Countering Team Strategies
How to Keep The Upper Hand
TEAM STRATEGIES are often difficult to expose as they are composed of many distracting personal styles . On top of this ,your preset strategy has been thoroughly worked out and may already be in place so you may be unwilling to make any dramatic changes .As equally important as choosing your strategy is the ability to recognize and counter the opposition’s choice .Just as each team member must master a variety of styles ,so should a team be capable of switching strategies.Some strategies are better than others as counteractions and the weaker team will be the one that must adapt first. Stylistic superiority might give you the upper hand initially but strategic choice will maintain it.
Consensus
A Consensus team forms a lumbering beast that attempt to roll over anything and anyone thatis directly in front of it .The speed of consensus taking can be increased or decreased depending on how such a team wishes to maneuver its counterparts.Their reaction to every issue is the same ,and they’re loathe to change tactics,let alone strategy . Consensus teams plan in detail and execute everything they plan ,regardless of outcome .Such teams must stick to an agenda and are every disoriented by counterparts who can (and do ) handle change easily.
COUNTERMEASURES
CONSENSUS When both teams use Consensus ,as is very common in Asia, negotiations can be long and drawn out as each side vies to control the field . Countering consensus with consensus is only recommended when the amount of time (and therefore money ) devoted to the negotiation process isn’t a crucial facror. Host-buyers can always wield the upperhand when countering with Consensus . Weakly positioned sellere should never attempt this “fighting fire with fire ”approch.
COWBOYS Cowboy teams that keep their wits and cool about them can do very well against Consunsus but not from a selling position ,unless they’re the only game in town . Because they can work solo as well as in a group setting,Cowboys can outmaneuver the lumbering Consensus by introducing new items (or new angles on old items) to the agenda and overload the Consensus taking process. During dispersal sessions, they can also put their counterparts on the defensive by questioning their decision-making ability and actual authority .This can be very disconcerting for counterparters of supposedly equal rank .
PLATOON Platoons hve the same advantages over Consensus teams as Cowboys do ,with the added ability to include lots of support personnel . they can, in effect, form small Consensus teams to scrutinize issues ,while retaining the on-the-spot authority to be decisive .This is very effective if teams have been dispersed to several areas.
DIVIDEＡＮＤCONQUER Consensus lives in deathly fear of discord and expends a great deal of time guarding against it.A divisive counterstrategy must be constant and very subtle.Many of the personal styles become tactical maneuvers (Social ,Deceptive,Exploitive, Indulgent ),and they can have devastating effects if practiced on an inexperienced Consensus team caught unaware .Experienced Consensus practioners with long-term team members are virtually impervious to Divide and Conquer strategies.
JEKYLL AND HYDE Inconsistency is a deaeh-knell for those who believe in Consensus .buyers that counter it with a Jekyll and Hyde style will have varying degrees of success,depending on the experience level of on the Consensus team.Sellers,unless demand is very high ,will have no success at all countering with Jekyll and Hyde .The use of a third paty (preferanle government ) as the Mr.Hyde portion of the strategy may assist in influencing the consensus process,but it may not break their control of the agenda.
HIERARCHICAL Hierarchies hzve all of the weaknesses of Consensus and none of its strengths.In the face of an experienced Consensus team .Hierarchies are no match.
HORIZONTAL These “subsidiary”negotiation foece Consensus teams to bargain on many fronts without the benefit of a centract.This is not recommended for sellers,as they very rarely get to control the agenda so necessary to making this counterstrategy work.Buyers,however,can greatly reduce the power of the Consensus team by adding this extra set of decision that must be made with every subsuduary.
DEPARTMENTAL Consensus practioners have no central authority and much prefer to deal with those that do.Countering with a Departmental stykle will shield your central leadership while forcing the Consensus team to respond to your practical concerns .They must deal with many departments ,while you deal with a monolith .This is very effective when in a selling position and unnecessary when in a buying mode.
COWBOYS
These teams are composed of very informed and determined soloists who have the ability to make group effotrs .While most effective when used during dispersal meetings,they can also perform well at centralized negotiations that entail many socila events.Cowboys can make tactical changes in a split second .They can hit moving targets as well as stationary ,but they’re most vulnerable to countermeasures before they become too experienced at their trade.
COUNSENSUS Only buyer/investor types should attempt to use Consensus strategies as a countermove .Be forewarned that Cowboys can cause Consensus users to doubt their own methods by magnifying the slowness of process in a rapidly moving environment.Sellers countering with Consensus methods will most likely find themselves alone on the second day of discussions .The Cowboys will have moved on ,leaving behind a brief note to the effect “call us when you’re serious”.
COWBOYS When two opposing Cowboys meet ,there’s the inevitable shoot-out and bloody result .The question is ,will it be deadly or just a matter of “flesh wounds ?”If your team is in the buying position ,it’s best to be slightly more aggressive than your counterpart.There’s no reason to back down from a position of strength . Sellers ,unless in particularly high demand ,should tone their position down.When both sides adopt this strategy ,negotiation are fast and furious . Your side must have a detailed plan of where it’’s heading ,because it’s a short trip. Weak hearts and slow signers should stay out of tne fray.
PLATOON Solo Cowboy players can be readily handled by Platoon ,especially during sessions with a great deal of technical reference .Because Platoons are really Cowboys with backup,this can be an effective countermeasure for hosts who find themselves on the losing side of discussions .While it’s an admission that your original strategy was failing ,it can salvage your position . There’s no official rule book for negotiations ,only a listing of successful companies . Ganging up on a counterpart is a strategic maneuver, not a moral dilemma.
DIVIDE AND CONQUER Cowboys are used to working alone so diving them can only occur if there’s a major discrepancy in their proposals.Experienced teams rarely suffer from such incongruities.
JEKYLL AND HYDE This”good cop,bad cop”strategy can work on individual Cowboys but probably not so well on the team as a whole .Even on an individual basis ,Cowboys are fast on their feet and can exploit the difference in the two attitudes.
HIERARCHICAL Cowboys in a selling mode detest Hierarchies because they’re resistant to disperal meetings .Hierarchies that face buying-mode Cowboys may meet the same fate as the Consensus team ,unless they can process the decisions quckly.
HORIZONTAL Horizontal teams have the strength of being a truly independent subsidiary .Cowboys end up dealing with several separate companies (buying or selling )and this tends to diffuse their potency.this is very effective when the Horizontal practitioner is in a weakended selling position and must maintain control of the agenda .
DEPARTMENTAL Similar to Horizontal teams ,countering Cowboys with a Departmental style prevents them from getting quick dicisions (that is ,concessions )but without entirely slowing down the process.Though it’s best used in a weak buying position ,it can also attemot by attentive sellers.