The Practical Negotiator

by I. William Zartman, Maureen R. Berman

The art of international negotiation can be learned, according to William Zartman and Maureen Berman. Their purpose in this book is to teach aspiring diplomas and others how to negotiate most effectively. Drawing on a wide range of sources―historical material from past negotiations, interviews with experienced negotiators, the theories and ideas of other students of the problem, and findings on bargaining behavior from experiments and stimulations―they introduce their own scheme of organization to clarify the nature of negotiation. They portray negotiation as a three-stage process involving prenegotiation, developing a formula, and working out details, and they provide insights into the appropriate behaviors for each phase. Their examples from several dozen postwar negotiations, based on the reflections of seventy participants interviewed for this study, are particularly vivid and illuminating. Viewing negotiation as a paradoxical process in which both conflict and cooperation are required, Zartman and Berman present a more positive and constructive model than previous studies have done. Their major prescription―that negotiators try to find agreement on a formula before turning to matters of detail―clearly facilitates the framing of joint decisions among opposing parties.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Self Help

250 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1982

Reviews

[Marie Kapretz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohne Verhandlungen werden Konflikte selten beendet. Die Autoren des Buches ‘The Practical Negotiator’ haben Interviews mit ca 50 Chefverhandlern aus den USA, aber auch aus Ländern wie Ghana, Indien, Bangladesch und den Vereinten Nationen geführt und sie gefragt, was sie bei ihren Verhandlungen gelernt haben, und was davon sie gerne vorher gewusst hätten. Das aufbereitete Ergebnis der Befragungen liegt in diesem Buch vor, als praktisches Handbuch und Orientierung für Verhandlungen.

Das Buch hilft nicht nur, die eigenen Verhandlungs-Skills zu verbessern, sondern gewährt auch beeindruckende Einsichten in große historische Verhandlungen, wie z.B. im kalten Krieg, im Kongo oder Indochina und erbringt konstruktive und praxisorientierte Vorschläge, für all diejenigen, für die die Gestaltung von Sicherheit und Stabilität ihren beruflichen Alltag ausmacht.

[Fouad · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Culture then does affect the perceptions and assumptions of negotiators, yet two equally valid counterarguments can be made. One is that negotiation is a universal process, utilizing a finite number of behavioural patterns, and that cultural differences ares are simply differences in style and language”- William Zartman
No beating around the bush for this book. Straight to the point with substantial evidence and real life applications.