People are different is the basic HR principle. Interactive behavior at the individual, group or organizational level is an operational necessity. This quite often leads to a conflict situation as people tend to think and behave in different ways. Amongst all managerial skills, the ability to negotiate either to resolve conflicts or to clinch a business deal, has assumed significance hitherto unknown. Whether it is persuading your wife to prepare your favorite dish, convincing your child to be happy with the dress you could afford to buy, requesting a colleague or neighbor to help you, or while closing a business deal_there is a conflict of interests and we all negotiate. By nature we all are marketing people, all the time selling our ideas to others. To that extent, negotiating per se has become one of the most fundamental and highly essential skills in one's life.

It is a business imperative in today's competitive and conflict ridden environment. More so in a work situation where interpersonal relations play a major role, as work teams and matrix structures have become the order of the day. Robbins defines "negotiations" as "a process in which two or more parties exchange goods or services and attempt to agree on the exchange rate for them" Dr. Herb Cohen often referred to as "the worlds' best negotiator" defines negotiation as "the use of information and power to affect behavior within a `web of tension' ". Simple dictionary meaning of the word "negotiate" is "to obtain agreement or strike a deal by having discussions with others". On critical examination of all the three explanations we would realize that we negotiate all the time both on our job and in our personal life too - though we may not be aware of it.