Negotiate

How can we conduct human exchanges equitably?

How do you negotiate?

Everything is negotiable!

Every day we participate in multiple human exchanges. We exchange ideas, skills, resources, our basic humanity, including love, empathy, play, curiosity, solidarity, sharing, generosity and mindfulness.

If we want to co-create, it requires open and transparent negotiations, a collective process of defining our values, supporting each other to listen to the needs, values, rules, expectations and desires of others so we can negotiate mutually beneficial outcomes.

" As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage." - Peggy McIntosh - Unpacking the white privilege Knapsack

Back to Keys

Challenge the Manipulators

The Manipulators attempt to mediate, but manipulate and rig the game, and don't openly discuss the pros and cons of the deal.

They believe they have the mandate to define our collective values because they possess specific knowledge and expertise. Often they misuse the power that comes with their expert status, believing they know better, and they will threaten or manipulate others, to achieve their desired outcomes. Although their role is to support the group, they often champion the rules of the status quo, not recognising their power and privilege, but see themselves as mediators for the common good. They reduce most human exchanges to time (a linear system that values speed, expediency and monitors progress) and budgets (a debt accounting system that monetizes the value of everything).

Power and privilege are not abstract ideas, they are present in every human exchange, regardless of our intention to do good or evil. Across space and time humans have experimented with humane, human exchanges, the current, multi-pronged assault of privatized, globalized, neo-colonial debt slavery is a relatively new arrival and it is fallible.

Questions

How do we de-colonize our negotiations?

How can we set up equitable negotiations and acknowledge the bag of privileges and assumptions we bring?

Is everything negotiable in my project? How can I make the process transparent for everyone?

What would happen if everyone had a say? On what terms do we agree on debt, risk and fairness?

Who is not in the room? Who benefits from their absence, who benefits from their presence?

What does my safe container exclude? Who defines safety?