Which negotiation approach involves taking turns to focus on different stakeholders?

• A. Satisficing
• B. Sequential attention
• C. Side payments
• D. Exercise of power

Answer: (B)

Taking turns to focus on different stakeholders is a negotiation approach that organizes the process by addressing one stakeholder group at a time. This sequential attention helps each party’s interests and concerns be discussed fully before moving on, which makes it easier to map acceptable trade-offs and build buy-in. It reduces confusion in multi-stakeholder settings and lets the negotiator tailor concessions to what each group values. By cycling through stakeholders, you can reveal priorities, test offers, and gradually integrate multiple objectives into a single agreement rather than trying to satisfy everyone simultaneously. The other options describe different ideas—settling for something good enough, using payments to nudge agreement, or applying coercive leverage—none of which capture the idea of addressing stakeholders in turn.