When I first heard the term BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement), I thought to myself, “No way! That’s a polite way of being okay with failure.” But I soon found that, regardless of where I turned to research negotiation strategies and tactics, the concept came up. The more I read about it and the more I let the theory marinate, the more practical applications I found for it.
I hate being backed into a corner. Whether it’s an employee trying to hold you hostage for a raise or an insurance adjuster standing his ground on the payment of a claim, there is a feeling of helplessness and lack of control which is enough to drive most Type A personalities crazy. This can lead to anger, resentment, and more often than not, regrettable actions.
They say familiarity breeds contempt. Perhaps that is the inspiration for this piece. Or maybe it’s just that after 17 years of dealing with the same issue, you lose patience with it. Especially when the solution seems so simple. At least on the surface.
In disaster restoration, most negotiations occur between the contractor’s estimator or project manager and the insurance adjuster. The negotiation tends to be adversarial in nature, and generally ends with one of the parties feeling like they were cheated or taken advantage of.
