Dealing with the Irrational Negotiator — HBS Working Knowledge

0atwong • 9th Oct 2007 • Conversation Pieces

Dealing with the Irrational Negotiator — HBS Working Knowledge
“Negotiators who are quick to label the other party irrational do so at great potential cost to themselves,” say HBS professors Deepak Malhotra and Max H. Bazerman. Their new book, Negotiation Genius, combines expertise in psychology with practical examples to show how anyone can improve dealmaking skills. In this excerpt, Malhotra and Bazerman describe what to do when the other partys behavior does not make sense. Key concepts include:

When people on the other side of the negotiating table appear irrational, reckless, and lacking in self-interest, they may in fact be uninformed.
Try to recognize and understand their constraints.
Identify the underlying interests that cause your fellow negotiators to appear irrational.