Think for a moment about the importance of negotiation skills. You negotiate with your friends for what to do or where to go socially; you negotiate with your parents or guardians on the “rules” while staying or residing at their place of residence; you negotiate with a home seller on the price of a home or an auto dealership on the price of the car you’ll purchase; you negotiate with your professor sometimes on whether to be provided bonus points or other allowances in a course; you negotiate on a residency or job position and the salary you will be paid for that position; and much more. You basically negotiate all day and every day. Wouldn’t it be nice to come out of most of those negotiations feeling satisfied?
Berman and Gottlieb examined job negotiations in academic medicine.1 They state that enhancing negotiation competencies are important for everyone and perhaps even more so for women and underrepresented minorities. They site evidence suggesting that these individuals experience disparities in compensation and access to resources important for professional success and that inequities begin upon entry into the academic medical workforce. They provide examples of key negotiation principles, including: appreciative inquiry to understand rationale, challenges, and interest of the other party by asking open-ended questions; reflective listening to acknowledge the motivation behind the other party’s interests; identifying options for mutual agreement; referencing available evidence to underscore the importance of the decision; and obtaining agreement to continue to discuss. The authors hone these into specific competencies for job searching and selection. This includes networking to bolster your presence and create an initial standpoint for negotiation based upon your competence and track record. They then discuss identifying the “ask” which includes more than just salary, especially for autonomous health care professionals, being assertive but flexible around which you can build other important aspects of your job around the salary context. They describe identifying a “BATNA”, which is a Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement in the event of struggling or failing negotiations. Doing so requires considerable knowledge of the marketplace and the job, thus underscoring the need to do one’s homework with an external and internal environmental scan. Finally, when negotiating, it is important to give oneself permission and encouragement to do so (negotiate). One can use the same sort of skills employed when negotiating with a patient for the m to change their behavior. Separating the person from the problem/issue is very important. Mentors can help those who are uncomfortable negotiating salary. They recommend negotiating by person or by phone rather than through email, and if negotiation comes to a standstill, ask for a break. If at a loss for words, ask open-ended questions. Negotiations take time. It is better to arrive at a positive outcome than to rush to an undesirable end.
Pharmacists and pharmacy managers would be well served by learning some finer points of negotiation. Negotiation outcomes can mean the difference in a successful career, the engagement of your patients, and whether you are able to secure stakeholders in a new business venture or paradigm of care.
Additional information about Negotiation Skills can be found in Pharmacy Management: Essentials for All Practice Settings, 4e. If you or your institution subscribes to AccessPharmacy, use or create your MyAccess Profile to sign-in to Pharmacy Management: Essentials for All Practice Settings, 4e. If your institution does not provide access, ask your medical librarian about subscribing.
1Berman RA, Gottlieb AS. Job negotiations in academic medicine: Building a competency-based roadmap for residents and fellows. J Gen Intern Med. DOI: 10.1007/s11606-018-4632-2.
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Do you feel as though you always come out on the losing end of negotiations?