In any negotiation, price, terms, and timeline are critical factors, but another element often matters just as much: who actually holds the authority to decide.
This is at the crux of what the Supreme Court is being asked to consider beginning on November 5: Can a United States President, utilizing emergency powers, raise tariffs or can only Congress do so, as it states in Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1 of the Constitution?
Sometimes, it’s a single empowered individual across the negotiating table. Other times, it’s a committee or coalition in which no one person can move forward alone. The authority structure changes everything in terms of how the deal comes together — speed, strategy, and even the risks of failure.
Negotiating with One Decision-Maker
When authority rests with one person, negotiations tend to move quickly. There’s no ambiguity about who makes the call, and deals can be struck on the spot. But with speed comes unpredictability.
As such, you need to be aware of the following:
- Swift but volatile: A single decision-maker can pivot instantly, meaning a “yes” today could become a “no” tomorrow.
- Personal dynamics matter more: Trust, rapport, and credibility are critical. If the individual likes you and believes in the relationship, doors open. If not, they close.
- Limited room for appeal: If the decision-maker rejects your proposal, the conversation often stops right there.
How to adapt: Focus on the relationship. With a single decision-maker, how they feel about you often matters as much as the deal on the table. Go in prepared with multiple fallback options. Expect them to pivot suddenly. Remain flexible. And did I mention focus on the relationship?
Negotiating with a Committee
On the other end of the spectrum are negotiations with groups or committees. The pace slows down, but once consensus is reached, decisions usually hold firm. There is typically a representative or point person who speaks for the group, but don’t let having a single point of contact fool you into thinking the decision is theirs alone.
Negotiating with a committee or many stakeholders can be tricky for these reasons:
- Many voices, many interests: Each stakeholder brings different priorities, creating complexity in finding common ground.
- Slower but steadier outcomes: Because consensus takes time, decisions are harder to reverse once they’re made.
- Risk of deadlock: Without a clear leader, committees can stall, delay, or default to inaction.
How to adapt: Invest in stakeholder mapping. Understand who has influence, who has veto power, and what matters most to each party. Your job is to find a way to align the stakeholders and build deals that can easily be sold internally. This can be done by building coalitions, asking questions around decision making and priorities, and seeking shared wins, while framing proposals in ways that align with multiple interests at once.
Why Authority Matters
Whether you’re closing a sales deal, managing a partnership, or — like the Supreme Court soon will — determining who has the power to set tariffs, the same truth applies: authority shapes the process.
Skilled negotiators don’t fight the setup; they adapt to it. By recognizing whether you’re negotiating with one or many, you can tailor your approach and dramatically improve your odds of success.
Negotiation Training and Consulting to Help You Deal with One or Many.
Skilled negotiators don’t fight how the other party is structured — they adapt to it. Rely on Scotwork’s 50 years of expertise to help you tailor your approach to any negotiation structure and dramatically improve your odds of success.