A no-nonsense guide to better deals.
6/24/2002
Some people just have the knack for making good deals, yes? No, not quite. This new book by Michael Watkins, a professor in the HBS Negotiation, Organizations, and Markets department, operates on the premise that any intelligent businessman or woman can practice and learn specific techniques to improve his or her negotiating ability. Watkins outlines how to shape the structure of the discussion, manage the process, and assess the outcome. He also describes how to cope with power imbalances, get other people on your side, and negotiate even in crisis situations. Skilled negotiators, he writes, can see the big picture. Yet they can also see all the moving parts in the big picture: They acknowledge and control their own reactions in the crunch and continue to listen actively throughout the process. According to one seasoned negotiator to whom Watkins refers, "It's the ability to combine the big things with the small things."