𝐖𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐞𝐫, 𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐬, 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐓𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝.

Social partners are groups with different, sometimes opposite values, beliefs and viewpoints. Still – many of these talks are planned and conducted as if they were only about facts and different interests, in a rational way. Employers speak about business needs, costs and competition. The employees highlight cost of living, long hours and social needs.

➡ They try to convince each other, that their viewpoint is the right one.
➡ Proposals from the others are seen as hostile, against the own values.
➡ Differences are overemphasized, joint interests neglected.
➡ Groups don´t put themselves in the other´s shoes .
➡  An attitude of “those against us” and “us against them” spreads.
➡ A downwards spiral is established, from quarrel to industrial action.

Why are viewpoints, emotions and values not taken into account and utilised for negotiations?

𝐓𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝:

✅  Stop fighting each other’s viewpoints, you won´t convince them.
✅ Ask questions and respect the different identities.
✅ Focus on joint interests (there are a lot of them).
✅ Find out about shared values.
✅  Look for solutions which reflect the interests and values of both parties.

𝐓𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧. 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤! 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐞𝐫

Thank you very much, Michael Dreier for this substantial contribution, Dorothea Assig und Dorothee Echter

Foto: Tom Kamlah