Exploring the Balance of Power and Its Impact on Negotiation.

Grewal Tavleen Kaur

MM4191 Business Negotiation

February 19, 2019

The Godfather

Exploring the balance of power and its impact on negotiation

Scene: The Godfather I (1972) From 1.19 to 7.15.

Introduction:

When discussing negotiation tactics, many a times there is an assumption that is subconsciously made by most. The assumption being that at one point or another all negotiating parties will share bargaining power or be able to come to a win-win situation where there is a balance of power. However, rarely do we consider the initial bargaining power each party sets out with. Consider politicians and international relations, employers and employees or even parents and their children in childhood. A great example of this balance of power and how it impacts negotiations and conflict resolution can be found in the critically acclaimed film The Godfather, which has always been referenced for the line “ I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.”, creating a notorious reputation for the character of Don Vito Corleone as a skilled negotiator.  

The Scene:

In the scene to be analyzed, Amergio Bonasera, a distant relative of the Godfather, visits him on the day of his daughter’s wedding. Don Vito Corelone is the mafia Godfather and we see how Amergio Bonasero comes to him after the police and legal justice system fails to provide him with the punishment he desired against the men who molested and assaulted his daughter. Bonasera asks Corleone for justice at the beginning, requesting that the men be murdered. Corleone hesitates and brings up the disrespect he feels from Bonasera not requesting his assistance first, and also how he only shows up when he is in need, instead of being a friend over the years. Empathetically, the Godfather understands and offers to help Bonasera attain justice, as a gift for his daughter’s wedding day in the short term, but will seek a return on this gift later on.

Tactic:

In terms of negotiation, the aims of the two parties are clear, Corleone has the freedom to decide to help Bonasera and Bonasera wants Corleone to seek justice for his daughter. From the get-go, Bonasera straight-forwardly asks the Godfather that he wants the two men murdered, this request anchors the negotiation around that desire. While one could argue that Bonasera should have left it vague and allowed for the Godfather to decide what action should have been taken in the name of justice, it would not have strengthened Bonasera’s case. A key argument for this is that the nature of this negotiation is rather one-sided. In other words, the offer made by the Godfather would be a take-it-or-leave-it situation for Bonasera.  This can be supported by examining the BATNA of the two parties. For Bonasera, it is to walk away with the suspended sentence already offered by the legal system as justice, and for the Godfather, the BATNA is to not have to do anything for Bonasera. This clearly showcases how Corleone has the key source of power since he has the ability to walk away and not negotiate any outcome. According to Staff (2019), when one side has more leverage than the other, and your BATNA is weak, one must seek potential value creating opportunities that move along the negotiations. Bonasera understands this disadvantage and realizing that offers the Godfather anything he wants. This is where we see the clear difference in bargaining power.