In professional negotiations (and in personal as well) the plan and execution of a sound strategy is, very often, a key to success, and a crucial ability to learn current practices and practical tips that help professionals reach progress and new opportunities through ethics in negotiation.

A negotiation strategy properly planned includes several aspects, according to the approach preferred that is better for the circumstances and context of the negotiation, helping to create and set clear steps for building sustainable agreements based on ethics in negotiation.

In integrative negotiations like long-term contract, joint-ventures or alliances, the strategies will cover the understanding of the parties’ interests and ways to integrate them, variables to negotiate and bundle, objective criteria to be used, challenges to solve and information to be shared (and not), including professional responsibility and ethical matter within ethics in negotiation.

In distributive negotiations like price negotiations, claims settlements or short-term transactions, the strategies will focus on initial anchoring, disclosure of information, concession planning, how to play with time and, of course, alternatives available outside, creating valuable opportunities while respecting ethics in negotiation.

In positional negotiations like political, labour or legal negotiations, the strategies will be centred on justifying positions, controlled concessions, impasses, and “face-saving” alternatives (for both parties), reflecting accepted business practices and reinforcing ethics in negotiation.

Finally, in collaborative negotiations (relationship-centric) like internal negotiations, leadership context or strategic alliances, the strategies target how to build trust, credibility and reliability, define common goals, potential options to be created, governance at the implementation and relationship safeguarding with respect and fairness, supporting long-term progress through leadership ethics and ethics in negotiation.

Planning strategies are common and a legitimate way to achieve better results, and these strategies need to be planned and implemented in accordance with three principles: Integrity, Fairness and Respect, which matter greatly in professional responsibility and ethics in negotiation.

• Integrity

Keeping the promises and commitments is essential in any negotiations. Lack of integrity invalidates the whole negotiation as the result cannot be implemented.

Integrity implies understanding the feasibility of the commitments assumed and its consequences and ensuring its accomplishment, reflecting a strong ethical responsibility in ethics in negotiation.

Integrity means to not to promise or commit to something that can’t be delivered. In other words, integrity ensures that agreements are not only reached, but honoured.

• Fairness

In negotiations fairness doesn’t mean equal outcomes or equal power, but proportionality in the concessions and benefits in relation with the risk assumed and the value exchange.

Fairness in negotiations includes a transparent process with clear rules, and that each party understands their commitments, risks and constraints, serving as a practical guide for ethics in negotiation.

Fairness is not respected when a party uses asymmetry of power not just to strengthen its position but to eliminate the other party’s freedom of choice like when urgency is abused, critical information is withheld or distorted, or when vulnerability is used to extract terms that the weaker party wouldn’t accept under normal conditions.

• Respect

Respect in negotiations is not only to be kind and not to be aggressive, or have good manners. Respect means that each party is treated as a legitimate decision-maker, regardless of status or power, recognising their right to question proposals, seek clarification and refuse terms. It also means respect for autonomy and allowing informed decisions, which strengthens ethics in negotiation.

Absence of respect would be to use methods to diminish the counterpart rather than persuade them, ignoring the agreed process or by-passing representatives.

One simple way to ensure ethical negotiations is to answer three simple questions to check if the negotiation has been developed according to these three principles, offering clear steps and a reliable guide for ethics in negotiation:

• Integrity: Would your counterpart’s reliance on your statements be reasonable?
• Fairness: Would the agreement still be considered legitimate if the weaker part had sufficient opportunity, advice and alternatives?
• Respect: Would the disagreement of the counterpart be a problem to be solved or a flaw to be exposed?



Why, apart from moral principles, is it important to be ethical?

Ethics in negotiation ensures sustainability through the implementation and development of good working relationships, enabling continuous progress and long-term opportunities, which can be learned through management training courses in London.

• Trust is the essential currency in negotiation. Unethical behavior destroys trust immediately and damages.
• Ethical behavior promotes open communication, reduces tension, and enables problem-solving.
• Parties are more willing to explore mutual gains when they feel safe and respected.
• Ethical negotiators are seen as reliable and consistent, increasing influence and legitimacy in business environments guided by ethics in negotiation.
• Unethical tactics may deliver short-term wins but cause long-term damage to reputation and relationships.

The boundary between strategy and manipulation

Strategic behaviour involves persuasion, disclosure of relevant information for both parties, concession planning and tactical positioning within accepted professional norms and ethics in negotiation.

Manipulation crosses the ethical boundary when it relies on deception, misinformation, coercion, or exploitation of asymmetry in bad faith.

The key distinction lies in intent and transparency: strategy influences decisions; manipulation distorts reality and undermines ethics in negotiation.

The test to distinguish between one and the other is to ask whether a tactic would withstand scrutiny if disclosed after the fact.

Common ethical dilemmas in negotiation

Withholding information about constraints, authority or alternatives could be legitimate as long as it is not misrepresentation and does not affect the compliance on the commitments, in line with ethics in negotiation.

For example, one part could withhold that they don’t have the actual capabilities to deliver a commitment as long as there is a feasible way to acquire that capability on time and according to the standards required.

Using pressure tactics to get a favourable decision from the other side could be legitimate as long as it doesn’t exploit urgency, vulnerability, or lack of experience.

Loyalty to the organisation and trying to get the best possible deal is not only legitimate, it is part of the role that the negotiating parties are playing and reflects professional responsibility within ethics in negotiation.

But that doesn’t mean that one party can force an unfair commitment from the other party taking advantage of the power position they have. In those cases, objective criteria play an important role to measure fairness and uphold ethics in negotiation.

In the case of the counterpart’s mistaken assumptions that will materially affect the outcome, it is an ethical obligation to correct the mistake.

Ethical negotiations are an insurance for a long-term satisfactory relationship that goes beyond the short-term. It makes the outcome sustainable, feasible and, most importantly, creates a professional relationship and a reputation that pays in the future through ethics in negotiation.

It is not only about ethics, even when in the ideal world that should be enough. But it is also about convenience, success, and continuous progress in modern business opportunities.