Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School

In late 2016 and early 2017, news stories abounded of companies that were having second thoughts about planned mega-mergers. Abbott Laboratories began looking for ways to exit its acquisition of Alere, citing investigations of the medical test maker, for example. And Verizon started rethinking its acquisition of Yahoo! following a data breach at the tech company.

How to Negotiate a Business Deal Business negotiators often focus narrowly on getting a contract signed. When determining how to negotiate a business deal, take a longer-term approach.

Here are 5 conflict resolution strategies to try out the next time you're tempted to argue your point.

5 Conflict Resolution Strategies Here are 5 conflict resolution strategies that are more effective, drawn from research on negotiation and conflicts, to try out.

Weighing the pros of an all-inclusive, more diffuse agreement against the benefits of a smaller, more targeted one

Negotiation Case Studies: The Bangladesh Factory-Safety Agreements We are going to take a look at negotiation case studies involving the Bangladesh factory labor safety agreements and H & M.

In a value conflict, thinking about qualities you appreciate in your counterpart, such as trustworthiness or deep convictions, can help parties create value

Value Conflict: What It Is and How to Resolve It A value conflict over sacred issues can be one of the most difficult challenges to overcome in negotiation and conflict resolution.

: Aiming for your target, and being sure not to accept anything less than your BATNA, will help lessen the impact of your counterpart's anchor.

How to Counteroffer in Business Negotiation Wondering how to counteroffer effectively when your counterpart makes the first move in a business negotiation? Here are three strategies that will help you meet your negotiation goals.

When it comes to making deals, choosing the right environment can dramatically affect the ensuing process and, ultimately, the end result.

The Right Negotiation Environment: Your Place or Mine? Is there such thing as a home field advantage in negotiation? Choosing the right negotiation environment can make all the difference.

Why does the need for crisis negotiation arise, what is crisis management in , and how can your organization get through a crisis effectively? We'll explain.

What is Crisis Management in Negotiation? What is crisis management in negotiation, and how can you deal with a growing crisis in your organization? Advice from hostage negotiators can help defuse..

Don't miss these 3 strategies to prevent cultural misunderstanding in , all of which can be applied beyond international conflict resolution examples to contract dispute resolution and other realms.

Conflict Resolution Examples in History: Learning from Nuclear Disarmament Conflict resolution examples in history can provide lessons for those facing difficult disputes. We take a look at what can be learned from post-Cold War nuclear disarmament efforts.

Facilitative aims to empower followers to make decisions and to promote better communication and productivity in teams.

What Is Facilitative Leadership? Facilitative leadership aims to empower followers to make decisions and to promote better communication and productivity in teams.

When negotiating new partnerships, parties too often fail to discuss in-depth how they can set themselves up for success.

Deal-Making Don’ts: Lessons from Yahoo’s Tumblr Acquisition Deal-making to establish a new business partnership often goes wrong when parties focus too much on short-term concerns. Keep reading.

Lessons from M&A Negotiation Strategy: Should You Hire an Agent?

Lessons from M&A Negotiation Strategy: Should You Hire an Agent? The M&A negotiation strategy of technology firms evolved in the 2010s toward negotiating acquisitions in-house rather than hiring investment banks. The trend sheds light on the pros and cons of working with outside agents.

"Power tends to corrupt," yet studies show that a lack of power is more likely to lead us to behave unethically.

Ethics in Negotiations: How to Deal with Deception at the Bargaining Table Your ethical standards are solid—right? Ethics in negotiations are an important subject. Here are some tips for dealing with deception.

Discover a selection of resources to help you understand this decision making processes in both yourself and your counterpart(s).

The Ladder of Inference: A Resource List The ladder of inference is a model of decision-making behavior originally developed by Chris Argyris and Donald Schoen and elaborated upon in the context of negotiation by PON co-founder Bruce Patton, co-authored with fellow Program on Negotiation faculty members Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen.

Using humor to try to defuse a public relations crisis is a common strategy, but it's one that can backfire.

Crisis Communication Examples: What’s So Funny? As crisis communication examples show, using humor to try to defuse a public relations crisis is a common strategy.

When negotiation experts gather in the same room, how do they negotiate? Program on Negotiation chair Guhan Subramanian gives us the inside scoop.

Dear Negotiation Coach: Do Leading Negotiation Experts Practice What they Preach?

