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WORK TITLE: Kissinger the Negotiator: Lessons from Dealmaking at the Highest Level
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PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 5/3/1953
WEBSITE:
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https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=6550
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born May 3, 1953.
EDUCATION:Vanderbilt University, B.A.; Stanford University, M.A.; Harvard University, Ph.D.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Economist and professor. Worked at Blackstone and U.S. Commerce and State Departments; PON Executive Committee, vice chair of practice-focused research; Harvard Business School, Gordon Donaldson Professor of Business Administration.
AWARDS:International Studies Association, Harold and Margaret Sprout Prize, 1986, for Negotiating the Law of the Sea.
WRITINGS
Contributor of articles to journals, including Harvard International Review, Harvard Business Review, Negotiation Journal, Negotiation, Iran Matters, International Security, and Ivey Business Journal.
SIDELIGHTS
James K. Sebenius is an economist who specializes in analyzing and advising corporations and governments on negotiation strategies. He holds a Ph.D. in business economics from Harvard University. In academia, Sebenius is the Gordon Donaldson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, where he founded the Negotiation unit, and directs the Harvard Negotiation Project at Harvard Law School. He teaches advanced negotiation to students and senior executives, and is a partner in the negotiations strategy firm, Lax Sebenius LLC.
Negotiating the Law of the Sea and The Manager as Negotiator
Sebenius has published several books on the art of negotiation. His 1984 Negotiating the Law of the Sea, focuses on deep ocean mining. The Law of the Sea (LOS) treaty considers financing of new international mining rights, and Sebenius provides information on LOS parameters, sustainable agreements, cross cultural negotiations based on values and expectations, and considerations of time and risk. He also explains the role of computer modeling in LOS, and that the United States abruptly rejected the LOS results
The 1986 The Manager as Negotiator: Bargaining for Cooperation and Competitive Gain, by Sebenius and cowriter David A. Lax, provides advice for managers in situations of negotiation. Geared to executives, attorneys, diplomats, and other leaders, the book develops a sophisticated approach to negotiation, ways to reach effective accords such as contracts and settlements, how to navigate various resources and authority, and resolving disputes. The authors show managers how to further their own interests while developing important relationships with other companies and organizations.
3-D Negotiation
In 2006, Sebenius and Lax teamed up again to write 3-D Negotiation: Powerful Tools to Change the Game in Your Most Important Deals, which describes their three-dimensional approach to successful negotiation. The first dimension is table tactics and face-to-face negotiation, the second dimension is designing the deal to unlock economic value, and third dimension is setup in which the parties have been approached in the right sequence, with the right interests, under the right expectations, with the right consequences if the there is no deal.
In a review in Financial Executive, Jeffrey Marshall observed that the authors use good examples from companies like McDonald’s and Mazda in a practical guide that “is full of perceptive advice for corporate strategists about how to get the most from a negotiated deal.”
Kissinger the Negotiator
Sebenius, along with cowriters R. Nicholas Burns and Robert H. Mnookin, published Kissinger the Negotiator: Lessons from Dealmaking at the Highest Level, in 2018. A brilliant diplomat and historian Henry Kissinger (1923-), former U.S. Secretary of State under the Nixon and Ford administrations, has advised American presidents on the art of negotiation for decades. His long career is analyzed for its wisdom on a variety of issues, including negotiation, business, public policy, law, and statesmanship. The authors scoured Kissinger’s documents and papers, records, and independent sources to crystallize his strategy and approach. They also interviewed Kissinger over many hours to reveal that part of his success was that he is a quick learner, a bold strategist, and a relentless pursuer.
While the authors chronicle the key moments from Kissinger’s career they “less successfully try to relate them to the art of business negotiations,” according to a Publishers Weekly reviewer, who added that while they include Kissinger’s fifteen negotiation tactics in an appendix without historical context, the result is too little, too late. In the New York Times Online, reviewer Jeremi Suri remarked: “The authors provide play-by-plays for many of the negotiations, but they have little new to say about them, and they leave out a lot. The historical sections are written almost exclusively from the American side of the negotiating table, and the loudest voice is always Kissinger’s own.” Suri also lamented how the authors seem to disregard Kissinger’s cooperation with the apartheid regime in South Africa, and his support for military juntas in Chile and Argentina.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Financial Executive, January-February 2007, Jeffrey Marshall, review of 3-D Negotiation: Powerful Tools to Change the Game in Your Most Important Deals, p. 13.
