How do you measure and evaluate the outcomes of a negotiation with your employees?

1 Define your goals and criteria

Before you enter a negotiation with your employees, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you will measure it. Your goals and criteria should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, if you are negotiating a pay raise, your goal might be to increase the average salary of your team by 10% within the next six months, and your criteria might be the budget, the market rate, and the performance indicators of your team.

2 Collect feedback and data

After the negotiation, you need to collect feedback and data from your employees and other stakeholders to evaluate how well you met your goals and criteria. You can use various methods to gather feedback and data, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, observation, or reports. You should ask your employees about their satisfaction, motivation, commitment, trust, and cooperation as a result of the negotiation. You should also analyze the data on the outcomes of the negotiation, such as the costs, benefits, risks, and opportunities for your team and your organization.

3 Compare and contrast

Once you have collected feedback and data, you need to compare and contrast them with your goals and criteria to see how well you performed and what gaps or discrepancies exist. You should look for patterns, trends, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in your feedback and data. You should also compare and contrast your feedback and data with those of other managers or teams who negotiated similar issues or situations. This will help you benchmark your performance and identify best practices or areas for improvement.

4 Learn and improve

Based on your comparison and contrast, you need to learn and improve from your feedback and data. You should identify what worked well and what did not work well in your negotiation, and why. You should also recognize what skills, behaviors, or strategies you need to develop or enhance to improve your negotiation outcomes. You should set specific and realistic action plans to implement your learning and improvement. You should also monitor and review your progress and results regularly to ensure that you are achieving your desired outcomes.

5 Communicate and celebrate

Finally, you need to communicate and celebrate your feedback and data with your employees and other stakeholders. You should share your findings, insights, and action plans with your employees and solicit their input and feedback. You should also acknowledge and appreciate their efforts, contributions, and achievements in the negotiation. You should celebrate your successes and milestones with your employees and other stakeholders, and use them as opportunities to build trust, rapport, and positive employee relations.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?