Accommodating Negotiating Types
An accommodating negotiators main concern is preserving relationships with the other party. They like to connect on a personal level, and would be put out if the other party wasn’t interested in also building relationships.
They would attempt to smooth over conflicts and mend fences in order to end the negotiation on a positive and friendly note. It is important to an Accommodating negotiator what the other party thinks of them.

When this works:
- Accommodating negotiators are needed when your company needs to build bridges and repair relationships with the other party. Often needed if your company is the reason for the broken relationship.
- Building relationships can be beneficial to the team because it gives you an insight into the personal goals, expectations and, more importantly, weaknesses of the other party.
- Use this style at the start of a new negotiation process. This will create a positive dynamic to start negotiations, while also gathering personal information about the other party.
- Most likely to win against a Compromising negotiator.
When to be careful:
- Never accommodate when negotiating against high compete styles as this will be seen as a sign of weakness.
- Don’t satisfy the needs of the other party at the jeopardy of your company. It is important that you keep your company’s goals as the most critical consideration.
- Negotiations are not always friendly environments. Try to not be offended if the other party isn’t interested in building relationships
Defence against other negotiation styles
Now you know about your own negotiation style, here’s some tips on how to recognise negotiators with other styles, and more importantly, how to win against them.
Competitive
How to recognise | How to win |
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Competitive negotiators are highly results-driven. They are focussed and assertive in their communication and can become aggressive. They will have little time for pleasantries and will jump straight into the nitty-gritty of the negotiation. |
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Collaborative
How to recognise | How to win |
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Collaborative negotiators are open and honest. They try to understand the concerns of the other party and aim to find creative solutions to mutually satisfy both parties. They may explore many different possible avenues to do this. |
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Compromising
How to recognise | How to win |
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Compromiser negotiators do what is fair for both parties. They would rather settle with less in order to satisfy the other party’s needs. Watch out, they often rush negotiations and make large concessions. |
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Avoiding
How to recognise | How to win |
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Avoider negotiators strongly dislike conflict, so will try to dodge negotiations by any means possible. They may be seen to pass responsibility on to other team members or avoid the negotiation situation altogether. |
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