Negotiation a Raise
...orney I now work for over the past 7 years consecutively and we have worked together on and off for the past 12 years. I also enjoy the job and find it very interesting so, my BATNA was to just accept what I have. It also did not take much thought in determining what the other side’s BATNA would be, because they would be fine if the did not authorize a raise. If they did nothing, they would have nothing to lose. I was not about to use any tricks or try to threaten them if I did not get want I was looking for, because to me these are not useful tools to negotiations. Next, I began to draw up a list of all the things I believed I contributed to the firm since I was hired a year ago. I listed all my strengths, all my ideas that were implemented and all the job responsibilities I have taken on since I was hired. I decided to go through the points and prepared a draft of a memo to our office manager who would have to approve of a raise before submitting it to the management committee. I sent her a short email asking when my evaluation would be, since I had been with the firm for over one year. In my email I noted the fact that I was hired on a lateral pay and had not received an increase for a few years. I knew what to say, and how to say it so that it would appear that I was seeking her counsel and assistance, rather than requesting or demanding a review for a raise. By know what type of personality I am dealing with in a negotiation, it allows me to maneuver (I do not want to say manipulate) my request so it appears everyone is gaining something. This ties in to the win-win negotiation from Chapter 4 of The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator by Leigh L. Thompson. In this chapter I learned about “expanding the pie” so that both parties felt like they were ahead and gained something by the deal. It was my intent to show that I had a lot more to offer and, by being happy with what I am doing and receiving just compensation for it, we all could gain. She was receptive to the request and asked that I draft a memo to the management committee. I drafted the memo detailing what I believed were my strengths and personal assets. I backed this information up with facts and statistics which I had obtained through my research. I mainly concentrated on were the issues and kept my personal feelings out of it. I felt that by addressing the issues rather than the “me” and “I” I would have an easier time getting them to approve what I was looking for. Once the memo was drafted, I submitted it to my office manager for her review. We went through it together, she suggested that I also include some things that I did not think of and advised me that she would submit it at the next management meeting which was to take place in two weeks. The Office Manager then sent an evaluation form to both attorneys that I work for and asked them to fill out the forms prior to the next Management Committee meeting. They were both prompt in filling out the forms and submitted them to her within a week. They also provided me with a copy and we reviewed their evaluations of my performance, where I could do better, and what my strengths and weaknesses were. After a few weeks, and after the Management Committee had met, I had not heard back from the Office Manager c...