The antenarrative of negotiation

Abstract

Within organizations, there are occasions where a contract negotiation is recognizable, e.g. a job offer. However, that situation is already embedded in other structures and negotiations. This article explores the nature of such embeddedness. We extend negotiation theory by adding an analysis of the multiplicity of contexts that inform the process of continuous positioning in the organization. We organize the various kinds of influences on the stakeholders along the lines of Boje’s antenarrative paradigm, in order to show how the web of issues, positions and constraints come to form the bases of argumentation that underlie negotiation. We study a case of New Public Management in a university, as an organization with several layers of decision-makers and distributed responsibility for resource allocation. By examining the dynamic development of antenarrative, we contribute a theory of embeddedness that helps to develop strategic ‘bets on the future’ that practitioners can use as a preparation tool before negotiations.