When you don’t have an alternative in a negotiation, try imagining one

• Main Authors: SCHAERER, Michael, SCHWEINSBERG, Martin, SWAAB, Roderick I.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2018
• Subjects: Negotiations; alternatives; Organizational Behavior and Theory; Organization Development
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/5770; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/6769/viewcontent/Imagine_Alteratives_HBR_2018_av.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Conventional wisdom suggests that negotiators need alternatives to succeed. Alternatives give negotiators the confidence to negotiate offers more ambitiously, to push for more optimal outcomes, and to walk away from the table when needed. But negotiators often have no alternative at all. For example...