The consumption of alcohol during negotiations has been a century tradition observed in many cross-cultural settings. Alcohol is widely used in negotiations to break the ice, ease the mood, and develop relationships. Unfortunately, any people engage in negotiation-related drinking with little or no consideration of the risks or effects that follow. Drugs and alcohol abuse influences the behavior of individuals, thereby impairing judgment and alters the way people process information and evaluate alternatives. Recent studies have linked violence to drug and alcohol abuse. Such alcohol-induced violence might cause negative implications during negotiations. People who turn up to, therefore, under the influence of drugs and alcohol have decreased self-awareness and sensitivity to cues regarding self behavior during negotiations ( Schweitzer & Kerr, 2000). Statistics show that induced alcohol myopia slows the cognitive functioning of individuals, thereby impairing their decision making ( Schweitzer & Kerr, 2000) .
Negotiators end up having a hard time tom control parties that come to negations when drunk. It becomes difficult for negotiating parties under the influence of alcohol to reach better and constructive agreements/ solutions during the negotiation process. Additionally, intoxicated individuals are prone to making mistakes and may end using assertive arguments during negotiations. A negotiator is supposed to put the interests of the party he/she is representing first. It is crucial for a negotiator to maintain professionalism, to respond to the effects brought by drug and alcohol abuse among people coming to negotiations. First, there is a need for the negotiator to concentrate on the underlying interests of the parties, such as concerns, fear, or desires that need to be reconciled and not their positions ( Goldberg et al., 2014). Therefore, the negotiator should separate the people from the drug and alcohol abuse problem. Blaming parties of the negotiation for the problem may end up reducing effective communication between the parties. The negotiator should also listen actively and acknowledge what is being said by the parties by making summaries.
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References
Goldberg, S. B., Sander, F. E., Rogers, N. H., & Cole, S. R. (2014). Dispute resolution: Negotiation, mediation, and other processes . Wolters Kluwer Law & Business.
Schweitzer, M., & Kerr, J. (2000). Bargaining under the influence: The role of alcohol in negotiations. Academy Of Management Perspectives , 14 (2), 47-57. doi: 10.5465/ame.2000.3819305
