Parity in Power

The concept of parity in power is important in any relationship, since in negotiation parity of power is the perception, by one party, that the other side possesses the ability to counter any form of power with a similar or different form of power that would render the further escalation of power useless. As stated, parity in power refers to balance in power deployment. Parity in power is a key factor in the behaviour of a successful negotiator.

In literature, a distinction is made between power and authority. Authority is regarded as the formal power that a person has because of the position that he or she holds in an organisation (Gibson et al. 1989:330). Directives are orders from a manager in an authoritative positions and are followed because they must be followed. So, persons in higher positions have legal authority over subordinates in lower positions. Power is vested in a person’s position, it is accepted by subordinates and it is used vertically in organisations.

On the other hand, influence is merely the potential of power deployment and is therefore the least amount of power that a person can deploy. To execute a karate punch on someone would demonstrate relative power;however, to warn the other side that the person has a black belt in karate would merely display the resource, i.e. the potential of it being deployed. However, when power is used as a threat, it is important that the negotiator remembers that a threat retains its power provided it is never executed. Upon delivery, a threat loses all its value.