So, you’ve offered what you think is a great deal, but your counterpart doesn’t seem to agree. What’s the problem? The offer may be excellent—it’s how you’ve approached framing in negotiation that’s holding you back.
… Read Framing in Negotiation 
Max Bazerman
The following items are tagged Max Bazerman:
Harvard Negotiation Master Class: Advanced Strategies for Experienced Negotiators – November 18–20, 2024
Strictly limited to 60 participants who have completed a prior course in negotiation, this first-of-its-kind program offers unprecedented access to experts from Harvard Law School, MIT, and the Harvard Kennedy School—all of whom are committed to delivering a transformational learning experience.
… Read More
Negotiation Master Class November 2024 Program Guide
Over the years thousands of professionals have participated in negotiation programs at the Program on Negotiation (PON) at Harvard Law School. And after a few months or years of putting their negotiation skills and techniques to work, participants inevitably ask us, what’s next?
… Read More
Leadership and Decision-Making: Empowering Better Decisions
What is the role of leadership in an organization? Contrary to the traditional image of a sole individual steering the ship, leaders have an obligation to empower everyone in their organization to make sound and ethical decisions in negotiations and other contexts.
… Read More
Fairness in Negotiation
Imagine that you and your business partner agree to sell your company. You end up getting an offer that pleases you both, so now you face the enviable task of splitting up the rewards. How do you ensure that there is fairness in negotiation?
… Read Fairness in Negotiation
Persuasion Tactics in Negotiation: Playing Defense
Persuasion tactics can lead us to make decisions in negotiation that we later regret. Fortunately, there are strategies available that can help us avoid being taken for a ride.
… Read More
Daniel Kahneman Showed Negotiators a More Rational Path
The late psychologist Daniel Kahneman, with his research partner Amos Tversky, spurred a scientific revolution in economics by pinpointing predictable ways in which intuition impairs our judgment. The pair also made key contributions to our understanding of negotiation.
… Read More
Essential Negotiation Skills: Limiting Cognitive Bias in Negotiation
In past articles, we have highlighted a variety of psychological biases that affect negotiators, many of which spring from a reliance on intuition, and may hinder integrative negotiation. Of course, negotiators are not always affected by bias; we often think systematically and clearly at the bargaining table. Most negotiators believe they are capable of distinguishing … Read More
Win-Win Negotiation: Managing Your Counterpart’s Satisfaction
As the following points of win-win negotiation will demonstrate, ensuring that your counterpart is satisfied with a particular deal requires you to manage several aspects of the negotiation process, including his outcome expectations, his perceptions of your outcome, the comparisons he makes with others, and his overall negotiation experience itself.
… Read More
The Winner’s Curse: Avoid This Common Trap in Auctions
Imagine that a professor shows a jar full of coins to his class and announces he’s auctioning it off. Students are told they can write down a bid and that the highest bidder will win the contents in exchange for the money he or she bid. After everyone has written down their bids, the professor … Read More
Implicit and Explicit Bias: When Negotiators Discriminate Based on Race
Implicit and explicit bias are common, whether the guilty parties are aware of it, or not. On July 14, 2015, American Honda Finance Corporation (AHFC), the U.S. financing division of Japanese car manufacturer Honda, agreed to refund $24 million to minority borrowers to settle federal investigations. AHFC was alleged to have racially discriminated against the … Read More
VIDEO: William Ury on “Getting to Yes with Yourself”
At the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, William Ury, a founding member of the Program on Negotiation and co-author of the seminal book Getting to Yes, spoke about his latest book, Getting to Yes with Yourself (and Other Worthy Opponents). Over 250 community members, students, and faculty members filled Austin Hall to hear Ury … Read More
Ethics in Negotiation: Avoid Complicity in Wrongdoing
When we think about our own ethics in negotiation, we tend to focus on the ethical and legal lines we may be at risk of crossing through our actions. We often fail to consider how we could end up enabling the unethical and even illegal behavior of our negotiation counterparts and partners.
More broadly, we have … Read More
When Strategies to Resolve Conflict in the Workplace Backfire
When employees lack effective strategies to resolve conflict in the workplace, issues with coworkers often fester and grow. Employees may feel they lack avenues for resolving conflict at work. And when they feel uncomfortable voicing their opinions, creativity and innovation can stall.
… Read More
Break a Competitive Cycle with Win-Win Negotiation Strategies
Negotiators seeking to break through the mythical fixed-pie mindset can try the following three proven strategies, suggested by Max Bazerman for finding mutually beneficial tradeoffs.
