Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

Although a negotiation is often described as akin to a war- there is always a winner and a loser- it is more analogous to a game of chess. In chess a draw is possible: this is also the case with a negotiation. But what is most true about negotiating is that the parties aren't always able to communicate their positions effectively. This usually results in the parties becoming adversaries, as each has something to gain and something to lose. Often the parties then resort to using an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) technique in which someone else makes the decisions.