ABSTRACT
Establishing a negotiation team and strategy is vital. This may be done at a company or research institute level, by a community or by indigenous peoples, or by the state or any combination of the above. Where various providers are involved, it may prove appropriate to establish a joint negotiating team. In establishing a negotiating team it is necessary to:
• identify the resources needed, in terms of leadership, representation, negotiating skills and social, cultural and environmental impact assessors, as well as contractual law expertise;
• define team leadership and internal decision-making process; • identify support needed for making decisions, including access to information, etc; • decide whether decisions are to be made by the team leader or the whole group; • establish means to avoid conflicts within the team during negotiations; • have all communications channelled to the team leader and copied to other
relevant members of the negotiating team; • ensure that all relevant decisions, agreements, etc are recorded in writing; • establish lines of communication with other stakeholders or negotiators to promote
coordinated negotiation; • ensure that adequate legal and technical support is available as necessary.
