Leadership Skills

Amid tightening global competition and demand for new technologies, automakers are feeling the urge to merge. In late 2018, Fiat Chrysler chairman John Elkann, an American-Italian running his family’s business, stepped up the search for a merger partner and reached out to Renault, among other companies.

For organizational leadership at Renault and Fiat Chrysler, the benefits … Learn More About This Program

Women can be less likely than men to initiate negotiations, a meta-analysis of existing studies on the topic concluded last year. Because negotiation is widely perceived as requiring stereotypically “masculine” traits, such as assertiveness and independence, rather than stereotypically “feminine” traits, such as concern for others and passivity, women may feel less comfortable launching negotiations than … Learn More About This Program

Organizational leaders, from middle managers to heads of state, often face the difficult task of overseeing mission-critical negotiations and managing individual negotiators and negotiating teams. Collaborative leadership—a focus on giving employees autonomy and a voice in key decisions—is often key to managing negotiators effectively.

We often overlook the important role of leadership in negotiation. But as … Read Collaborative Leadership: Managing Negotiators

How important is body language in the negotiation process? Negotiators are often advised to engage in small talk before getting down to business. … Learn More About This Program

When negotiators are accustomed to getting their way, they tend to rely on the same tried-and-true bargaining tactics—and fail to notice when they’ll no longer work. That’s the lesson New York City’s real estate industry was
forced to absorb in June after the newly Democratic-controlled legislature in Albany announced a landmark deal to strengthen the state’s rent … Learn More About This Program

In an interview with WBUR News, William Ury, Co-founder of the Program on Negotiation and co-author of the book Getting to Yes, offered some advice for our country’s leaders.

“You write President Trump’s victory speech in which he says to his base, ‘I won,’ and you write Nancy Pelosi’s victory speech in which he says to her … Learn More About This Program

Have you ever won an auction only to realize later that you overbid for the prize? In competitive bidding situations, it’s easy to get carried away in the heat of the moment and overpay. The Boston Red Sox 2006 procurement of Japanese pitching phenomenon Daisuke “Dice-K” Matsuzaka offers a lesson in keeping cool in these … Read Bargaining at a Fever Pitch

Frank E.A. Sander ’52, a longtime Harvard Law School professor and a pioneer in the field of alternative dispute resolution, has died. He was 90. … Learn More About This Program

While not always popular with employees, there are countless situations where running an organization with an autocratic leadership style can be valuable at the right moment. When the Suffolk University Board of Trustees announced in January 2016 that they would sever University President Margaret McKenna’s contract after only eight months, however, Board Chairman Andrew Meyer, … Learn More About This Program

In many other parts of the world, women face the daunting challenge of winning a place at the negotiating table in the first place. In particular, UN Women, an agency of the United Nations, has noted that women are vastly underrepresented in formal peace negotiations worldwide. … Read Women Negotiators Break New Ground