Negotiating as an academic
In a previous post, I emphasized the significance of comprehending university budgets to drive change within your capacity as a faculty member. Now armed with an understanding of your university budget, the question arises: how does one effectively negotiate for the resources they require?
When the term “negotiation” arises, many of us immediately think about negotiating a job offer. We envision a scenario where a dean and an early-career researcher engage in discussions to hammer out the specifics of a faculty position. The initial job offer stands as a pivotal moment, yet it's surprising how many individuals, myself included, find themselves inadequately prepared for such negotiations.
Understanding what aspects of a job offer are negotiable is crucial. There may be existing contracts dictating certain parameters such as salaries, retirement plans, or benefits. It's essential to conduct thorough research on what elements might be open to negotiation within the institution you're applying to. While online resources can provide valuable insights, reaching out to someone within the school for clarification can also be beneficial. The key to successful negotiation lies in preparation.
Common negotiation points may include the teaching load, start date, physical workspace, base salary, summer salary, and assurances regarding research or teaching assistantships. These elements might be consolidated into a “start-up” package, or you might receive a lump sum of cash to allocate as you see fit.
Consider a scenario where you're offered a nine-month salary of $85,000 for a tenure-track faculty position. You entertain the idea of negotiating but ultimately accept the offer to avoid starting the relationship on a sour note. However, if you had negotiated for a salary of $87,000, the impact could have been significant. Assuming a conservative 2% annual salary increase, over 30 years, the difference amounts to $83,000 in salary alone (not to mention other benefits like retirement contributions). It's important to remember that subsequent salary increments are often tied to previous levels, including your initial negotiation. Thus, negotiating even a seemingly small increase can have substantial long-term implications.
There is an extensive body of knowledge on negotiation (there were over 4 million Google Scholar entries when I searched “negotiation”). Researchers, mostly from business and psychology, study how people negotiate and what is g effective. Yet, most academics are unaware of this research.
Across a broad set of articles (see here, here, and here), here are some key principles for negotiating effectively.
Prepare, prepare, prepare
Most research suggests preparation is the most important element of negotiation. You may have chosen a nice outfit for the interview or prepared a good job talk, but a failure to prepare for the negotiation may cost you the most. As I’ve suggested above, you should read about how to negotiate, do your homework on the institution you applied to or currently work at, and understand your value.
Ask
It is common for inexperienced negotiators to not ask for what they need. Inexperienced negotiators often negotiate against themselves by taking items off the table too early. Women and those from marginalized groups are especially prone to not asking for what they need (here and here). I’ve heard other faculty members make assumptions that they couldn’t ask for a raise because “that’s not how things work here”. I’ve been at institutions where that wasn’t true, but the assumption persisted.
Know your value
Key to your preparation is determining your value. You need to know what you are worth to negotiate strongly. Human resource departments do a lot of research on what salaries and benefits are across the country. You need to know this information as well.
In knowing your value, there are three “calculations” to make before negotiating.
Target price: The target price is what you are aiming to receive in a negotiation. The target price includes all items up for negotiation—not just your salary. Inexperienced negotiations will undersell themselves and consider too low of a target price. If you are a postdoc making $50,000 per year a salary of $100,000 might sound amazing, but if you haven’t done your homework it might not be enough to even live on. What is your ideal start date? What is your ideal teaching load? You should make a list of all these items.
Reservation price: A reservation price refers to the minimum or maximum price that a negotiator is willing to accept or offer during a negotiation. Essentially, it's the point at which a negotiator is indifferent between accepting a deal or walking away from it. In a salary negotiation, your reservation price might be the minimum salary you're willing to accept for a job. If the employer's offer meets or exceeds your reservation price, you'll accept the job. But if the offer falls below your reservation price, you may choose to decline the job offer and pursue other opportunities.
BATNA: Your BATNA is the Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement. In other words, what is your best option if you can’t come to a suitable agreement? It's a concept coined by negotiation experts Roger Fisher and William Ury in their book “Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In.” Your BATNA is the fallback option or plan B. Having a strong BATNA is crucial in negotiation because it provides leverage and empowers negotiators to walk away from the table if the proposed agreement doesn't meet their interests. A counter-offer from another university is a very strong BATNA and will give you a lot of leverage. You have to be willing to accept your BATNA for it to be a real option.
There is so much more literature, including published papers, books, blog posts, and websites on negotiation. In line with the most important tenant of negotiation above—Prepare, Prepare, Prepare—I think it is key to read some of this literature. A faculty member I work with at UNH, Dr. Rachel Campagna, has produced a useful Audible book (it is free if you already have an account) on negotiation.
I think it is important to recognize how much we negotiate beyond the narrow case of a job offer. We might negotiate what courses we will teach each year, what committees we sit on, or how department resources (e.g., TA lines) will be used. However, we negotiate in even broader ways. We “negotiate” grades and deadlines (either with our syllabus or when an incident comes up) with students. We negotiate how work is divided between co-authors to bring a manuscript to submission. Yet, negotiation isn't confined solely to professional domains. We negotiate with ourselves constantly, balancing competing priorities and decisions—whether to allocate time to emails or grant writing, opting to prepare lunch at home or dine out, and navigating dynamics within our familial relationships.
The same negotiation principles above apply to these different scenarios. You might not need to conduct a formal cost-benefit analysis, but it can be valuable to think through target prices and BATNAs to clarify your needs.
What advice do you have for faculty that need to negotiate?