How can a disagreement stay focused on the decision?
Two colleagues can disagree about a plan while also feeling that their competence or priorities are being dismissed. Their proposed solutions may differ because they are trying to protect different things, such as time, cost or reliability.
Questions you could explore
- What might become possible once both people explain the concern behind their preferred solution?
- How could separating a shared goal from proposed solutions change a disagreement?
Start reading
- Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law SchoolPrincipled Negotiation: Focus on Interests to Create Value
Explains the Harvard Negotiation Project’s distinction between stated positions and underlying interests. It is a practical framework, not a promise that every disagreement has a mutually satisfying solution.
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