Delay and avoidance are the preferred ways to respond to conflict for about 7.9% of the benchmark group of over 2500 international middle and senior managers.

Avoiding conflict and postponing action on challenging issues can be a personal preference, but delaying progress can also be a very calculated and tactical move.

The purpose of delay or avoidance is often to control the pace of negotiations.  Examples include ‘parking an issue’, postponing negotiations, remaining silent, avoiding engaging on challenging issues, refusing to be drawn on specifics or repeated adjourning to consult and reflect.  Delay can be used competitively, for example to run down the clock if the other side is under time pressure to close, as well as cooperatively, e.g. to give the other side time to reflect and shape their counter-proposal.  Of course, avoidance or delay needs to be used in concert with other techniques.  An agreement won’t be reached through delay or avoidance.

 Delay can be useful when:

• The outcome is not important and there is no ongoing relationship

• You expect external factors to improve your negotiation position or negotiation power over time

• You expect the conflict to resolve over time without intervention

• You have a better deal, but want to keep other options alive

• Time is on your side and the other side is under (time) pressure

• You (or the others side) need more time to prepare or to make a decision

• No change to the status quo is your preferred outcome.

 Upsides of Delay:

• Causing some delay is typically a low-cost and effective tactic

• Requires no skill to execute

• Is difficult to counter, especially when the tactic remains unrecognised

• Can be effective when it is in your interest to slow down the negotiation or to hold progress for a while.

Delaying tactics can also have a range of significant downsides…

Downsides:

• Rarely effective as a long-term strategy

• Can appear low cost, but is also often high risk

• May cause the relationship to 'go sour' and the opportunity to be lost

• Extended delays can precipitate high-cost outcomes if problems worsen, conflict escalates or the other side walks away.

 Whilst easy to use as a tactic, delays and lack of progress may cause the other side to take sudden and extreme actions out of desperation.Even delay needs to be carefully and skilfully managed to be effective.