Publishers Weekly, February 12, 2018, review of Kissinger the Negotiator: Lessons from Dealmaking at the Highest Level, p. 68.
ONLINE
New York Times Online, https://www.nytimes.com, (August 2, 2018), Jeremi Suri, review of Kissinger the Negotiator.
James K. Sebenius specializes in analyzing and advising corporations and governments worldwide on their most challenging negotiations. After years in the private sector (Blackstone) and the U.S. government (Commerce and State Departments), he is now the Gordon Donaldson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, where he founded the Negotiation unit and teaches advanced negotiation to students and senior executives. He directs the Harvard Negotiation Project at Harvard Law School and is a partner in Lax Sebenius LLC, a negotiations strategy firm.
James Sebenius, Vice Chair of Practice-Focused Research, PON Executive Committee
Comment
Professor Sebenius specializes in analyzing and advising on complex negotiations. At PON, he is a co-chair of the Great Negotiator Award Committee. In 1982, he co-founded and still directs the Negotiation Roundtable, an ongoing forum in which hundreds of negotiations have been examined to extract their most valuable lessons. Sebenius is a founder and principal of Lax Sebenius: The Negotiation Group LLC, a firm that provides negotiation advisory services to corporations and governments worldwide. In 1993, he took the lead in the Business School’s decision to make negotiation a required course in the MBA Program and to create a Negotiation Unit (department) which he headed for several years. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard in business economics, a master’s degree in Engineering-Economic Systems from Stanford’s Engineering School, and an undergraduate degree (summa cum laude) from Vanderbilt in mathematics and English.
Click here for recent news and publications by Prof. Sebenius.
Research Interests: Dispute resolution, 3-D negotiation, dealing with hard bargainers, negotiating campaigns, cross-border negotiating, Great Negotiator Study Initiative, winning coalitions
Select Publications:
Sebenius, James K. “Negotiation Analysis: Between Decisions and Games.” In Advances in Decision Analysis, edited by Ward Edwards, Ralph Miles and Detlof von Winterfeldt, 469-488. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Sebenius, James K. “Facing a Protracted Dispute? Consider a ‘Virtual Strike’.” Negotiation 9, no. 9 (September 2006): 7-9.
Sebenius, James K. “Negotiation Design for Large, Multistakeholder Projects.” Negotiation 9, no. 4 (April 2006): 4-6.
Sebenius, James K. “Do a 3-D Audit of Barriers to Agreement.” Negotiation 9, no. 2 (February 2006): 7-9.
Lax, David, and James K. Sebenius. 3-D Negotiation: Powerful Tools to Change the Game in Your Most Important Deals. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2006.
Link to website:
http://drfd.hbs.edu/fit/public/facultyInfo.do?facInfo=bio&facEmId=jsebenius
Faculty
James K. Sebenius
Faculty Affiliate, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Expertise: Iran nuclear programNegotiation
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Biography
James K. Sebenius specializes in analyzing and advising on complex negotiations. He holds the Gordon Donaldson Professorship of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and directs the Harvard Negotiation Project. A faculty affiliate with the Belfer Center, he co-chairs the Iran Nuclear Negotiations Working Group with Belfer Center Director Graham Allison.
In 1993, Sebenius took the lead in the School's decision--unique among major business schools--to make negotiation a required course in the MBA Program and to create a Negotiation Unit (department) which he headed for several years. The Negotiation Unit grew to several full-time negotiation faculty teaching the required course to over 800 students per year as well as offering advanced dealmaking and negotiation courses to MBAs, doctoral students, and executives. The Negotiation Unit subsequently merged with the School's Organization and Markets Unit to form a new Unit, "Negotiation, Organizations, and Markets (NOM)." Formerly an Associate Professor on the faculty of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, Sebenius also currently serves as Vice Chair and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Program on Negotiation (PON) at Harvard Law School. At PON, he has taken the lead role in the University's annual Great Negotiator Award program, which has intensively engaged with and brought negotiators such as George Mitchell and Richard Holbrooke to campus.
