In the business world, why is competition so often the norm, while cooperation seems like an impossible goal? One of the most destructive assumptions we bring to negotiations is the assumption that the pie of resources is fixed. The mythical-fixed-pie mindset leads us to interpret most competitive situations as purely win-lose.

For those who recognize opportunities to grow the pie of … read more »

Think about what your house, condominium, or some other valuable asset might be worth in today’s market. Did the price you paid for it affect your answer?

“Ignore sunk costs,” accounting professors and economists tell us. The amount of money and effort we’ve invested in the past, they say, is irrelevant to our future investments. … read more »

Deepak Malhotra and Max Bazerman’s book, Negotiation Genius, and Gary Friedman and Jack Himmelstein’s book, Challenging Conflict: Mediation Through Understanding, received the “2008 Outstanding Book Award” from the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR).

The award for Outstanding Book recognizes a published book that advances understanding in the field of ADR.

The International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR … read more »

Common psychological barriers lead us to overvalue our possessions. That can be a problem when it’s time to get rid of them. Some possessions truly are priceless—we wouldn’t part with them for any amount of money. Others are virtually priceless, or “pseudosacred,” according to Harvard Business School professor Max Bazerman. We might claim that these possessions aren’t negotiable, but we … read more »

Join us for the true story of tobacco industry whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand, the former head of development at the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Co., who went public on CBS-TV’s 60 Minutes as an industry informant. 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman championed Wigand’s cause and after many obstacles managed to have the segment aired. The relationship between the two men developed … read more »

Please join the Program on Negotiation for a screening of Erin Brockovich, a film based on the true story of a woman and her first fight against the West Coast energy giant PG&E.

Film and discussion with Harvard Business School Professor Max Bazerman

Professor Bazerman, Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and member of the faculty at … read more »

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Please join the Program on Negotiation and Harvard Business School Professor Max Bazerman for a screening and discussion of the film Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.

Come see the inside story of one of history’s greatest business scandals, in which top executives of America’s 7th largest company walked away with over one billion … read more »

This volume is an essential, cutting-edge reference for all practitioners, students, and teachers in the field of dispute resolution. Each chapter was written specifically for this collection and has never before been published. The contributors–drawn from a wide range of academic disciplines–are among the most prominent in dispute resolution today, including Frank E. A. Sander, Carrie Menkel-Meadow, Bruce Patton, Lawrence … read more »

In this three-volume collection, Professor Max Bazerman synthesizes over five decades of research in the areas of negotiation, decision making, and conflict management. This authoritative and comprehensive collection focuses on research that views negotiation as a multi-party decision making process. Negotiation and conflict resolution are conceptualized as decision making activities, where the individual perceptions of each party and the interactive … read more »

9/11 was preceded by a stream of warning signs in the years and months leading up to the disaster. Yet when the attacks occurred, leaders at every level were taken by surprise. A lack of auditor independence and creative accounting procedures have long been tagged as “ticking time bombs” in the financial markets. However, when Enron toppled, it sent shockwaves … read more »