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Power is very important in negotiation. In negotiation power means the capabilities negotiators can assemble to give themselves an advantage or increase the probability of achieving their objectives. That’s why all negotiators want power. Most negotiators believe that power is important in negotiation because it gives one negotiator an advantage over the other party. Negotiators who have this advantage usually want to use it to secure a greater share of the outcomes or achieve their preferred solution. Seeking power in negotiation usually arises from one of two perceptions:

1. The negotiator believes he or she currently has less power than the other party. In this situation, a negotiator believes the other party already has some advantage that can and will be used, so he or she seeks power to offset or counterbalance that advantage.

2. The negotiator believes he or she needs more power than the other party to increases the probability of securing a desired outcome. In this context, the negotiator believes that added power is necessary to gain or sustain an advantage in the upcoming negotiation.

Definition of power is the ability to bring about outcomes they desire or the ability to get things done the way them to be done. Understanding the different ways in which power can be exercised is best accomplished by looking first at the various sources of power. In their seminal work on power, French and Raven identified five major types: expert power, reward power coercive power, legitimate power, and referent power. Expert power: derived from having unique, in-depth information about a subject. Reward power: derived by being able to reward others for doing what needs to be done. Coercive power: derived by being able to punish others for not doing what needs to be done. Legitimate power: derived from holding an office or formal title in some organization and using the powers that are associated with that office, for example: a vice president or director. Referent power: derived from the respect or admiration one commands because of attributes like personality, integrity, interpersonal style, and the like. A is said to have referent power over B to the extent that B identifies with or wants to be closely associated with A. In order to deal with people who have more power than you do in a good way you have to go trough several advices: Never do an all-or-nothing deal, Make the other party smaller, Make yourself bigger, Build momentum through doing deals in sequence, Use the power of competition to leverage power, Constrain yourself, Good information is always a source of power, Do what you can to manage the process.