment distribution.The principle of structure：The team should be systematic and the negotiators should cooperate tacitly. For the engineering project, the negotiation team includes the chief negotiator, professional technologist, engineering members, commercial members, finance experts and legal specialist, etc. All these members can be adjusted according to the different cases.Sometimes it is necessary for the professionals to attend the negotiation, but they need to be trained as a businessman before negotiations.The principle of efficiency：It is the ideal situation to have fewer people in one group to take equal or even more work compared with the “big groups”, which means negotiators are expected to be excellent in many fields so as to be able to undertake different works at the same time.2. The composition of the negotiating groupThe chief negotiator：The chief negotiator is always the full-fledged member of one group as well as the main speaker during the negotiation. It is his full delegation to lead and organize the negotiation which will have a great effect on the final result. For the above reasons, it is very discreet to choose the chief negotiator. In general, the main negotiator should meet the following requirements:●He should be capable of organizing and managing as well as cooperative spirit.●He should be of good psychology and decision qualities as well as strong meetingcontingency abilities and public relations, more ideas and more decisions.●He should be of wide scope of knowledge and capable of dealing with the other negotiatorsfrom abroad around the negotiating table.●He should have a high rank in his company.Technologist：When the negotiation runs into the complex problem, technologists are needed. Their main tasks are in charge of the technological negotiating as well as assisting business personnel to analyze and compare the capacity and price of relevant products and service, in the meanwhile, they also provide reliable information to support the negotiation.Financial experts：Finance experts are expected to be familiar with the situation of the international market, price, delivery and risks as well as the terms of contract, payment terms, credit and capital guarantee.Legal specialist：Legal specialists usually deal with the contract-related documents, check and legally explain the contract terms and, they are expected to know the laws and codes, the customs and practice for international trade, the rules for international market and the legislations in relevant nations.Backup ones：In a large scale or a complex and important negotiation, the backup ones are needed. If necessary, they can take part in the negotiation or replace certain negotiators when some problems arise.Tip:Separate the attitudes from negotiating items and personnel:When you and your opponent cannot agree with each other aboutsome items, the best way is to give some appreciation about hisproposal and then point out the differences between you twoparties, which need your bilateral effect to eliminate.3. To organize the negotiation groups and to divide the workThe negotiators should cooperate well, that is, in order to strengthen the powers of this collectivity; they should support one another in knowledge, harmonizing emotions, characters and tempers. Moreover, to ensure the optimal effect, they should have their own explicit responsibilities and take charge of it, because specific jobs can concentrate force on the focal issues and develop everyone’s abilities. Besides, it is also very important to connect the ideas of people involved in negotiating and those who are paying attention to it. Since the onlooker sees more clearly, they usually have a great influence on decision-making. ①The cooperation of negotiatorsNot only do the negotiators need to supplement one another in knowledge, but also they should harmonize emotions as well. Otherwise, the faction among them will do harm to the negotiation. In addition, the powers of the collectivity will be well strengthened if negotiators can own similar temper and temperament.A clear job-divisionIt is necessary to assign specific jobs to each negotiator in order to concentrate force to focus issue. For example, it is not necessary for chief negotiator to keep on speaking all the time, instead, he should concentrate on the main issue and solve the key problems; if he declares his attitudes all the time, there will be no place for turnabout. So it is very important to let other negotiators speak; in case there is any mistake, it is possible to rectify. In other words, it is necessary to make a thorough plan on the issue of who will answer when certain aspect is referred to and who will declare the relevant evidence and documentary.The cooperation between on-stage people and the out-stage onesThere is always somebody taking part in the discussion of the key issues but not appearing during the negotiation, which is called out-stage ones. Since the negotiators represent the interests of the whole company or even the whole nation, they have to communicate the headquarters to get some instructions for the key questions, to comply with the out-stage people. Moreover, for onlookers see more clearly, it is necessary for this hiding force to take part in the decision-making for important issues.Passage TwoThe Qualities of the Negotiating MembersNegotiators are the main body of action. Although sometimes they are just representatives and deputies of the main body of negotiation relationship and do not directly see to the results of the negotiation, they are conveying the will and demands of the main body of the negotiation relationship from the beginning to the end during the course and even playing a vital role. Thereby, to ensure the success of the negotiation, we have to cultivate and select excellent negotiators. Negotiation is the special social activity that is characterized by the tendency of specialization and competition of ability and brightness. So the negotiators should take the advantages in both psychology and action as well as own the moral characters. That is, they have to own the professional knowledge about the issue of negotiation, the adroit operation of the negotiation skills, and the abilities of cognition, thinking, selecting and judging and they are also expected to be considerate, sensitive, patient, adamant, careful, prudent and humorous. Meanwhile, they have to deal with the relation of competition and cooperation, giving and gaining properly. Generally speaking, they are expected to meet the following requirements.1.Favorable moral charactersWhen negotiators transact with people from foreign countries, not only do they embody the economical interests of their nation, enterprise and themselves, but also they are on behalf of their images. Therefore, negotiators should have favorable political makings and moral characters.In the first place, the negotiators should properly deal with the interests among the state enterprise and themselves and consider the interests of the nation and enterprise. Selfish people who sacrifice the interests