8 - Obtaining Authorization to Select Alternatives Controlled by Others

Summary

There are important decisions for which you do not have the authority to implement some alternatives that have great appeal to you. Someone else, who I refer to as the authorized decision-maker, controls whether the alternative that you prefer can be implemented. There is an effective way to remove such restrictions. You need to create a specific alternative that includes both the general features of your desired alternative and additional features to make that specific alternative attractive to the authorized decision-maker. You design it to be sufficiently attractive for it to be an alternative that cannot be refused by the authorized decision-maker. Knowing some values of the authorized decision-maker with respect to the decision at hand is a key to create desirable alternatives for him or her. Various procedures to do this are discussed. Value-focused negotiations indicate how knowing your negotiating partner’s values allows you to create win-win alternatives that better achieve their and your objectives. The procedure to generate post-agreement improvements to negotiations is also discussed.