6. PHASE IV: BEHAVIORAL ANALYSES AND STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT 



It should be clear at this point that behavioral analysis and strategy 

 development are the elements of LIAM that depend most heavily on the experience 

 and sensitivity of the user. No magic formula exists that will provide 

 clear-cut answers to the question: What now? The answer, if there is one, is 

 simply: it depends. There are some concrete steps one can take, however, 

 towards strategy development. First, a task group must be formed to analyze 

 the results of LIAM and select the most appropriate strategies. 



6.1 FORMING A TASK GROUP 



A subset of the respondents who previously participated in the LIAM 

 process should be selected for the task of developing participatory strategies. 

 This is because these individuals will be familiar with the model and, by 

 virtue of having analyzed one or more organizations themselves, will be aware 

 of the type of results obtained. These individuals should be from the 

 organization sponsoring the analyses, since the strategies they develop will 

 be on behalf of that organization. Members of that organization are also more 

 likely to have the necessary amount of interest in the final stage of LIAM to 

 motivate them to pursue the assignment with energy. 



This subgroup should be large enough so that more than one viewpoint is 

 considered, but not so large that management of the group's activities becomes 

 impossible. Three individuals of the types suggested by Scheele (1975) are 

 recommended, so that a balance can be struck between intensity, objectivity, 

 and organization. A moderator is also recommended to facilitate the proceed- 

 ings and record the outcome. 



In a series of meetings, this group brainstorms together, led by the 

 moderator and informed by the results of LIAM, to identify a list of possible 

 strategies and tactics. The items on this list could then either be voted 

 upon within the subgroup itself — roundtable fashion — or distributed to all 

 members of the organization or the original analytical group using the Delphi 

 technique. A number of factors must be considered by the group, however, 

 prior to making final decisions. Each of these is treated separately in the 

 following paragraphs. 



6.2 CONTEXT OF THE ISSUE 



Gifford (1985) has identified three negotiation strategies that relate to 

 the context in which a conflict occurs: competitive, cooperative, and 

 integrative. Understanding the context in which one has to negotiate is 



62 



