Abstract
Drawing on the literatures on negotiation and conflict resolution as well as research on international diplomacy, the author proposes a framework for understanding complexity in real-world negotiations. Rejecting models of the process that are simplistic, sterile, or static, he argues that complexity is inherent in negotiation. In ten propositions, he lays out key dimensions of complexity and ways that skilled negotiators can manage it. The propositions focus attention on the ways negotiators create and claim value, shape perceptions and learn, work within structure and shape the structure, negotiate and mediate, link and de-link negotiations, create momentum and engineer impasses, and work outside and inside. The author also highlights the importance of organizational learning in negotiation, noting that most negotiators manage multiple negotiations in parallel, and most organizations have many negotiators doing similar things.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Allison, G. 1971. Essence of decision: Explaining the Cuban missile crisis. Boston: Little Brown.
Arrow, K., R. Mnookin, L. Ross, A. Tversky, and R. Wilson. 1995. Barriers to conflict resolution. New York: Norton.
Baker, J. 1995. The politics of diplomacy: Revolution, war and peace: 1989–1992. New York: G.P. Putnam & Sons.
Breslin, J. W. and J. Z. Rubin (eds.). 1991. Negotiation theory and practice. Cambridge, Mass:: PON Books (The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School).
Christensen, C. R., D. Garvin and A. Sweet, eds. 1991. Education for judgment: The artistry of discussion leadership. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard Business School Press.
Cialdini, R. B. 1984. Influence: The psychology of persuasion. New York: William Morrow.
Cutcher-Gershenfeld, J. and M. Watkins. 1997. Toward a theory of representation in negotiation. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management, Boston, August.
Fisher, R., W. Ury, and B. Patton. 1991. Getting to YES: Negotiating agreement without giving in. 2nd ed. New York: Penguin.
Gleick, J. 1987. Chaos: The making of a new science. New York: Viking Press.
Iklé, F. C. 1964. How nations negotiate. Millwood, N.Y.: Kraus Reprint Co.
Klein, G. 1998. Sources of power: How people make decisions. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.
Kim, W. C. and R. Mauborgne. 1997. Fair process: managing in the knowledge economy. Harvard Business Review. July-August.
Lax, D. A. and J. K. Sebenius. 1986. The manager as negotiator. New York: Free Press.
Lax, D. and J. Sebenius. 1991. Thinking coalitionally. In Negotiation analysis, edited by Peyton Young. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Lundberg, K. 1996. The Oslo channel: Finding a secret path to peace. Case C113–96–1333.0, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Putnam, R. 1988. Diplomacy and domestic politics: The logic of two-level games. International Organizations 42(3): 427–460.
Raiffa, H. 1982. The art and science of negotiation. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Riker, W. H. 1986 The art of political manipulation. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Robinson, R. J. 1997a. Errors in social judgment: Implications for negotiation and conflict resolution. Part 1: Biased assimilation of information. Case No. 897–103. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing.
Rosegrant, S. and M. Watkins. 1994. The Gulf crisis: Building a coalition for war. Cambridge, Mass.: John F. Kennedy School of Government Case No.. 1264.0.
———. and ———. 1995. Carrots, sticks and question marks: Negotiating the North Korean nuclear crisis (A) and (B). Cambridge, Mass.: John F. Kennedy School of Government Case Nos. 1297.0 and 1298.0.
———. and ———. 1996b. A “seamless” transition: United States and United Nations operation in Somalia-1992–1993 (A) and (B). Cambridge, Mass.: John F. Kennedy School of Government Case Nos. 1324.0 and 1325.0.
———. and ———. 1996c. Getting to Dayton: Negotiating an end to the war in Bosnia. Case no. C125–96–1356.0, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
———. and ———. 1997b. Errors in social judgment: Implications for negotiation and conflict resolution. Part 2: Partisan perceptions. Case No. 897–104. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing.
Rosen, S. and M. Watkins. 1998. Rethinking “preparation” in negotiation. Harvard Business School Working Paper #99–042.
Ross, L. and A. Ward. 1995. Psychological barriers to dispute resolution. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. 27: 255–304.
Rubin, J. Z., D. G. Pruitt, and S. H. Kim. 1994. Social conflict: Escalation, stalemate and settlement, 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Schon, D. 1983. The reflective practitioner: How professional think in action. New York: Basic Books.
Sebenius, J. 1984. Negotiating the Law of the Sea. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
———. 1992. Negotiation analysis: A characterization and review. Management Science 38(1): 18–38.
———. 1996a. Introduction to negotiation analysis: Structure, people, and context. Note No. 896–034. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing.
———. 1996b. Sequencing to build coalitions: With whom should I talk first? Wise choices: Decisions, games, and negotiations, edited by R. Zeckhauser, R. Keeney, and J. Sebenius. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Ury, W. 1991. Getting past no: Negotiating your way from confrontation to cooperation. New York: Bantam Books.
Walton, R. and R. McKersie. 1965. A behavioral theory of labor negotiations. Ithaca: ILR Press (paperback reprint).
Watkins, M. 1998a. Shaping the structure of negotiations. Program on Negotiation Monograph #98–1. Cambridge, Mass.: Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.
———. 1998b. Building momentum in negotiations: Time-related costs and action-forcing events. Negotiation Journal 14(3): 241–256.
Watkins, M. and K. Lundberg. 1998. Getting to the table in Oslo: Driving forces and channel factors. Negotiation Journal 14(2): 115–136.
Watkins, M. and S. Passow. 1996. Analyzing linked systems of negotiations. Negotiation Journal 12(4): 325–339.
Watkins, M. and S. Rosegrant. 1996. Sources of power in coalition building. Negotiation Journal 12 (1): 47–68.
Watkins, M., and K. Winters. 1997. Intervenors with interests and power. Negotiation Journal 13(2): 119–142.
Zartman, I. W. and M. Berman. 1982. The practical negotiator. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Zimbardo, P. and M. Lieppe. 1991. The psychology of attitude change and social influence. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Watkins, M. Negotiating in a Complex World. Negotiation Journal 15, 229–244 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007547417505
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007547417505