When it comes to business negotiations, you probably understand the importance of being as principled as possible to protect your reputation and ward off legal trouble. You probably expect your counterparts to follow the straight and narrow as well. Yet negotiators often have only a fuzzy grasp of which claims and strategies are legal and which aren’t. As a consequence, … read more »

Alain Lempereur is the Alan B. Slifka Professor at Brandeis University, and the director of the Masters’ Programs in Coexistence and Conflict at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, where he was also a visiting professor. His current research is devoted … read more »

Adapted from “During the Gold Rush: Negotiating in China,” by Ray Friedman (professor, Vanderbilt University), first published in the Negotiation newsletter, February 2007.

China is a vast, rapidly changing country bursting with economic opportunity for locals and foreigners alike. Since market reforms began in 1979, real GDP growth has averaged 9% annually; the Chinese economy is expected to surpass the U.S. … read more »

What type of hard bargainer are you facing?
Navigate multiparty talks
Cope with an opening offer
Consider an apology
Dear Negotiation Coach: Negotiate the gender gap

… read more »

Time for a Contract Renewal? Lessons from Mad Men
Deal with their pride
Improve your job flexibility
Negotiate family business disputes
Dear Negotiation Coach: Deal effectively with foreign supplies

… read more »

Why are some negotiation exercises still used in a great many university classes even twenty years after they were written? In an effort to understand more about the enduring quality of some classic teaching materials, we asked faculty affiliated with PON to explain why they think some role play simulations remain bestsellers in the Clearinghouse year after year.

The people we … read more »

In an effort to understand more about how the PON Clearinghouse does and doesn’t meet its customers’ needs, we interviewed a number of long-time Clearinghouse clients. We asked what teaching materials they found most valuable and for what reasons. We also asked how they found out about the Clearinghouse and what additional teaching and training resources they would like to … read more »

Adapted from “Team Negotiating: Strength in Numbers?”, first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

According to conventional wisdom, when it comes to negotiation, there’s strength in numbers. Indeed, several experimental studies have supported the notion that you should bring at least one other person from your organization to the bargaining table if you can. On average, this research has found that teams … read more »

Adapted from “View Your Counterpart as an Agent,” first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

Looking for yet another way to build your power at the negotiating table? Examine the incentives of your counterpart—and then consider whether they align with those of the group she represents.
In most business negotiations, notes Harvard professor Guhan Subramanian, your counterpart is acting as her organization’s … read more »

In this Special Report, the experts and editors from Harvard’s Program on
Negotiation offer a sampling of advice from past issues of Negotiation to help you learn the techniques you need to resolve your disputes through mediation. You will learn to:

▶ Select the right dispute-resolution process.

▶ Choose a mediator with appropriate expertise.

▶ Learn the steps your mediator is likely to follow.

▶ … read more »