When the parties in a negotiation are committed to a position, they feel that moving from that position is a failure. Instead, the focus should be given to their purposes. To achieve mutual gain, focus should be given on interests, rather than positions. An environment of respect and discipline should be prevalent between both the parties.
For example, in a school, one party favours uniforms, the other opposes it.
● The reasons for the first party to support uniforms is to avoid circumstances where students wear casuals, because it may give rise to an act of bullying where a person or group may act hostile towards each other regarding their individual style.
● The second party is against the use of uniforms because wearing a uniform has its own drawbacks. It makes students easily distinguishable to outsiders. It might even cause financial issues for guardians with limited income.
In such a case, the solution is to allow students to dress according to a specific dress code. All of them may not necessarily wear the same clothes. The dress code makes the students to look modest, reasonable without necessarily wearing the same uniform. It allows both the parties to achieve a perfect balance between their desires and compromises.