Early in his career, he co-founded the Negotiation Roundtable, an ongoing forum in which hundreds of varied negotiations have been examined to extract their most valuable lessons. In 2008, Sebenius succeeded Roger Fisher as Director of the Harvard Negotiation Project, which currently focuses on China-related negotiations, the Middle East Negotiation Initiative, and the Great Negotiator Study Initiative. Drawing on this and extensive advisory experience, summarized below, he co-authored (with David Lax) 3-D Negotiation: Powerful Tools to Change the Game in Your Most Important Deals (HBS Press). A previous collaboration with Lax produced The Manager as Negotiator (The Free Press). He is also the author of Negotiating the Law of the Sea (Harvard University Press), co-editor of various works, and author of a number of academic and popular articles as well as many field case studies and multimedia teaching materials.
Sebenius left Harvard in the mid-1980s to work full-time for investment banker Peter G. Peterson, co-founder with Stephen Schwarzman of the New York-based Blackstone Group, now one of the world's leading merchant banking and private equity firms. For several years following Blackstone's launch, Sebenius worked closely with Peterson and Schwarzman, initially as vice president, and later as Special Adviser to the firm after returning to Harvard. In its first year, Blackstone announced transactions valued at over $11 billion and advised over a dozen major corporate clients (including Squibb, American Can Company, American International Group, Inc., Armco Inc., COMSAT, CSX Corp., Eaton Corp., Firestone Tire and Rubber, Saatchi and Saatchi Company PLC, and Sony Corporation) on a wide variety of financial and strategic negotiations including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, recapitalizations, and divestitures. During Sebenius's active involvement with the firm, Blackstone raised almost $1 billion in equity for Blackstone Capital Partners and acted as primary financial advisor on three of the largest U.S.-Japanese deals to date. In earlier professional roles, Sebenius served from 1976 to 1977 as assistant to Robert White, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Washington, and from 1977 to 1980 with the State Department on the U.S. Delegation to the Law of the Sea negotiations led by Elliot Richardson.
Among various awards, the Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce (Osaka) selected Sebenius as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons (under 40) from around the world, an honor that involved an extended visit to Japan culminating in an audience with the new Emperor and Empress. He was elected a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. He also served as advisor to the Select Automotive Panel, a joint U.S.-Canadian body, established following the U.S. Canadian Free Trade Agreement to deal with outstanding auto trade issues; the Panel consisted of the heads of the three major auto companies, the heads of the United Auto Workers and the Canadian Auto Workers, as well as numerous auto industry representatives. He was a member of the Auto Parts Advisory Committee, United States Department of Commerce (appointed by the Secretary of Commerce).
Sebenius is a founder and principal of Lax Sebenius: The 3-D Negotiation™ Group LLC, a firm that provides negotiation advisory services to corporations and governments worldwide. Private clients of the Negotiation Group have included large corporations such as American International Group, American Express, AT&T, Lederle Labs, Sandoz, Lucent Technologies, Glaxo, Banamex, GE, GTE, Hewlett Packard, Northwest Water PLC, Novartis, Reuters, Shell, USWest, Time Warner, and Estée Lauder; financial firms such as the 3i plc, Blackstone Group, Charterhouse International, Warburg Pincus, and Exeter Capital; small companies such as American Research and Development, Fusion Systems and Peak Health; as well as government agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the Veterans Administration, the Foreign Ministry of Venezuela, and the Governments of Malaysia and Indonesia.
Sebenius holds a Ph.D. from Harvard in business economics, a masters degree in Engineering-Economic Systems from Stanford's Engineering School, and an undergraduate degree (summa cum laude) from Vanderbilt in mathematics and English.
Last Updated: Jan 24, 2017, 8:33am
James K. Sebenius
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James K. Sebenius is an American economist, currently the Gordon Donaldson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.[1][2]
Education[edit]
Sebenius has a Ph.D. from Harvard in business economics, a masters degree in Engineering-Economic Systems from Stanford's Engineering School, and a bachelors degree (summa cum laude) from Vanderbilt in mathematics and English.
