Featured Article

To get unstuck, enlist a mediator

Most businesspeople understand the value of using mediation to resolve conflicts, but did you know that professional mediators can help you reach agreement during the dealmaking phase? Stephen Goldberg, professor emeritus at Northwestern School of Law, describes how mediators can aid parties in creating value at the negotiating table.

Read the full article →

When your words push their buttons

In negotiation and conflict resolution, taboo words and terms can take talks off the rails. A deeper discussion may be needed to get negotiations back on track.

Read the full article →

Trying to negotiate consensus on the court

Supreme Court chief justice John Roberts faced the challenge of a lifetime in negotiations over the court’s Obamacare decision, according to a new biography. His struggle to balance conflicting goals can illuminate best practices for team talks.

Read the full article →

Is your BATNA really a sure thing?

In negotiation, a smart way to determine whether to accept or reject a deal is to compare it to your best alternative to a negotiated agreement. But when our no-deal alternative is uncertain, our decisions are often flawed, new research shows.

Read the full article →

To resolve conflict, address dignity concerns

Dignity violations can often be found at the core of interpersonal conflicts, according to Dr. Donna Hicks, an associate at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.

Read the full article →

Negotiating in extra innings

Lengthy free-agent negotiations in Major League Baseball have players crying foul.

Read the full article →

Managing negotiators? Avoid 3 common mistakes

When supervising negotiators, leaders often fail to provide an optimal level of support and feedback. Here’s how to ensure you’ll be a help rather than a hindrance.

Read the full article →

Space for interpretation

Negotiators tend to view language interpreters as neutral, but reality is more complicated, according to Sanda Kaufman, a professor of Planning, Public Policy, and Administration at Cleveland State University who studies negotiation and intervention in urban, environmental, and organizational contexts.

Read the full article →

Amazon’s secret deal backfires

When Amazon revealed in late November that it would be dividing HQ2 between the most obvious contenders—New York City and the Washington, D.C., area—many cried foul. Had the competition been nothing more than a publicity stunt aimed at driving up tax incentives and securing valuable information about communities for use in future projects?

Read the full article →