> As an employee, if he's assigned a task it's his job to do it. He could certainly ask for resources but the term "negotiate" seems to imply he has some choice

> As an employee, if he's assigned a task it's his job to do it. He could certainly ask for resources but the term "negotiate" seems to imply he has some choice in the matter. Like he could decide to refuse to take on the project. That statement implies a couple assumptions: a. Tom has to do everything his boss tells him to do. What if his boss asked him to pick up the trash or clean the toilets? b. (a) is built on the assumption that Tom is essentially an easily replaceable "widget". His manager obviously has a need to fill and he believies Tom is one of the few, if not only, employee who can complete the project given the constraints (time/cost/personnel etc). Tom can use this as leverage to bargain for a better outcome for himself.