Fundamentals of Providing Negotiation Support Online: The Need for Developing BATNAs

Fisher & Ury claim that an important step in resolving a dispute is to be aware of one’s BATNA – what alternative parties have if negotiation fails. Providing accurate information is important, because disputing parties have a tendency to develop an overoptimistic view on their position in the dispute. The ‘reactive devaluation’ effect suggests that advice given by one’s opponent is less likely to be taken into account than the same information provided by a neutral. As Information Technology can be perceived as a neutral party, providing online BATNA calculation may be a useful extension to the ADR/ODR toolbox. However, in order to determine BATNAs online, we need a proper understanding of exactly what is a BATNA. This paper argues that current understanding of what comprises BATNAs is insufficient for the intended purposes. Variant Title : Fundamentals of Providing Negotiation Advice Online: The Need for Developing BATNA