Director
James K. Sebenius

Founder and Director Emeritus
Roger Fisher

Associate Director
Daniel L. Shapiro

Global Negotiation
William Ury, Director
Joshua Weiss, Associate Director

Distinguished Fellow
Bruce Patton

Fellow
Jason Cheng Qian

Senior Adviser
Mark Gordon

Affiliates
Sheila Heen
Douglas Stone

The Project, or HNP as it is commonly known, was created in 1979 and was one of the founding organizations of the Program on Negotiation consortium. The work of faculty, staff, and students associated with HNP routinely moves back and forth between the worlds of theory and practice to develop ideas that practitioners find useful and scholars sound.

Theory Building
HNP is perhaps best known for the development of the theory of “principled negotiation,” as presented in Getting to YES: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, by Roger Fisher, Bill Ury, and Bruce Patton. First published in 1981, and revised and expanded in a tenth anniversary edition (Penguin 1991), Getting to YES outlines a commonsense approach to negotiation that has been read by millions of people in 25 different languages. In clear, straightforward writing, Getting to YES shows negotiators how to separate relationship issues from substance and deal with the latter by focusing on interests, not positions; inventing options for mutual gain; and using independent standards of fairness to avoid a bitter contest of will.

Other books by the HNP team include: Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most (Viking/Penguin 1999), Getting It DONE: How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge (Harper Business 1998) and Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as you Negotiate (Penguin 2006).

Difficult Conversations, by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen, with a foreword by Roger Fisher, coaches readers on how to have those conversations they dread most, whether at work, at home, or across the backyard fence. Common examples of difficult conversations include issues around race, gender, or religion; interactions where emotions run high; and situations in which our self-image or sense of who we are in the world feels threatened. A national bestseller now available in more than 15 languages, the book explains why these conversations are so tough and offers a step-by-step method for handling them with less anxiety and more success.

Getting It DONE, by Roger Fisher and Alan Sharp (longtime colleague and organizational consultant), with John Richardson, instructs the reader on how to work effectively in teams and presents the method of “lateral leadership” — how to influence groups in a positive direction, regardless of your position in that group. The book coaches the reader on how to think through purposes; harness the power of organized thought; learn from experience; find valued roles for people that draw on their strengths; and offer feedback that truly helps.

Beyond Reason, by Roger Fisher and Dan Shapiro, teaches you how to use emotions to turn a disagreement - big or small, professional or personal - into an opportunity for mutual gain. They explain the five “core concerns” that lie at the heart of most emotional challenges. And, more importantly, shows you how to address these concerns to improve your relationships and get the results you want.

Education and Training
HNP pioneered the Negotiation Workshop course in the Harvard Law School curriculum and continue to offer a one-week version of the course each June through the Harvard Negotiation Institute (HNI). In addition, Sheila Heen, Bruce Patton and Doug Stone offer an advanced workshop on Difficult Conversations, which is also taught through HNI.

As part of HNP’s commitment to helping other teachers, HNP staff have developed a wealth of negotiation exercises, teaching notes, videotaped demonstrations, and interactive video and electronic lessons and made them available through the Program on Negotiation’s Clearinghouse and Harvard Business School Publishing.

Herbert C. Kelman,the Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics, Emeritus, at Harvard University

Scheherezade Faramarzi,reporter for the Associated Press in Lebanon and Nieman Fellow

Herbert C. Kelman is the Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics, Emeritus, at Harvard University and was (from 1993 to 2003) director of the Program on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center … read more »

A discussion with:

Ambassador Nicholas Burns: Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He served in the United States Foreign Service for twenty seven years until his retirement in April 2008. He was Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 2005-2008, the nation’s highest ranking career diplomat. He led negotiations … read more »

Tom Patterson, Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press at the Shorenstein Center, Kennedy School of Government

Maralee Schwartz, Visiting Murrow Lecturer in the Practice of Press and Politics at the Shorenstein Center, Kennedy School of Government

The discussions in the Anticipating Change: Resolving Conflict in the New Era series focus on exploring the relationship among government, news media, and the conflict … read more »

Presents:
Kael Alford, freelance photojournalist and Nieman Fellow

Guy Raz, Defense Correspondent for National Public Radio and Nieman Fellow

The discussions in the Negotiation, Conflict and the News Media series focus on exploring the relationship among government, news media, and the conflict resolution community in framing and responding to conflict. Topics examine how conflict is framed and how that influences the escalation … read more »

A partial list of organizations offering internship opportunities in the Greater Boston area. … read more »

Specific internship opportunities in the Greater Boston area. … read more »

Cristine Russell, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Kennedy School of Government

Lawrence Susskind, Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at the Massachusettes Institute of Technology and Founder and Senior Consultant, Consensus Building Institute

The discussions in the Negotiation, Conflict and the News Media series focus on exploring the relationship among government, news media, and the conflict resolution … read more »

The discussions in the Negotiation, Conflict and the News Media series focus on exploring the relationship among government, news media, and the conflict resolution community in framing and responding to conflict. … read more »

Joseph Nye, University Distinguished Service Professor, Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations and former Dean of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government

Robert Mnookin, the Samuel Williston Professor of Law and Chair of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School

The discussions in the Negotiation, Conflict and the News Media series focus on exploring the relationship among government, news media, and … read more »