2024 Leadership Development Course-Emotions and the Art of Negotiation

Emotions and the Art of Negotiation

Pdf Summary

The article from the Harvard Business Review discusses the role of emotions in negotiations, focusing on how they influence outcomes and how negotiators can manage them effectively. Alison Wood Brooks, a professor at Harvard Business School, highlights that while traditional negotiation tactics have focused on strategy and offers, new research suggests that emotions such as anger, anxiety, and happiness play pivotal roles in negotiation dynamics.<br /><br />The article describes a negotiation exercise called “Honoring the Contract,” where students are asked to simulate anger, revealing how such displays often lead to poor negotiation outcomes, like impasses or litigation. Anger, when expressed in negotiations, can escalate conflicts and reduce cooperation, contrary to some beliefs that it may help win larger deals. However, feigned anger may yield short-term concessions but can damage long-term relationships and trust.<br /><br />On the flip side, anxiety tends to weaken negotiation power, leading to lower aspirations and premature exits from negotiations. Preparation, rehearsal, and third-party negotiators are suggested to mitigate anxiety's impact.<br /><br />Expressing emotions like disappointment near the end of negotiations can encourage counterparts to reassess their positions without triggering defensiveness, unlike anger. Negotiators are also advised against showing too much excitement or happiness at the end of a deal, as it might trigger disappointment in the other party and sour future collaborations.<br /><br />Overall, the article asserts that successful negotiators manage not only their emotions but also perceive and influence their counterparts' emotions. It emphasizes the importance of a well-prepared emotional strategy alongside traditional negotiation tactics to achieve favorable outcomes.

Keywords

emotions

negotiations

anger

anxiety

Happiness

Alison Wood Brooks

Harvard Business Review

strategy

emotional management

negotiation tactics