1) We are selective when considering alternatives. Among the infinite number of possible alternatives, we will consider only a few selected alternatives, unless we are willing to take „forever” to make a decision. A #3) I can decide to target used car buyers and I know that I will easily find willing buyers who are willing to pay more than Rs 7 lac for the car. Then none of the above alternatives will be my WATNA. My worst alternative is to sell the car for Rs 7 lac to such a buyer. Using an illustration, we tried to create clarity of thought, which leads to an unambiguous alternative definition of these terms. The new definitions help to understand how we can define the reservation point for navigation in a colony. It turns out that the same principle is applied in different situations, although in some cases only BATNA is used, when in reality these cases are only a reduced form of the general case. When the parties are in mediation, a mediator may often encourage or ask the parties to conduct a BATNA/WATNA analysis so that the parties and the mediator are informed throughout the process. A mediator can even help parties follow the process in caucuses to help them move forward. However, it is important that mediators who do so do not encourage parties to follow what they consider to be the best option, but encourage parties to develop their own alternatives. In addition, a party who finds a favorable BATNA can easily opt out of mediation, which may not be the easiest for a mediator to accept because they were hoping to negotiate a settlement.

While the goal of mediation is to find a solution that is favorable to both parties, the mediator must allow the parties to reach their own agreement, and mediators must be willing to help the parties find this, whether through mediation or other alternatives. Ultimately, identifying all possible alternatives to a negotiated agreement will help the party move forward in determining its BATNA and the negotiated WATUNA agreement. However, this is only the first step in the analysis to find out what can be the best possible alternatives and the worst possible alternatives. However, consideration of this list and other possible outcomes will help each party decide how to move the negotiations forward in an informed manner and taking into account all its interests. The next article in this series will focus on the rest of this analysis to determine which of all possible outcomes is best for one party and which is the worst-case scenario. Until this article, consider the diversity and knowledge that identifying the alternative provides bargaining power in mediation or negotiation. 2) Our worst alternative is NOT the worst thing we „can” do. But the worst thing we will „do”.

Although I can sell my car for Rs 100, I will not do so as long as I know that I am a finished buyer with Rs 7 lake or Rs 9 lake etc. (provided I have no interest in charity or donating the car, etc.). Some texts define BATNA as the most advantageous alternative that a party to the negotiations can take if the negotiations fail and no agreement can be reached. While WATNA is often defined as the worst outcome that a party would ultimately achieve if it broke off negotiations. for example in case of mediation. In general, alternatives in such cases would involve litigation or legal proceedings, or the only other solution considered is ongoing proceedings. The exact future result of a study is not known. We can only intelligently guess what will probably be the most favorable judgment we can get (BATNA), the worst judgment we could get (WATNA) and the most likely judgment (MLATNA). Again, we would like to negotiate a better solution than our BATNA.

But it may not be unwise to accept an offer that is not as good as BATNA, but better than MLATNA. In an evaluation of the comparison offer, the closer it is (although less cheap) to our BATNA, the better. So we can set our booking point accordingly, but certainly no worse than the WATNA. The further away it is from our WATNA, the higher the relative value of the comparison offer. In a negotiation, your WATNA or the worst alternative to a negotiation agreement is one of many paths you can take if no solution can be found. Like its BATNA counterpart, understanding your WATNA is an alternative that allows you to compare yourself to your other options in an alternative way to make more informed decisions at the negotiating table. The following points are considered the worst alternative to a negotiated agreement: The objective of an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedure is to reach a solution together so that the parties can agree and avoid a possible legal dispute. However, not all mediations or negotiations end with a settlement agreement, and knowing that the parties can walk away without negotiating an agreement means that they need to know what the alternatives would be in that case.

Knowing and understanding what these alternatives will be can be an essential part of preparing for a trial. In addition, understand the alternatives that the other party can influence the decisions of one party in the negotiations. Even without recognizing these alternatives, they will influence the decisions that the parties make. 5) Some alternatives may bear fruit sooner than others. I may have an idea that one of my acquaintances will probably buy the car for about Rs 9. Then A#4 becomes the most likely alternative, my MLATNA. When investigating and implementing alternative dispute resolution, these alternatives are often referred to as BATNA and WATNA. A BATNA is the best alternative to a negotiated agreement and the worst alternative is WATNA.

Analysis and discussion on how to determine what each party`s BATNA and WATNA are, and then the best ways to use this knowledge, will be the focus of this series of articles. This first article will discuss the meaning of the definition of a BATNA and a WATNA and begin to discuss some possible alternatives to a negotiated solution. The second article will discuss the process of finding BATNA and WATNA in a dispute and give some examples to demonstrate the process. The third article will focus on how BATNA and the worst alternative WATNA can be used in negotiations to achieve a favorable outcome. Considering the alternative is useful, even if the parties will reject an agreement for two reasons. The worst alternative to a negotiated agreement gives determination to each party at the negotiating table. With greater awareness of their worst-case scenario, each side gains clarity. 3) The worst alternative is an option we take for granted. Better options like A#4, A#5 will probably give me a more desirable result, but that`s not the worst thing that can happen. At worst, I`ll go for A#3, which will definitely work and therefore doesn`t need to go to A#2 or A#1.

So my WATNA is A#3. It is worth noting from the example above that although there are no hypothetical but real alternatives A#1 and A#2 that are much worse than the A#3 alternative, we still ignore these worse alternatives and consider the A#3 alternative much better than our WATNA. However, we don`t consider an even better A#4 alternative than our WATNA. The moment a neighbor passes by and offers me Rs 9 lake for the car, my WATNA changes. If your current negotiations reach an impasse, what is your best option from the outside? Most seasoned negotiators understand the value of evaluating their NAAT, or the best alternative to a negotiated agreement, a concept used by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton in their seminal book Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (Penguin, 1991, second. Read more The first step in any BATNA/WATNA analysis is to identify alternatives. There are several possible alternatives that a party may consider as an alternative to a negotiated solution. These options can be the best/worst alternative for both parties.

It is important to consider any alternatives that the parties may consider in order to fully analyze how a party can realistically move forward.