James and Sara live in Kampala and Johannesburg respectively. Five years ago, they met at Medical School, fell in love but got jobs in different countries and or cities. Since 2022, they have been dating and consequently taking frequent flights to visit each other. They have talked about the desire to get married but for now, it’s all about career growth for the “Power couple”, as their friends refer to them.
As of March 5th, 2024, things seem to have changed. Sara found out she was pregnant. She told James to relocate to Johannesburg or forget about the marriage. She went ahead to threaten James, “If you don’t show up within the first trimester, count me dead in your life”
Sara just deployed a lock-in tactic. “What What are lock-in tactics? How do they work?”, get a cup of coffee as I indulge you into the world of lock-ins in the context of negotiations.
Lock-in is a negotiation tactic. It was initially illustrated by Thomas Schelling’s. He uses his well-known example of two dynamite trucks barreling toward each other on a single-lane road. The question becomes which truck goes off the road to avoid an accident. As the trucks near each other, one driver in full view of the other pulls off his steering wheel and throws it out the window.
Seeing this, the other driver has a choice between an explosive crash or driving his truck off the road into a ditch. This is an example of an extreme commitment tactic designed to make it impossible to yield.
Paradoxically, you strengthen your bargaining position by weakening your control over the situation.
In HR negotiations this tactic is common. A manager makes a rousing speech to her staff pledging that she will never accept less than a 15 percent salary increase from Management. Since she stands to lose face and credibility if she does agree to anything less, she can more convincingly persuade management to have 15 percent.
But lock-in tactics are gambles. You may call the other side’s bluff and force them to make a concession, which they will then have to explain to their team.
Like threats, lock-in tactics depend on communication. If the other truck driver does not see the steering wheel fly out the window, or if he thinks the truck has an emergency steering mechanism, the act of throwing the steering wheel out the window will not have its intended effect. The pressure to avoid a collision will be felt equally by both drivers.
Sara’s lock-in tactic is based on the assumption that she gets her way or there is no other way. If she loses the relationship she can go back to her girlfriends and tell them she doesn’t entertain “weak men” If James relocates, they might both lose the trust. He might do it in the name of love and lose credibility among his boyfriends. It’s a risk but one that happens all the time.
How do you respond to lock-in tactics?
Firstly, in response to a commitment tactic, you may be able to interrupt the communication.
Secondly, James can so interpret the commitment as to weaken it. “Oh, I see. You want me to resign from my job with immediate effect and join you. Right? Well, we all have our aspirations, I guess. Do you want to know what mine are?”
Alternatively, James can crack a joke and not take the lock-in seriously.
James can also resist lock-ins on principle: “Fine, Sara, I understand you made that statement known. But my practice is never to yield to pressure, only to reason”.
One more thing: when confronted with a lock-in, de-emphasize it so that the other side can more gracefully back down.
For more negotiation strategies let’s link up this Saturday at the VelocityXperience Masterclass.
