Negotiation Skills

Negotiation is the process of discussion between two or more disputants, who seek to find a solution to a common problem, one that meets their needs and interests acceptably. Learning to be a skilled negotiator can help you make deals, solve problems, manage conflict, and preserve relationships. Negotiation strategies, techniques and tips can be found in our Negotiation Newsletter and skills are taught in our Executive Education programs and graduate programs.

When women make good agents

Filed in Negotiation Skills

Adapted from “When Does Gender Matter in Negotiation?” by Dina W. Pradel (vice president, Y2M), Hannah Riley Bowles (professor, Harvard Kennedy School), and Kathleen L. Mcginn (professor, Harvard Business School), first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

Businesspeople often wonder whether men or women are better negotiators. According to research, gender is not a reliable predictor of … Read More 

Too much commitment?

Filed in Daily, Negotiation Skills

Adapted from “Are You Overly Committed to the Deal?” First published in the Negotiation newsletter.

A telecommuter hires a carpenter to build a workstation for her home office. The carpenter’s contract requires payment of 50% upon signing, an additional 30% halfway through the job, and the final 20% upon completion. When the job is done, … Read More 

Overestimating our resolve

Filed in Daily, Negotiation Skills

Adapted from “Predicting Your Response to Conflict,” first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

Imagine an upcoming negotiation. How will you respond if your opponent seems bent on provoking an argument? If you’re like most people, you’ll have difficulty predicting your precise response. Professor Dan Gilbert of Harvard University found that when asked how a … Read More 

A second look at snap decisions

Filed in Daily, Negotiation Skills

Adapted from “It’s Not Intuitive: Strategies for Negotiating More Rationally,” by Max H. Bazerman and Deepak Malhotra (professors, Harvard Business School), first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

When deciding whether to start a new business, entrepreneurs should critically and comprehensively analyze negotiations over land, construction, hiring, and so on. Yet in a study by Arnold Cooper … Read More 

Who are the founders of PON?

Filed in Daily, Negotiation Skills

The Program on Negotiation (PON) is the world’s first teaching and research center dedicated to negotiation, and its founders are among the true pioneers in the field. On April 8, 2003, seven of these founders gathered to reflect on PON’s beginnings in the early 1980s, and on their own journeys as leaders in the field … Read More 

Compare and contrast

Filed in Daily, Negotiation Skills

Adapted from “What Makes Negotiators Happy?” First published in the Negotiation newsletter.

We all know that people have a strong need to compare their outcomes with those of others. So a negotiator’s mostly likely target of social comparison is her opponent, right?

Maybe not. Nathan Novemsky of the Yale School of Management and Maurice E. Schweitzer of … Read More 

The threat of bad publicity

Filed in Daily, Negotiation Skills

Adapted from “Driving the Deal Home,” first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

Having trouble convincing someone to follow through on a promise? Borrow a page from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s playbook.

In September 2007, fashion designer Mark Ecko purchased Barry Bonds’ record-setting 756th home run ball in an online auction for $752,467. After … Read More 

Prof. Robert Mnookin featured in Harvard Gazette

Filed in Daily, Negotiation Skills

Professor Robert Mnookin was featured in the print version of the Harvard Gazette in February 2010.  Prof. Mnookin’s new book, “Bargaining with the Devil: When to Negotiate, When to Fight” was featured in the Gazette’s book section Harvard Bound in the February 18-25 issue.

Please click here for the full article. … Read More 

Make more out of less

Filed in Daily, Negotiation Skills

Adapted from “When More Is Less,” first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

It’s an article of faith in negotiation that expanding the pie of value enhances parties’ welfare. When there’s only one issue on the bargaining table, the size of the pie is fixed. If one party gets more, the other party must get less. But … Read More 

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