… Read More
Negotiation in Business: Ignore Sunk Costs
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?
… Read Negotiation in Business: Ignore Sunk Costs
Business Negotiation Skills: Fairness at the Negotiation Table
Negotiation research sheds light on negotiator expectations of fairness and equality in negotiations. The negotiation skills advice contained here can help business negotiators more effectively craft agreements with their counterparts in business negotiations.
… Read More
Putting Negotiation Training to Work: The Limits of Lectures
Negotiation training lectures, like publications, are an excellent means of transmitting knowledge from an expert to a less knowledgeable audience.
I have attended many amazing lectures on a multitude of topics and have learned fascinating information about the ecosystem, politics in different nations, animal species, and so on. I even have enjoyed hearing negotiation experts talk … Read More
50th Anniversary of A Behavioral Theory of Labor Negotiations
The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School invites you to join us for A 50th Anniversary Celebration of A Behavioral Theory of Labor Negotiations with Robert B. McKersie and Richard E. Walton A live webcast of this event will be available for viewing at http://media.fas.harvard.edu/core/live/hls-live.html
Thursday, March 5, 2015
12:00 p.m. Registration opens
1:00 – 5:30 p.m. Program
5:30-6:30 p.m. Reception
Wasserstein … Read More
Dealmaking: Haggling and Exploring Interests in Negotiation
One common misconception of haggling is that it must focus only on a single issue: price.
Although price might be the most important issue at stake, you could sweeten the deal for both sides by discussing other issues, such as delivery, financing, and the possibility of repeat business.
You can open up such opportunities through direct questioning … Read More
The Lessons of Diplomacy
Max Bazerman has had extensive experience teaching corporation’s executive negotiation courses. In addition to the faculty and students, some of his sessions have been attended by high level former diplomats who had worked on cases discussed in class. The diplomats were invited, where appropriate, to provide insight into local customs, changing politics, and business norms. … Read The Lessons of Diplomacy
Dealmaking: Why It’s Tempting to Trust Your Gut
In his best-selling novel Blink, Malcolm Gladwell scans the psychological literature and uncovers fascinating nuggets of knowledge.
He describes people who can assess the integrity of a work of art within seconds, predict the likelihood that a couple will get divorced based on a short conversation, and assess their romantic interest in another on a “speed … Read Dealmaking: Why It’s Tempting to Trust Your Gut
“Confronting Evil” Panel Videos Now Available on YouTube
On Saturday, April 20, 2013, the Program on Negotiation co-hosted a conference on “Confronting Evil: Interdisciplinary Perspectives,” in partnership with the Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard University and the Volkswagen Foundation.
… Read More
“Confronting Evil” Panel Videos Now Available Online
On Saturday, April 20, 2013, the Program on Negotiation co-hosted a conference on “Confronting Evil: Interdisciplinary Perspectives,” in partnership with the Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard University and the Volkswagen Foundation.
Originally scheduled to commence on Friday, April 19th, the conference had to be condensed to a single day due to the lock-down of the Boston … Read More
PON co-sponsored conference addresses the challenges of “Confronting Evil”
On Saturday, April 20th more than a hundred people came out to Harvard to attend the PON co-sponsored conference “Confronting Evil: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.” Held just six days after the bombings at the Boston Marathon, and one day after many area residents were asked to “shelter in place” by the police during their search for the … Read More
Confronting Evil: Interdisciplinary Perspectives Conference underway
Today’s Confronting Evil: Interdisciplinary Conference will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Emerson Hall on the Harvard University Campus. All four panels will be presented today.
… Read More
A Better Approach to Decision Making
When you’re making important decisions during a negotiation and have the luxury of time, what’s the alternative to Blink?
Should you completely ignore your rapid cognitions?
In the article “Strategies for Negotiating More Rationally,” we described University of Toronto professor Keith Stanovich and James Madison University professor Richard F. West’s distinction between System 1 and System … Read A Better Approach to Decision Making
The Darker Side of Perspective Taking
Many negotiation experts recommend that you try to take the other party’s perspective, particularly when attempting to resolve disputes.
Recent research by Nicholas Epley of the University of Chicago and Eugene Caruso and Max Bazerman of Harvard University suggests a dark side to this generally sound negotiation advice. The researchers ran a series of experiments … Read The Darker Side of Perspective Taking
When we expect selfish behavior
Adapted from “The Darker Side of Perspective Taking,” first published in the Negotiation newsletter, April 2007.