of the nation and enterprise for their own interests are not fit for task of negotiation.In the second place, negotiators are expected to be familiar with the policies, guidelines and regulations of both their own nation and the counterpart nation. Moreover, ineffective negotiating actions that collide with the policies and illegal actions should be prevented.In the third place, negotiators are expected to be ambitious and conscientious. They have to stick to the policies but flexible enough at the same time. Meanwhile, they need to be honest, patient, self-confident and innovative, since negotiation is a combination of competition and cooperation. It cannot be achieved if negotiators are aggressive.In the end, negotiators have to pay attention to their quotidian behaviors and cultivate elegant deportment which can win themselves respect from others.2.Necessary psychological makingsIn the factual negotiation, the psychological makings especially the temperament and the actions are usually extremely important.The temperament in psychology means the characters of the impetus that are influenced and determined by the physical factors including the tempo, intensity, flexibility, stability and so on. Different temperament gives birth to different behaviors.①Generally speaking, sanguineous people tend to have a quick thinking and be good at communication. They are usually able to avoid abrupt attack and difficulties. However, they also tend to be harebrained and lack of patience. Bilious people are usually audacious, well-judged, decisive and straightforward; but they tend to be objective and snappish, sometimes even lose good sense. Phlegmatical people are approachable and easy-going. They usually have a rigorous logical thinking and decisive insights and are able to control the situation well, but they are usually weak-minded. Depressed people have a calm and careful thinking and are conscientious, but they cannot adapt to the surroundings quickly and bear the setbacks, and sometimes it is hard to communicate with them.In reality, people are always a combination of one or two temperaments. In the meantime, we cannot simply say that which kind of temperament is most suitable for negotiation since any kind of temperaments has innate merits. So in the negotiation group, members should supplement in the temperaments.In psychology the personal mentality to achieve some kind of activities is called ability. The abilities for a negotiator are comprehensive, which include the ability to analyze, ratiocinate, making decisions, and performance and so on. Negotiators cannot be calm, ambitious and innovative, unless they have favorable psychological makings.3.Necessary professional knowledgeNegotiators should have good basis of professional knowledge, especially should know and be familiar with the negotiation-related knowledge. Knowledge and ability correlate with each other but have differences. One with plenty knowledge may not be capable because the ability should be enhanced in the practice. On the other hand, a competent person may not be knowledgeable all the time, so they have to keep on learning according to the factual needs.The members of a group can supplement the knowledge with one another, so it is not necessary for each member to be the specialists in every aspect. However, the chief negotiator must have the comprehensive knowledge about the law, marketing, finance, technique, communication and so on to control the general situation of the negotiation.With the development of the technology and more fierce competition on the international market, negotiators should gain more professional knowledge. More and more generalists are needed and play a much more important role than specialists.②For instance, the sales men who know both marketing and technology will take more advantages than those with mere knowledge of marketing. Because they can answer the questions about the products performance asked by the customers directly and upgrade the products and the service actively. So they are more competent in the more and more fierce commercial wars.4. Favorable language skillsNegotiation itself is a course of information communication. If both parties can understand the intent of each other, the negotiation will be taken smoothly. On the contrary, if they cannot understand or even misunderstand each other, it is hard to come to an agreement, moreover, even if it is possible, the effects will not be a most satisfactory one. Therefore, an excellent negotiator should have lofty language skills and express themselves effectively and attractively. Exactly, accurately humorous language can make the atmosphere relaxed, eliminate conflicts and promote successful result. The requirements for the negotiators are as follows:a)To express their ideas explicitly, fluently and properly. They are expected to usemother language. If the foreign language is necessary, they should have desirableforeign language skills, otherwise translators have to retell in a proper way.b)To express the conditions and content of the negotiation with exact written language.With the development of the technology of telecommunication, fax and Internet, thewritten way gradually becomes the main way for communication between negotiatingparties. In addition, even in the oral negotiation, the written way is also necessary.Moreover, no matter which kind of negotiation we adopt, the result will appear in thewritten agreement. Therefore, to express the intents of the negotiators exactly andprotect the interests of their own, negotiators have to express their ideas in writtenway.c)To listen carefully, analyze and understand the meaning of the counter- party. Sincethe negotiation is a course of bilateral and multilateral communication, to know andunderstand the ideas of the counter-party is also a necessary ability.d)To use body language properly including gestures and actions, which can express thereal situation of the negotiators’ inner heart and help the counter-party understand.Similarly, to notice the body languages of the counter-party is also very important toget some useful information.Besides the requirements mentioned above, we can also list some others for negotiators. The following ones are the summary of the practice and experience of negotiating experts.a)Overall planning and determining ability.b)Professional knowledge of the negotiation-related issues.c)Clear and quick thinking in any cases under pressures and uncertainties.d)Ability to carefully analyze and synthesize.e)Patience, honesty and confidencef)Ability to persuade people.g)Ability to win the respect and belief of rivalsh)Ability to control emotions.i)Ability to believe and penetrate others.j)Ability to argue and good memory.k)Ability to compromise if necessary and ability to meet the emergency and innovation. l)Ability to express themselves.m)Ability to guide and harmonize and control the members of the group.n)Good skill of public relationship and getting along well with people from different nations, with different beliefs and of different social ranks.。