Introduction
When people negotiate, they aim to reach an agreement regarding a particular issue or conflict. Those involved should possess various skills, such as verbal and written communication, leadership, rapport building, and decision-making, to ensure that they succeed in the process and receive the intended outcomes (Watershed Associates, 2021). They should also be willing to compromise, pursue mutual benefit, and retain their relationship.
The bargaining process is often evident in art and literature forms, including books, poems, and film. The movie The Godfather presents an excellent example of a negotiation state involving the Italian family and Corleone family as they discuss a deal about the narcotic business (The Godfather, 1972). The participants’ behavior also demonstrates the negative and most appropriate strategies of handling a dispute and bargaining to ensure that they achieve a result that offers the involved parties mutual benefit. The Godfather film illustrates families as they tangle in war and uses the situation between Vito and family leaders to demonstrate negotiation.
The Description of the Bargaining Situation
The Godfather is a combination of three crime films and an inspiration of Mario Puzo’s 1969 novel. Francis Ford Coppola directed the American film series that stared several characters, including Michael Corleone, Vito Corleone, Sonny Corleone, Connie, Tom Hagen, and John Cazale Fredo. The primary themes in the movie are crime and drama. The most significant scene that illustrates bargaining is when Von disagrees with his family about acquiring finances and joining the drug business.
Throughout the movie, the characters use different negotiating methods to achieve their goal. For example, Tom states that “you have got some labor trouble coming up, and my client promises to make that trouble disappear” (The Godfather, 1972). Tom also indicates that Turkey has a top star that was previously using marijuana but has moved to heroin and is willing to help him as long as they agree on the terms of the deal.
Some members of the Godfather family are considering participating in the narcotics business, and they have to negotiate with the Corleone family because the activity is illegal and required additional funds. The head of Corleone’s homestead does not support the drug business, but his son Sonny Corleone indicates that the father might be wrong. Turk wants the Corleone family to give money for starting the drug-dealing business.
Grandfather’s failure to accept the business also frustrates Corleone’s son because he considers the drug market an excellent opportunity for making profits. In the next scene, the pop becomes furious and tells his son to never disagree or argue with him in public because they should appear as one united family to the outside world (The Godfather, 1972). In a different scene, the character is in an attempted assassination that intends to make Sonny the family’s leader due to his willingness to engage in the drug trade. Michael facilitates a moral downfall and his family’s destruction by killing his brother despite the suggestion to never take sides with other individuals against a family. The dispute occurred because the negotiation among the family members was ineffective, and they failed to have a unified voice.
Analysis of the Situation
The movie situation demonstrates the significance of incorporating effective negotiation strategies in teamwork. The scene where the godfather’s sons plan to assassinate him because he is against the drug business illustrates that a negotiating team member should remain united (The Godfather, 1972). They should not display their disharmony to the opposing team because it will use it against them to win the dispute. An effective bargaining process involves two opposing parties with differing opinions and not multiple individuals who are in a disagreement. The most effective technique to ensure that the individuals in each group agree is to plan and prepare for the process (Ahammad et al., 2016).
The six Ps of the bargaining process indicates that prior planning usually prevents poor performance. It means that the participants should spend adequate time preparing for their respective positions, desires, and information to acquire them. Therefore, the events in The Godfather film demonstrate the importance of cooperating as a team to have a successful negotiation process.
This scene demonstrates that understanding and following the negotiation stages increases the chances of achieving the expected outcomes. Management experts explain that having a structured approach in bargaining is beneficial. For example, the preparation phase involves understanding the problem and setting the discussion time and venue. The members of the Godfather family failed to agree and have a unified decision because they disregarded this structure (The Godfather, 1972).
The sons did not agree on the lead speaker and backup and the specific points they could reinforce during the discussion. Moreover, they did not decide the specific bottom-line positions and where they would start to achieve them. Having adequate information on such issues prevents the individuals from the same team from disagreeing, hesitating, or requesting additional time to discuss their disagreement privately (Watershed Associates, 2021). Thus, failing to comply with the negotiation process stages prevents the parties from creating a conclusion that benefits both teams.
The situation in The Godfather illustrates the significance of gathering information as a bargaining technique. In the movie, Vito Corleone requests his son Michael to scrutinize his rivals to gather adequate data about them. The second phase of the negotiation process is quite important because the bargaining parties discuss the dispute or issue at hand before presenting their proposals (Watershed Associates, 2021). The individuals involved should study their opponents to ensure that they understand them. Michael’s data enables Vito to ask many questions during the discussion and evaluate the situation to determine the most appropriate proposal to make.