Learn the pros and cons of med-arb, a little-known alternative dispute resolution process.

What is Med-Arb? Disputants who are concerned about drawbacks in mediation and arbitration might want to consider a hybrid mediation-arbitration approach called med-arb.

Leaders have an obligation to empower everyone in their organization to make sound and ethical decisions in and other contexts.

Leadership and Decision-Making: Empowering Better Decisions A key task in leadership and decision-making is finding ways to encourage employees at all levels to make better decisions.

Contrary to popular belief, certain types of lies can actually strengthen bonds between parties, but benevolent deception is not without risk.

In Negotiation, Is Benevolent Deception Acceptable? Contrary to popular belief, certain types of lies can actually strengthen bonds between parties, but benevolent deception is not without risk

Negotiation power comes in three forms: a strong BATNA, role-based authority, and psychological power. Boost your confidence by recalling past successes—feeling powerful can impact negotiations as much as having power!

Types of Power in Negotiation Your power in negotiation depends on both objective and subjective factors at the bargaining table. Here are three types of power in negotiation.

Trump's early presidential negotiations were marked by unconventional tactics and bold moves, from skipping protocol with world leaders to a surprising call with Taiwan. His style often prioritized emotional wins over substantive results.

Trump’s Negotiating Style as President-Elect Donald Trump’s negotiating style in the months before he took office were marked by a disregard for protocol.

Our preparation checklist will position you to prepare as thoroughly as necessary to create value and claim value in your next important business negotiation.

A Negotiation Preparation Checklist Our negotiation preparation checklist will position you to prepare as thoroughly as necessary to create value and claim value in your next negotiation.

In the spirit of sharing real-life examples of workplace conflict and learning from conflict resolution success stories, we offer the following tale from a congressional negotiation.

Conflict Resolution Success Stories: A Surprising Tale from Congress When we think of conflict resolution success stories, we don’t automatically think of the U.S. Congress. But in early 2018, the Senate managed to avoid a standoff over a spending bill, thanks to an unexpected tool.

Recent advances in negotiation role play simulations can improve your mediation abilities.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Training: Mediation Curriculum We received general materials about classes on Alternative Dispute Resolution in mediation as well as highly specific and idiosyncratic units like Conflict Resolution through Literature: Romeo and Juliet and a negotiating training package for female managers from the Middle East.

Ignoring a threat and naming a threat can be two effective strategies for defusing them.

10 Hard-Bargaining Tactics & Negotiation Skills Hard-bargaining tactics can prevent negotiations from reaching their full potential.Here are ten hard bargaining negotiation skills to be wary of.

BATNA, or "Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement," is the best option available if negotiations fail. Knowing your BATNA helps you negotiate more effectively by ensuring you don't settle for a worse deal when a better alternative exists.

What is BATNA? How to Find Your Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement What is BATNA? The BATNA definition is the ability to identify a negotiator's best alternative to a negotiated agreement.

Deflecting a tough question with a question of your own can help you avoid sharing sensitive information without being deceptive or irritating your counterpart.

How to Respond to Questions in Negotiation Discover how to respond to questions by deflecting with a question of your own, as an effective alternative. Keep reading to learn more.

Ensure negotiation success by preparing as a team. Use a worksheet to align on your BATNA, interests, and goals before the bargaining table. Link rewards to outcomes that exceed initial expectations.

How to Use a Negotiation Preparation Worksheet Improve your negotiation training with a negotiation preparation worksheet and track your progress improving your bargaining skills

Some research has found that we reach less satisfying and creative deals with friends than we do with strangers. Here's why.

How to Negotiate with Friends and Family “Never do business with friends,” the adage goes. But should you always stay away from an opportunity to negotiate with friends and family? Not necessarily.

To uncover hidden interests in negotiation, build trust by asking questions and truly listening. A little rapport goes a long way in fostering cooperation and successful outcomes.

The Importance of a Relationship in Negotiation Understanding the four basic building blocks that can help you create a better relationship in negotiation situations with people you lead

Too often, business negotiators make implicit comparisons with others and then fail to understand why the other side finds certain demands offensive.

Negotiation Skills in Business Communication: Status and Power What are negotiation skills in business communication and how do bargainers grapple with the impact of status and power? This article offers insight.