UKC

right then bit of a strange one
in business is there a name for the type of negotiation technique where the management say this is where we are now and this is what we want. but this second option is never on the table and they have an option in the middle which they actually want. it then makes the workers think they have done well and come out of it as best as possible.

hope that makes sense

In reply to mark s:

Deliberately managing expectations lower?

In reply to mark s:

There's books called How To Make Meetings Work For You and that kind of thing, a relative has some along those lines.

In reply to mark s:
it's related/an example of 'anchoring bias' google it

In reply to mark s:

Can't remember exact terminology but google "change management", "manipulation" (might even be the term that's used), tends to only be a very short term strategy as the truth does tend to come out, workers (sometimes suppliers and/or customers) then get pissed off and employ equally underhand techniques - sabotage!

In reply to mark s:

Is that not normal negotiation? Like/must/intend?

In reply to mark s:

Manipulation and co-optation.

In some situations, managers also resort to covert attempts to influence others. Manipulation, in this context, normally involves the very selective use of information and the conscious structuring of events.

One common form of manipulation is co-optation. Co-opting an individual usually involves giving him or her a desirable role in the design or implementation of the change. Co-opting a group involves giving one of its leaders, or someone it respects, a key role in the design or implementation of a change. This is not a form of participation, however, because the initiators do not want the advice of the co-opted, merely his or her endorsement. For example:
.......
Under certain circumstances co-optation can be a relatively inexpensive and easy way to gain an individual’s or a group’s support (cheaper, for example, than negotiation and quicker than participation). Nevertheless, it has its drawbacks. If people feel they are being tricked into not resisting, are not being treated equally, or are being lied to, they may respond very negatively. More than one manager has found that, by his effort to give some subordinate a sense of participation through co-optation, he created more resistance than if he had done nothing. In addition, co-optation can create a different kind of problem if those co-opted use their ability to influence the design and implementation of changes in ways that are not in the best interests of the organization


https://hbr.org/2008/07/choosing-strategies-for-change/ar/1

In reply to mark s:

thanks for replies
knew i could rely on ukc rather than trawling the net through miles of b.s