It also assists the participants in assessing each other’s strengths and weaknesses and establishing a conclusion that benefits them equally. The Godfather validates silence as an effective tactic to apply when bargaining. Being quiet and allowing the other party to offer solutions enables one to analyze their effectiveness silently (Baber, 2018). Therefore, this film demonstrates that gathering information before the negotiation creates the potential for a successful process.
An effective bargaining technique practised in this movie series is the need to eliminate emotions during negotiations. All human beings are vulnerable to mood changes, particularly in situations that involve disagreements. Expressing any positive or negative emotions can affect the discussion and prevent the parties from achieving the intended outcomes. Michael and Mo demonstrate a sensation contrast during the discussion. Mo Green expresses agitation and argues aggressively while Michael remains calm and suppresses his feelings and sentiments. Baber (2018) writes that people are more likely to make better decisions when neutralizing their sentiments.
They are also more likely to impair discrimination and balance these conclusions. For example, the agitated character in this situation rushes the discussion. The more emotional a person is in dispute, the less likely he or she is to exploit the decision-making outcomes (Ahammad et al., 2016). Therefore, emotional thinking and intelligence are vital when two disputing parties are on the negotiation table to avoid compromising their intelligence and decision-making abilities.
The negotiation about joining the narcotics business in The Godfather exhibits confidence and assertiveness as basic skills in the bargaining process. Baber (2018) indicates that bargaining involves giving and taking the participants’ satisfactory interests and building a steady relationship among them. The best method of achieving comparable results is ensuring that both parties express their opinions about the dispute or situation and desired outcomes.
In this film, Vito Corleone needed to demonstrate self-confidence to convince the other bargainers about his assurance and defend the family’s interests appropriately. He plays this character accurately and states his thoughts without any fear of offending or pleasing others. However, he also maintains a neutral tone and remains empathetic to avoid hurting the participants’ emotions. The best party representatives are always firm in expressing their ideas and always retain a responsible attitude that illustrates their confidence (Ahammad et al., 2016). Thus, this movie suggests that the negotiation process requires decisive negotiators ready to express their opinions and a conclusion that benefits them both.
Don Vito implements ineffective negotiation techniques and increases his chances of failing. He mentions that he is going to make an offer that the person is not going to refuse. This statement is against the bargaining rules because it demonstrates a level of coercion. It tells the other persons the events that will occur and which they have to accept (Baber, 2018). An appropriate negotiation process involves two parties expressing their opinions and concerns and then discussing the most appropriate and neutral action. On the contrary, Vito talks when trading one deal or favor with another and uses violence to achieve his intentions.
At first, people who do not understand this character might perceive him as charming and easy-going, but this nature changes once he does not get what he wants. For instance, he almost dies because he supports and plans to join the drug business that his other family members forbid (The Godfather, 1972). This movie reveals that the negotiators should be open to discussion if they want to achieve the best outcomes. Thus, all parties involved in a bargaining situation should participate equally.
Conclusion
The disagreement between Vito and the two families is an exceptional example of the strategy and process bargaining should follow. In a negotiation process, the parties involved follow a procedure to discuss the issue and create a fair outcome that benefits everyone.
In this movie, violence arises between the families after they fail to agree on a drug business deal. The situations’ analysis demonstrates that bargainers should plan and prepare for the process by collecting adequate information about their opponents and determining their desired outcomes and main speakers. Moreover, they should be calm, confident, and assertive to avoid compromising their positions. Each party should share their opinions and be open to accommodate the other group’s ideas. Remaining silent is also advisable if others express agitation. Mastering silence is an excellent skill that bargainers should practice to increase their chances of agreeing on the right decision.
References
Ahammad, M. F., Tarba, S. Y., Liu, Y., Glaister, K. W., & Cooper, C. L. (2016). Exploring the factors influencing the negotiation process in cross-border M&A. International Business Review, 25(2), 445-457.
Baber, W. W. (2018). Identifying macro phases across the negotiation lifecycle. Group Decision and Negotiation, 27(6), 885-903.
The Godfather. (1972).
Watershed Associates. (2021). Best Negotiation Stages Introduction. (2021). Web.