Many negotiation experts recommend that you try to take the other party’s perspective, particularly when attempting to resolve disputes. Research by Nicholas Epley of the University of Chicago and Eugene Caruso and Max Bazerman of Harvard University suggests a dark … Read When we expect selfish behavior
Consider the Setting
Adapted from “The Crucial First Five Minutes,” first published in the Negotiation newsletter, October 2007.
Your designated meeting place can have a critical impact on talks. When you don’t have a choice about where to meet, be aware that situational factors may color your judgment. For instance, the visual cues of a car lot—flashy banners, cheerful … Read Consider the Setting
Stumbling Into Bad Behavior
In an op-ed article in today’s edition of The New York Times, Max H. Bazerman, Straus Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, and Ann E. Tenbrunsel, Martin Professor of Business Ethics at the University of Notre Dame, discuss the reasons why ethical lapses occur so often in business settings.
According to … Read Stumbling Into Bad Behavior
Max Bazerman Discusses “Blind Spots” at the Harvard Book Store
The Harvard Book Store presents
“Blind Spots” with Max Bazerman
Date: Monday, April 18, 2011
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
See Event Details Online: http://www.harvard.com/event/max_h._bazerman/
About the Book:
When confronted with an ethical dilemma, most of us like to think we would stand up for our principles. But we are not as ethical as we think we are. In “Blind … Read More
When Goal Setting Goes Bad
Max Bazerman (Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; author of Judgment in Managerial Decision Making; co-author of Negotiation Genius and Predictable Surprises)
Setting goals has become an embedded practice in management, but does it truly produce beneficial results? In this provocative article by Max Bazerman, he and his collaborators from top business … Read When Goal Setting Goes Bad
See No Evil: Why We Overlook Other People’s Unethical Behavior
Francesca Gino, Don A. Moore, and Max Bazerman (Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School)
Managers unknowingly promote unethical behavior in the way they issue orders to subordinates or outsource work or mishandle their priorities. The result: scandals that can cost trillions of dollars. In this article, the authors explain how leaders can … Read More
Don’t Be Cursed
Adapted from “How to Win an Auction—and Avoid the Sinking Feeling that You Overbid,” first published in the Negotiation newsletter.
Imagine that at the beginning of class, a professor produces a jar full of coins and announces that he is auctioning it off. Students can write down a bid, he explains, and the highest bidder will … Read Don’t Be Cursed
A Decision-Making Perspective to Negotiation: A Review of the Past and a Look into the Future
Author: Max Bazerman, Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, author of Judgment in Managerial Decision Making; co-author of Negotiation Genius and Predictable Surprises
Over the past 30 years, the collaboration between the social sciences and the practical application of new ideas in negotiation have provided exciting results. In this paper, Max Bazerman … Read More
Professor Max Bazerman Publishes a Working Paper: “A Decision-Making Perspective to Negotiation: A Review of the Past and a Look into the Future”
Professor Max Bazerman, member of the PON Executive Committee and professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School (HBS), and HBS Ph.D. candidate Chia-Jung Tsay published a working paper titled, “A Decision-Making Perspective to Negotiation: A Review of the Past and a Look into the Future” on August 20, 2009.
Abstract
Through the decision-analytic approach to negotiations, … Read More
You Want How Much for the Mug?!
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 … Read You Want How Much for the Mug?!
Negotiation and Leadership
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- Business Negotiations
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- Dealing with Difficult People
- Dealmaking
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- Choose the Right Dispute Resolution Process
- Dispute Resolution on Facebook: Using a Negotiation Approach to Resolve a Conflict
- In Contract Negotiations, Agree on How You’ll Disagree
- Conflict Negotiation Strategies: When Do Employees Choose to Negotiate?
- Union Strikes and Dispute Resolution Strategies
- International Negotiation
- Leadership Skills
- Mediation
- Types of Mediation: Choose the Type Best Suited to Your Conflict
- What Makes a Good Mediator?
- Employee Mediation Techniques – Resolve Disputes and Manage Conflict with These Mediation Skills
- Using E-Mediation and Online Mediation Techniques for Conflict Resolution
- How Mediation Works When Both Parties Agree They Need Help Resolving the Dispute
- Negotiation Skills
- Negotiation Training
- Trust in Negotiation: Does Gender Matter?
- Negotiation Training: What’s Special About Technology Negotiations?
- Cole Cannon Esq. Shares His Negotiation and Leadership Experience
- Gender and Negotiation: New Research Findings
- Ethics and Negotiation: 5 Principles of Negotiation to Boost Your Bargaining Skills in Business Situations
- Salary Negotiations
- Teaching Negotiation
- Win-Win Negotiations