The strategic use of interests, rights, and power to resolve disputes

To ensure success in resolving difficult disputes, negotiators must make st rategic decisions about their negotiation approach. In this essay, we make practical recommendations for negotiation strategy based on Ury, Brett, and Goldberg's (1993) interests rights, and power framework for dispute resolu tion and subsequent empirical research by Brett,;Shapiro, and Lytle (1998). We discuss how negotiations cycle through interests, rights and power foci ; the prevalence of reciprocity; and the one-sided, distributive outcomes t hat result from reciprocity of rights and power communications. We then tur n to using interests, rights and power strategically in negotiations. We di scuss choosing an opening strategy, breaking conflict spirals of reciprocat ed rights and power communications, and when and how to use rights and powe r communications effectively in negotiations.