Overcoming the Dilemmas in Walton and McKersie's Mixed Bargaining Strategy

Abstract

Far more attention has been paid to Walton and McKersie's distributive and integrative models of bargaining than to their strategies in a mixed bargaining situation; in particular the emphasis has been on developing cooperation in the form of the integrative or mutual gains approaches. This paper re-examines the mixed bargaining model and, drawing on a case study, identifies a number of features of negotiation which enable the parties to overcome the difficulties associated with the strategy. It is suggested that the mixed bargaining model is more appropriate in the industrial relations context than approaches which focus on cooperation.