The Aligned
Strategic Framework
It’s Time for a New Negotiation Framework
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Negotiation is misunderstood. Worse yet, it’s avoided.
Traditional negotiation methods and models don’t help. Most old school negotiation programs focus too much on hardball tactics, and if they do discuss “strategy,” it feels a lot more like “theory.” This isn’t useful when trying to tackle real, practical problems:
How should modern teams navigate internal politics, cross-functional tensions, increasingly virtual coordination, and conflicting organizational goals, all while trying to meet negotiation goals?
Over and over again, we see common misalignments inside the organization derail progress outside it. Then:
- Deals stall.
- Margins slip.
- And relationships fray.
That’s why we built the Aligned Strategic Framework.
Our negotiation framework is built for the way business is done today. It equips you to manage Relationships, control the Process, and pursue the right Goals, all while accounting for the internal, external, and market forces at play. It’s adaptive. It’s strategic. It uses all the best practices of traditional negotiation theory, but it’s built for how real negotiations actually work.
Want to dive deeper? Learn with us!
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The Aligned Strategic Framework Explained
The Aligned Strategic Framework (ASF) is a brand new negotiation framework.
- Adaptive to the scenario, power dynamics, and stakeholders involved
- Strategic in aligning interests, surfacing value, and managing risk
- Relational in its focus on trust, EQ, and long-term outcomes
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The Three Dimensions:
The Aligned Strategic Framework helps individuals and teams manage negotiation through three core dimensions
01 / RELATIONSHIPS
- Are you building an alliance, or guarding against being played?
- What’s the emotional current in the room?
- Is trust required or will you never see this person again?
02 / process
- Are you controlling the agenda or reacting to theirs?
- How are decisions made (on your side and theirs)?
- Are you running your business by rules or is every deal an exception?
03 / goals
- What’s non-negotiable vs. flexible?
- Are you creating value, claiming it, or both?
- What’s the total value of the deal?
Understand the 4 Negotiation Types to Adjust Your Strategy
Relationships, Process, and Goals are the dimensions of your negotiation, and they determine the type of deal you’re in.
The more clarity you have about your counterparty relationship, your desired outcome, and the complexity of the negotiation, the better your strategy will be.
The Aligned Strategic Framework maps negotiation scenarios into four distinct types. Knowing which one you’re in helps you pick the right approach and avoid missteps.
Bargaining
Multiple terms, moderate trust, and room to negotiate. This is where smart trades unlock real value in the most common type of negotiation.
Trading
Multiple terms, moderate trust, and room to negotiate. This is where smart trades unlock real value.
Creating
Open sharing, creative structuring, and interest-based dealmaking. Great for multi-issue or long-term scenarios.
Partnering
High-trust, interdependent, and long-term in nature. Think alliances, joint ventures, or enterprise enablement. Don’t be surprised if these deals are less collaborative than Creating!
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Use the ASF Across the 4 Entire Negotiation Lifecycle
The most important business negotiations are complex, “always-on”, long-term, but most negotiation frameworks don’t teach about this. The Aligned Strategic Framework stays with you from preparation to close, helping you manage pressure, build alignment, and create better outcomes at every stage.
The Aligned Strategic Framework powers all 4 phases of the negotiation lifecycle:
PHASES
ASF Guides
Prepare
Clarity on your BATNA, internal stakeholder alignment, goals, and power positioning
Communicate
Strategic framing, trust-building, and surfacing underlying interests
Propose
Smart anchoring, thoughtful trades, and managing your ZOPA effectively
Align
Final goal checks, clean execution, and preserving trust post-deal
By applying ASF at each step, you build momentum and stay in control, even when the stakes rise.
Dig deeper into each phase
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Frame as a diagnostic or transformation pathway
“Whether you are building skills or closing complex deals, the ASF gives you leverage. ”
Let’s talk about how to apply it to your next negotiation.
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Personalize Your Strategy with Your Aligned Silhouette
Every negotiator brings their own unique wiring to the table, and so does every counterparty. That’s why we’ve introduced our proprietary Negotiation “Silhouette,” the first ever negotiation-personality report.
The Aligned Silhouette is a research-backed profiler that combines two dimensions:
- Your personality type
- Your conflict orientation
This creates 20+ negotiation personas, like The Mastermind (a Methodical Competitor) or The Ally (an Empathetic Collaborator). Each has predictable strengths, blind spots, and stress triggers.
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The Aligned Strategic Framework uses this lens to:
- Help individuals play to their strengths and stretch their style when needed
- Equip teams to adapt to counterparties with vastly different negotiation defaults
- Pair personas with negotiation types (e.g., avoid putting a Peacekeeper in a Hard Bargaining showdown)
Whether you’re a Coach, a Guard, or a Facilitator, the Silhouette gives you a behavioral edge, so your strategy fits not just the deal, but you.
Learn more about the Aligned Strategic Framework
The ASF is at the center of an entire learning system. Explore the ideas that connect to and expand from the framework.
01 / Negotiation Core Concepts
02 / Psychology of Negotiation
03 / Negotiation Learning Pathways
04 / Negotiation Planning Tools