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By:

Rahul Kulkarni

30 March 2025 at 3:32:54 pm

BATNA for Internal Politics

Your authority is limited. Your alternatives decide your leverage One new problem shows up … especially in Indian MSMEs: You realise your authority is not as strong as your designation. And this is where many leaders get emotionally confused. They think, “I’m the leader. Why is this not happening?” Simple answer: because in legacy MSMEs, hierarchy is only one power source. Informal power is often stronger: old relationships, ownership proximity, “I’ve been here 20 years,” vendor networks,...

BATNA for Internal Politics

Your authority is limited. Your alternatives decide your leverage One new problem shows up … especially in Indian MSMEs: You realise your authority is not as strong as your designation. And this is where many leaders get emotionally confused. They think, “I’m the leader. Why is this not happening?” Simple answer: because in legacy MSMEs, hierarchy is only one power source. Informal power is often stronger: old relationships, ownership proximity, “I’ve been here 20 years,” vendor networks, customer control, even family dynamics. So, you need a different power lens, one that works without shouting. That’s where BATNA comes in. Which Seat? Inherited seat:  You may have authority, but you’re still negotiating with legacy power … sometimes inside your own family. Hired seat:  You have the title, but you may not have the “last word”. People will test it. Promoted seat:  You may have trust, but you’re negotiating with peers who remember when you were “one of us”. Different seats. Same reality: you will negotiate more than you will command. Job Offers Metaphor You’ve seen the difference in a person’s tone when they have options. Someone with one job offer is careful, anxious, overly accommodating. Someone with two job offers is calm, direct, not rude … just clear. Nothing about their IQ changed. Only one thing changed: Their alternatives. That’s leverage. BATNA is just a formal word for this. It comes from negotiation theory (Fisher and Ury popularised it in Getting to Yes ). It stands for: Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement. In human language: If this negotiation fails, what do I do next? If your answer is “nothing”, you have no leverage. And in internal politics, if you have no leverage, you end up doing one of two things: you beg, or you explode. Both are bad leadership looks. Why BATNA Matters People think negotiation is for vendors and customers. Wrong. In MSMEs, the hardest negotiations are internal: “Give me the data on time.” “Stop bypassing the process.” “Follow the dispatch sequence.” “Don’t promise impossible delivery dates.” “Raise issues early, not at the last moment.” These are negotiations because the other side has ways to resist: delay forget “network” around you create exceptions act helpless escalate to someone above you So the question becomes: what happens if they don’t agree? If nothing happens, your rule becomes optional. Uncomfortable Truth This is where people misunderstand BATNA. They imagine dramatic options: “I’ll fire him.” “I’ll resign.” “I’ll replace the whole team.” That’s not a BATNA. That’s fantasy. In an MSME, your alternatives are usually not dramatic. They’re structural. A real BATNA often looks like: changing the route, not changing the person building a bypass, not winning an argument shifting the decision to a different forum narrowing scope: “Fine, we’ll run the pilot without you” making a gate: “If you don’t update, you won’t get approval” using coalition support (Week 9, we’ll come to that) BATNA is not about ego. It’s about options you can actually execute. Internal BATNA Let’s say a senior person refuses to share numbers. No BATNA approach:   “Please share… please share… why aren’t you sharing… I told you…” BATNA approach:   “Okay. This week, we’ll review only what is on the scoreboard. Anything not on it won’t get discussed or approved.” Or a team keeps bypassing the new PO flow. No BATNA: “Stop doing this. I’ve told you.” BATNA:   “Any PO without the standard details won’t be processed. Emergency exceptions only through me, and we’ll log them publicly.” Or a salesperson keeps overpromising delivery. No BATNA: Argue repeatedly. BATNA:   “Quotations will carry a standard lead time unless production confirms. If you want exception lead times, you must bring confirmation in writing.” Notice: no shouting. No moral lecture. Just a shift in the rules of the game. That’s leverage. (The writer is a co-founder at PPS Consulting. He is a business transformation consultant. He could be reached at rahul@ppsconsulting.biz.)

BJP Boost

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

As the dust settles over the recent Assembly elections, the BJP, defying anti-incumbency prediction of political Cassandras and exit polls, is set for a historic third term in Haryana. This will buoy the party after its underwhelming performance in the Lok Sabha polls. The Haryana outcome not only reinforces the BJP’s foothold in national politics but also presents a counter-narrative to the INDIA bloc’s post-election fervour.

Despite the bogey stoked by lingering farmer protests and discontent surrounding the controversial Agniveer scheme, the BJP strategically diversified its approach, relying not solely on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s star power—evidenced by his reduced number of rallies—but also on a ground-level consolidation of anti-Jat votes. The Congress’s over-reliance on the Jat community backfired, rallying other groups against it. Interestingly, the Dalit vote, which the Congress anticipated would tilt in its favour, has not completely abandoned the BJP.


At the forefront of the BJP's campaign was Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, whose relatively short tenure allowed him to distance himself from the decade-long rule of the previous administration. By introducing measures to benefit the backward classes, including a significant income limit increase for OBC employment from Rs. 6 lakh to Rs. 8 lakh, the BJP effectively shifted the narrative in its favour. Their mantra of ‘bina parchi, bina kharchi Naukri (promising jobs without bribes) resonated with voters.


The BJP’s rejuvenated team, led by key figures such as Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and state leaders, has seemingly addressed concerns that arose following its poor showing in the Lok Sabha elections. The incorporation of new candidates in place of established leaders provided a fresh face that contrasted sharply with the Congress’s decision to recycle incumbents.


In contrast, in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference, in alliance with the Congress, having crossed the majority threshold, reclaimed its historic dominance and is set to form the government. Here, the BJP’s performance in the first Assembly election held after the abrogation of Article 370, fell short despite its strenuous attempt to position itself as a proponent of development.


The electorate’s apparent rejection of hardline factions like the PDP reflects a nuanced response and win for democracy. Notably, the results have shown a significant rejection of separatist candidates, including those from Engineer Rashid-led Awami Ittehad Party and Jamaat-e-Islami, who failed to make a meaningful impact in the polls.


The BJP’s emphatic victory in Haryana redeems its Lok Sabha misstep but also signals a broader political resurgence, giving the party renewed vigour to march into future contests like the crucial Maharashtra Assembly election.

 
 
 

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