James K. Sebenius
Gordon Donaldson Professor of Business Administration
Unit: Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
Contact:
(617) 495-9334
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JAMES K. SEBENIUS specializes in analyzing and advising on complex negotiations. He holds the Gordon Donaldson Professorship of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. In 1993, he took the lead in the School's decision--unique among major business schools--to make negotiation a required course in the MBA Program and to create a Negotiation Unit (department) which he headed for several years. The Negotiation Unit grew to several full-time negotiation faculty teaching the required course to over 800 students per year as well as offering advanced dealmaking and negotiation courses to MBAs, doctoral students, and executives. The Negotiation Unit subsequently merged with the School's Organization and Markets Unit to form a new Unit, "Negotiation, Organizations, and Markets (NOM)."
Formerly on the faculty of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, Sebenius also currently serves as Vice Chair and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Program on Negotiation (PON) at Harvard Law School. At PON, he chairs the University's annual Great Negotiator Award program, which has intensively engaged with negotiators such as Richard Holbrooke, Lakdhar Brahimi, George Mitchell, and Bruce Wasserstein. He also co-directs a project (with Nick Burns and Bob Mnookin) to extensively interview all former U.S. Secretaries of State—as of January 2017, including James Baker, George Shultz, Henry Kissinger, Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell, and Condoleezza Rice—about their most challenging negotiations.
Early in his career, he co-founded the Negotiation Roundtable, an ongoing forum in which hundreds of varied negotiations have been examined to extract their most valuable lessons. In 2008, Sebenius succeeded Roger Fisher as Director of the Harvard Negotiation Project, which currently focuses on China-related negotiations, the Middle East Negotiation Initiative, and the Great Negotiator Study Initiative. Drawing on this and extensive advisory experience, summarized below, he co-authored (with David Lax) 3D Negotiation: Powerful Tools to Change the Game in Your Most Important Deals (HBS Press). A previous collaboration with Lax produced The Manager as Negotiator (The Free Press). He is also the author of Negotiating the Law of the Sea (Harvard University Press), co-editor of various works, and author of a number of academic and popular articles as well as many field case studies and multimedia teaching materials.
Sebenius left Harvard in the mid-1980s to work full-time for investment banker Peter G. Peterson, co-founder with Stephen Schwarzman of the New York-based Blackstone Group, now one of the world's leading merchant banking and private equity firms. For several years following Blackstone's launch, Sebenius worked closely with Peterson and Schwarzman, initially as vice president, and later as Special Adviser to the firm after returning to Harvard. In its first year, Blackstone announced transactions valued at over $11 billion and advised over a dozen major corporate clients (including Squibb, American Can Company, American International Group, Inc., Armco Inc., COMSAT, CSX Corp., Eaton Corp., Firestone Tire and Rubber, Saatchi and Saatchi Company PLC, and Sony Corporation) on a wide variety of financial and strategic negotiations including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, recapitalizations, and divestitures. During Sebenius's active involvement with the firm, Blackstone raised almost $1 billion in equity for Blackstone Capital Partners and acted as primary financial advisor on three of the largest U.S.-Japanese deals to date. In earlier professional roles, Sebenius served from 1976 to 1977 as assistant to Robert White, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Washington, and from 1977 to 1980 with the State Department on the U.S. Delegation to the Law of the Sea negotiations led by Elliot Richardson.
Among various awards, the Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce (Osaka) selected Sebenius as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons (under 40) from around the world, an honor that involved an extended visit to Japan culminating in an audience with the new Emperor and Empress. He was elected a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. He also served as advisor to the Select Automotive Panel, a joint U.S.-Canadian body, established following the U.S. Canadian Free Trade Agreement to deal with outstanding auto trade issues; the Panel consisted of the heads of the three major auto companies, the heads of the United Auto Workers and the Canadian Auto Workers, as well as numerous auto industry representatives. He was a member of the Auto Parts Advisory Committee, United States Department of Commerce (appointed by the Secretary of Commerce).
