Adapted from “Great Expectations,” by Max H. Bazerman (professor, Harvard Business School), first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

How often have you heard a friend or colleague refer to a contract as being “in the bag,” only to find out later that the deal didn’t go through? There always turns out to be a good reason a negotiation fell apart. … read more »

Adapted from “You Need to Know What You Want,” first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

Do you really know what you want out of life? Most of us don’t, according to Timothy D. Wilson and Daniel T. Gilbert, psychology professors at the University of Virginia and Harvard University, respectively. The impact bias describes the common, systematic failure to predict what will … read more »

Adapted from “Deadline Pressure: Use it to Your Advantage,” by Don A. Moore (professor, Carnegie Mellon University), first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

In the summer of 1988, National Basketball Association (NBA) team owners and players were at loggerheads over their new contract. At midnight on June 30, the owners declared a lockout, halting preparations for the start of the 1998–99 … read more »

In an age of terror, our national leaders face this sort of question every day. Should we negotiate with the Taliban? Iran? North Korea? What about terrorist groups holding hostages?”

In his new book, Bargaining with the Devil: When to Negotiate, When to Fight, Robert Mnookin, Chair of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, suggests … read more »