Mind and Heart of the Negotiator, Second Edition, The

Constituent Relationships

When a negotiating party is embedded within an organization, several peripheral players may have an indirect stake in the outcome and influence the negotiation process. A constituent is ostensibly on the “same side” as a principal, but exerts an independent influence on the outcome through the principal. We distinguish three types of constituencies: superiors, who have authority over principals; subordinates, who are under the authority of principles; and constituencies, the party whom the principal represents—that is, for whom the principle is responsible and to whom the principal is accountable (collateral parties are represented by C in Fig. 9-2). In our example, Film Gate has a collateral relationship with its major ...