The Book of Real-World Negotiations

Foreword

It is a great pleasure to introduce this remarkable book of negotiation stories compiled and analyzed by my old friend and colleague Joshua Weiss.

The Book of Real-World Negotiations helps fill a significant gap in the negotiation literature. It complements the many books in the field that introduce concepts, frameworks, and skills. Here in this book, readers can learn not only about the creative outcomes that are reached, but perhaps more importantly, how the negotiators were able to achieve mutually satisfying results, often against tremendous odds.

As an anthropologist, I appreciate the enormous power of stories to convey lessons, cautions, and inspiration. The human mind learns best through stories. Yet, because of sensitivities and confidentiality, many of the best stories about negotiations are rarely shared. This is where Joshua Weiss makes a real contribution. He has compiled a compelling range of negotiation stories so that they can be discussed, analyzed, and learned from in a way that only real-world cases can offer. Through these stories, Weiss helps us understand the core principles and best practices that can lead to success, as well as the details and nuances critical to reaching agreement.

The book begins by highlighting business negotiations both here in the United States and abroad, suggesting how negotiation can help parties overcome seemingly insuperable barriers to agreement. Then Weiss leads us into negotiations in the world around us – from political ...