What is Negotiating Ability

Since the early 1980s researchers have shown increased interest in integrating spirituality and leadership. Spirituality has emerged as a discrete construct underlying the essence of effective leadership, and the negotiating ability has been regarded as one of its core descriptors. The study, on which the present chapter is based, attempts to ascertain the relationship between spirituality and leaders' negotiating ability. The sample for this study consisted of 450 leaders and 904 subordinates working across different service and manufacturing sectors in India. With the help of a mixed-method research design, data was gathered employing several tools. Leaders' spirituality has been measured through MacDonald's spirituality inventory and their negotiating ability through Rai's model. The study reveals that leaders' negotiating ability is a function of spirituality, and a proper understanding of spirituality improves negotiating abilities of leaders. It offers workable suggestions and outlines the implications of the results for policy and practice.