Dr. Martin Hash Podcast

Negotiation requires three things: clearly articulated opposing positions where each side gains only at the expense of the other; feedback to monitor the outcome to check for adherence & adjust as necessary; and an adversarial relationship to ensure that there is no collusion against a poorly represented Third Party.

Every negotiation requires diametrically opposed sides using their leverage for maximum return, and in this way the most efficient equilibrium is maintained. For example, “Mom lets one child cut the slices from a cake and lets the other child pick which slice.”

Feedback is also a requirement for stability, because no circuit is simple enough that it can run unsupervised. Adjustments are spelled out in the contract, and post hoc excuses are not allowed.

There is an obvious adversarial relationship between business & customers, employers & employees, Liberty & Autocracy. And always be suspicious of any negotiations that are not subject to an adversarial relationship: Public Employee unions being the most egregious, but so-called "public-private partnerships" are next on the list, followed closely by “tax incentives” and “Affirmative Action.”

Negotiators have a fiduciary responsibility to act for maximum gain for the Party they represent, but if the mechanism penalizing compromised negotiators is weak then they may prosper more from betraying their clients than suffering the consequences: School Boards, regulatory agencies & other mechanisms of pseudo-public oversight fall into this category.