But for those who can start seeing other parties in negotiations as potential partners rather than potential opponents, the rewards can be great indeed. Iwar Unt and Keld Jensen are leading writers and theorists on negotiations in Scandinavia. Iwar Unt has a long experience in the field of negotiation and is the author of several books on the subject. Keld Jensen is head of MarketWatch Management, a leading research company based in Copenhagen.
Partnerships are essential to any enterprise.
Managers who are launching new enterprises or reorganising existing ones should be looking to develop long-term stable relationships with partners, relationships that will work to the advantage of all those involved. Partnership is thus a process that involves all employees, not just managers and boards. It makes considerable demands on our ability to negotiate. This type of co-operative negotiation is becoming ever more common, and ever more important for enterprises looking to get ahead in a competitive world. Partnerships should aim to lower costs and risks, increase profits and allow partners to benefit from each other's experience and contacts.