The Art and Science of Negotiation

by Raiffa

Whether you are selling a house, closing a business deal, settling a divorce, arbitrating a labor dispute, or trying to hammer out an international treaty, Howard Raiffa’s new book will measurably improve your negotiating skills.

Although it is a sophisticated self-help book―directed to the lawyer, labor arbitrator, business executive, college dean, diplomat―it is not cynical or Raiffa emphasizes problems and situations where, with the kinds of skills he aims to develop, disputants can achieve results that are beneficial to all parties concerned. Indeed, he argues that the popular “zero-sum” way of thinking, according to which one side must lose if the other wins, often makes both sides worse off than they would be when bargaining for joint mutual gains.

Using a vast array of specific cases and clear, helpful diagrams, Raiffa not only elucidates the step-by-step processes of negotiation but also translates this deeper understanding into practical guidelines for negotiators and “intervenors.” He examines the mechanics of negotiation in imaginative fashion, drawing on his extensive background in game theory and decision analysis, on his quarter-century of teaching nonspecialists in schools of business and public policy, on his personal experiences as director of an international institute dealing with East/West problems, and on the results of simulated negotiation exercises with hundreds of participants.

There are popular books on the art of winning and scholarly books on the science of negotiation, but this is the first book to bridge the two currents. Shrewd, accessible, and engagingly written, it shows how a little analysis sprinkled with a touch of art can work to the advantage of any negotiator.

Genres: Business, Management, Leadership, Personal Development, Nonfiction, Economics, Self Help

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Steven P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in the spring of 1993, and was lucky enough to get a chance to meet Howard Raiffa while I was an undergrad at Harvard and he was on the HBS faculty. I'd read his book as part of my thesis research, and enjoyed it so much that I got up the courage to ask for the meeting.

The book itself is well written, with nice examples, a little math, but nothing that the determined reader can't get through. Plus, the numbers are generally supplementing the textual analysis rather than being the main point. It goes through different types of negotiation and offers tools and models for how to think about each.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oddly this book was interesting. It did not talk down to the reader, but rather offered some good advice with interesting examples.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

more of a reference than a cover to cover read.