Publications

12 Jul 2012
Working Paper Summaries

Negotiation Processes As Sources of (And Solutions To) Interorganizational Conflict

Keywords: by Elizabeth Long Lingo, Colin Fisher & Kathleen L. McGinn

2008
Working Paper

Etiquette and Process Puzzles of Negotiating Business in China: A Questionnaire

By: James K. Sebenius and Cheng (Jason) Qian

Cultural differences can affect negotiations in many ways, from influencing the basic motivations and perceptions of the players to guiding the surface aspects, such as etiquette, protocol, and process, of business interactions. Navigating the challenges of these... View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Governance; Questionnaires; Negotiation Process; Behavior; China

August 2022
Case

Negotiating Peace in Colombia

By: Deepak Malhotra and Cody Smith

This case follows the protracted armed conflict between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), tracing it from its origins over 50 years ago, through the private and public negotiations that ultimately resulted in the 2016... View Details

Keywords: Conflict; Peace Process; Dispute Resolution; Protracted Conflicts; Peacemaking; Civil War; Negotiation; Leadership; Conflict and Resolution; Government Administration; Colombia

2016
Working Paper

Henry Kissinger's Negotiation Campaign to End the Vietnam War

By: James K. Sebenius and Eugene B. Kogan

President Richard M. Nixon was elected in 1968 with the widespread expectation that he would bring about an end to the costly and unpopular war in Vietnam. The task largely fell to National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger. When the negotiations began, North Vietnam... View Details

Keywords: Kissinger; Negotiation; Negotiation Campaign; Bargaining; Diplomacy; Coercive Diplomacy; Multiparty Negotiations; Dispute Resolution; Mediation; Negotiation Process; War; Negotiation Types; International Relations; Negotiation Deal; Viet Nam; United States

SSRN

Research Summary

Negotiations

My third line of research, on negotiations, also focuses on the improvisational nature of group processes. In one paper (with Kathleen McGinn and Elizabeth Long Lingo), I test the relationships between communication media (face-to-face vs. electronically mediated),... View Details

Research Summary

Managing Processes

David A. Garvin is examining the nature and use of managerial and organizational processes—the means by which work is accomplished—including strategic processes that chart corporate direction, resource allocation processes that distribute funds,... View Details

2007
Book

Negotiation Genius

By: Deepak Malhotra and M. H. Bazerman

Whether you've “seen it all” or are just starting out, Negotiation Genius will dramatically improve your negotiating skills and confidence. Drawing on decades of behavioral research plus the experience of thousands of business clients, the authors take the mystery out... View Details

Keywords: Experience and Expertise; Negotiation Preparation; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Tactics; Behavior

Find at Harvard

2008
Chapter

Identity Negotiation Processes Amidst Diversity: Understanding the Influence of Social Identity and Status Differences

By: Jeffrey T. Polzer and Heather M. Caruso

We integrate an identity negotiation framework with research on diversity, social identity theory, and status differences. This integration reveals the distinct advantages and challenges that high and low status people face when they engage in identity negotiation... View Details

Keywords: Status and Position; Prejudice and Bias; Groups and Teams; Organizational Culture; Identity; Diversity; Power and Influence

1989
Chapter

Analytic Themes of the U.S. Program on the Processes of International Negotiation

By: James K. Sebenius and Howard Raiffa

Keywords: Negotiation Process; International Relations; United States

April 2006 (Revised April 2012)
Background Note

The Company Sale Process

By: William E. Fruhan Jr.

Lays out the steps, the timeline, and the process by which a company is sold. Focuses on the sale of companies with enterprise values greater than $100 million. These transactions are large enough to require the help of a financial adviser and attract both strategic... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Auctions; Bids and Bidding; Agreements and Arrangements; Sales

April 2003 (Revised December 2003)
Background Note

Analyzing Complex Negotiations

Develops a framework linking structural diagnosis and strategy design in complicated (complex and ambiguous) negotiations. To develop good strategies, negotiators must rigorously diagnose the structure of their negotiating situations. Equivalently, strategy follows... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Negotiation Process; Complexity

July 1998 (Revised April 2002)
Case

Tobacco Negotiations

By: Michael A. Wheeler and Georgia Levenson

Chronicles the negotiation of the proposed national settlement between the states and the five major U.S. tobacco companies. View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Types; Negotiation Process; Business and Government Relations; Consumer Products Industry; United States

November 2006
Case

Kroger Union Negotiations

By: Dennis A. Yao

A stylized version of the negotiations between Kroger Company and its local unions during the mid-1980s. Management faces a sequence of individual negotiations with local unions during a time of weak economic performance when management is seriously considering... View Details

Keywords: Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Wages; Management; Negotiation Participants; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Tactics

19 Mar 2009
Working Paper Summaries

Beyond Gender and Negotiation to Gendered Negotiations

Keywords: by Deborah Kolb & Kathleen L. McGinn

September 2007
Article

Investigative Negotiation

By: Deepak Malhotra and Max H. Bazerman

This article includes a one-page preview that quickly summarizes the key ideas and provides an overview of how the concepts work in practice along with suggestions for further reading. Negotiators often fail to achieve results because they channel too much effort into... View Details

Keywords: Knowledge Acquisition; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Tactics; Motivation and Incentives; Perspective; Pharmaceutical Industry

Find at Harvard

Program

Strategic Negotiations

Summary The planning and strategizing process behind complex, high-stakes deals and major disputes can be even more important than your performance at the bargaining table. In this business negotiation... View Details

2008
Working Paper

Cultural Notes on Chinese Negotiating Behavior

By: James K. Sebenius and Cheng (Jason) Qian

Western businesses negotiating with Chinese firms face many challenges, from initiating and smoothing communication to establishing long-lasting relationships and mutual trust, and from bargaining and drafting agreements to securing their implementation. Chinese... View Details

Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Style; Perception; Societal Protocols; China

November 2000 (Revised October 2001)
Background Note

Rethinking "Preparation" in Negotiation

Challenges the notion that pre-negotiation preparation is the most important determination of success. Examines two fundamental problems with current thinking about preparation: the boundaries problem and the limits problem. Proposes an alternative model of negotiation... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Preparation