CBN Power Dynamics & Coalition Building 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A buyer tells a vendor, 'We have three other suppliers ready to sign tomorrow.' What type of power is the buyer exercising?
- Expert power
- BATNA-based leverage (Correct answer)
- Reward power
- Legitimate power
Correct answer: BATNA-based leverage
Threatening to use an alternative option is a classic exercise of BATNA-based leverage, which derives power from having credible alternatives.
Question 2: Which coalition-building tactic involves privately securing each potential ally's commitment before announcing the coalition publicly?
- Bandwagon strategy
- Logrolling
- Pre-commitment sequencing (Correct answer)
- Anchoring
Correct answer: Pre-commitment sequencing
Pre-commitment sequencing locks in allies one-by-one before the coalition is revealed, reducing the risk of public defection.
Question 3: In a multi-party negotiation, a mediator notices two parties have formed a blocking coalition. What is the most effective counter-strategy for excluded parties?
- Withdraw from the negotiation immediately
- Offer side payments to split the blocking coalition (Correct answer)
- Increase demands to pressure the coalition
- Rely solely on legitimate authority
Correct answer: Offer side payments to split the blocking coalition
Offering side payments or concessions to individual members of a blocking coalition can fracture it by making defection individually attractive.
Question 4: Referent power in negotiation is BEST described as influence derived from:
- Control over financial resources
- Formal authority granted by an organization
- Admiration, likability, or personal identification with the influencer (Correct answer)
- Possession of superior technical knowledge
Correct answer: Admiration, likability, or personal identification with the influencer
Referent power flows from the other party's desire to be associated with or approved by someone they admire or identify with.
Question 5: A union negotiator delays contract talks until the holiday shopping season peaks. This is an example of leveraging:
- Information asymmetry
- Temporal power (Correct answer)
- Coalition breadth
- Reward power
Correct answer: Temporal power
Temporal power exploits timing — the negotiator gains leverage by choosing a moment when the other party faces maximum pressure to settle.
Question 6: What is the PRIMARY risk of over-relying on coercive power during negotiations?
- It increases information sharing
- It damages long-term relationships and invites retaliation (Correct answer)
- It strengthens the other party's BATNA
- It reduces the negotiator's legitimate authority
Correct answer: It damages long-term relationships and invites retaliation
Coercive power may produce short-term compliance but erodes trust and often triggers countermeasures or relationship breakdown.
Question 7: In coalition negotiations, 'vote trading' (supporting another party's issue in exchange for their support on yours) is formally known as:
- Anchoring
- Logrolling (Correct answer)
- Framing
- ZOPA expansion
Correct answer: Logrolling
Logrolling involves trading support across different issues, enabling parties to build coalitions by exchanging votes or concessions on items they value differently.
CBN Power Dynamics & Coalition Building 2
A buyer tells a vendor, 'We have three other suppliers ready to sign tomorrow.' What type of power is the buyer exercising?