Adapted from “Accept or Reject?” by Deepak Malhotra (professor, Harvard Business School), first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

Negotiators usually have strong feelings about fairness. Unfortunately, our fairness perceptions tend to be biased in a self-serving manner. Research has shown that, at the end of a negotiation, most people feel they were more cooperative … Read When “fairness” is a distraction 

A New York Times article published May 6 highlights the dilemma Supreme Court nominee and former dean of Harvard Law School Elena Kagan faced over whether to allow the military to recruit at Harvard Law School.

Professor Robert Mnookin, head of PON is quoted saying “Elena is very good at reading the lay of the land, … Learn More About This Program 

Professor Mnookin discusses Elena Kagan, Supreme Court nominee and former dean of Harvard Law School on New Hampshire Public Radio. Mnookin describes Kagan as a “remarkably gifted, likeable person. She has a brilliant legal mind and is an extraordinarily capable leader.”

To listen to the full interview, click here. … Read Mnookin Discusses Elena Kagan on NHPR 

PON Chair, Robert Mnookin was interviewed yesterday about the nomination of former Harvard Law School Dean, Elena Kagan.  Click here to read the article. … Read Mnookin interviewed about Kagan nomination 

Adapted from “Faulty Expectations,” first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

One of the most common, clear recommendations to emerge from negotiation literature is the need to consider the other party’s decisions. Ample evidence shows that negotiators too often fail to think about the other negotiator or do so in a simplistic manner. Professors Kristina A. Diekmann … Read Great expectations? 

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 When women make good agents 

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 Too much commitment? 

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 Overestimating our resolve 

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 A second look at snap decisions 

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 Who are the founders of PON?