Why Every Business Needs a Chief Negotiation Officer (CNO)

"Not long ago, I wrote an article for The Negotiation Society suggesting that it may be time for businesses to appoint a Chief Negotiation Officer (CNO). At first, I thought it was a bold idea - but the reaction surprised me. It sparked lively debate, positive comments, and even a few people putting themselves forward for the role. That response made me stop and think: what would it actually look like if you stepped into a large multinational as their newly appointed Chief Negotiation Officer?"

"Review how the business negotiates today It's easier to ask which departments don't negotiate in some way. The obvious ones are Sales, Procurement, Supply Chain, HR, IT, Marketing, and Facilities Management - but negotiation crops up everywhere. The question is: how do these teams currently negotiate? Do they have a yearly plan? What tactics and processes do they use? Which approaches deliver results, and which are exposing the business to risk?"

Appointing a Chief Negotiation Officer starts with a comprehensive review of how every function negotiates, from Sales and Procurement to IT, Marketing and Facilities. Identify existing tactics, governance, strengths, weaknesses, and quick wins across departments. Standardize a common negotiation framework and language so buying and selling use the same principles, enabling comparable reporting and a shared definition of success. Build organizational structures, processes and metrics that embed negotiation as a repeatable capability. Make negotiation activity measurable to reduce risk, capture value, and convert negotiating skill into sustained competitive advantage.

Read at Business Matters