N-10 Multiple Parties and Teams

We define a multiparty negotiation as one in which more than two parties are working together to achieve a collective objective. Multiparty negotiations differ from two-party deliberations in several important ways. The first difference is the number of parties, thus, negotiations simply become bigger. A second difference is that more issues, more perspectives on issues, and more total information are introduced. A third difference is that as the number of parties increases, the social environment changes from a one-on-one dialogue to a small-group discussion. A fourth way in which multiparty negotiations are more complex than two-party ones is that the process they have to follow is more complicated. Finally, multiparty negotiations are more strategically complex than two-party ones

Effective groups and their members do the following things: test assumptions and inferences, Share as much relevant information as possible, focus on interests, explain the reasons, be specific-use examples, keep the discussion focused, make decisions by consensus, and conduct a self-critique.

There are three key stages that characterize multilateral negotiations: the prenegotiation stage, this stage is characterized by a great deal of informal contact among the parties. The parties tend to work on a number of important issues. The formal negotiation stage, much of the multiparty negotiation process is a combination of the group discussion bilateral negotiation, and coalition-building activities described earlier in this volume. The third and final stage in managing multiparty negotiations is the agreement stage. The parties must select the best solution, develop an action plan, implement the action plan, and evaluate outcomes and the process