Sebenius is a founder and principal of Lax Sebenius: The 3-D Negotiation™ Group LLC, a firm that provides negotiation advisory services to corporations and governments worldwide. Private clients of the Negotiation Group have included large corporations such as American International Group, American Express, AT&T, Lederle Labs, Sandoz, Lucent Technologies, Glaxo, Banamex, GE, GTE, Hewlett Packard, Northwest Water PLC, Novartis, Reuters, Shell, USWest, Time Warner, and Estée Lauder; financial firms such as the 3i plc, Blackstone Group, Charterhouse International, Warburg Pincus, and Exeter Capital; small companies such as American Research and Development, Fusion Systems and Peak Health; as well as government agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the Veterans Administration, the Foreign Ministry of Venezuela, and the Governments of Malaysia and Indonesia.
Sebenius holds a Ph.D. from Harvard in business economics, a masters degree in Engineering-Economic Systems from Stanford's Engineering School, and an undergraduate degree (summa cum laude) from Vanderbilt in mathematics and English.
Publications
Books
Sebenius, James K., R. Nicholas Burns, and Robert H. Mnookin (with a forward by Henry A. Kissinger). Kissinger the Negotiator: Lessons from Dealmaking at the Highest Level. New York: HarperCollins, forthcoming. View Details
Lax, David, and James K. Sebenius. 3-D Negotiation: Powerful Tools to Change the Game in Your Most Important Deals. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2006. View Details
Sebenius, James K., Richard J. Zeckhauser and Ralph L. Keeney, eds. Wise Decisions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1996. View Details
Lax, David A., and James K. Sebenius. The Manager as Negotiator: Bargaining for Cooperation and Competitive Gain. NY: Free Press, 1986. (Also published in Czech, French, Italian, and Spanish editions.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., D. A. Lax, R. Weber, W. Samuelson, and T. Weeks. The Manager as Negotiator and Dispute Resolver. NIDR teaching materials series. Washington, D.C.: National Institute for Dispute Resolution, 1985. View Details
Sebenius, James K. Negotiating the Law of the Sea: Lessons in the Art and Science of Reaching Agreement. Harvard Economic Studies. Harvard University Press, 1984. (Winner of Harold and Margaret Sprout Award For the best book in the study of international environmental problems presented by International Studies Association.) View Details
Journal Articles
Sebenius, James K. "Henry Kissinger and Robert Mugabe: The Forgotten Connection via Remarkably Creative Negotiation." Harvard International Review 39, no. 2 (Spring 2018): 58–61. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Howard Raiffa: The Art, Science, and Humanity of a Legendary Negotiation Analyst." Negotiation Journal 33, no. 4 (October 2017): 283–307. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "BATNAs in Negotiation: Common Errors and Three Kinds of 'No'." Negotiation Journal 33, no. 2 (April 2017): 89–99. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Ignore June 30: Time is on the Side of a Better Iran Deal." Iran Matters (June 28, 2015). View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Why A Behavioral Theory of Labor Negotiations Remains a Triumph at Fifty but the Labels 'Distributive' and 'Integrative' Should Be Retired." Negotiation Journal 31, no. 4 (October 2015): 335–347. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Dualities in Negotiation: Introduction." Negotiation Journal 31, no. 4 (October 2015): 333–334. View Details
Sebenius, James K. Avoiding the Costs of Negotiation: A Commentary on "Is Unilateralism Always Bad?". Negotiation Journal 30, no. 2 (April 2014): 165–168. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Comment on the Final Round of Iranian Nuclear Talks Before the Joint Plan of Action Expires (on July 20, 2014)." Iran Matters (July 3, 2014). (Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "A Great Negotiator's Essential Advice." Harvard Business Review (website) (July 9, 2014). View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Like a Boss: How Corporate Negotiators Would Handle Nuclear Talks With Iran." ForeignPolicy.com (March 24, 2014). View Details
Pillar, Paul R., Robert Reardon, James K. Sebenius, and Michael K. Singh. "Nuclear Negotiations With Iran." International Security 38, no. 1 (Summer 2013): 174–192. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "What Roger Fisher Got Profoundly Right: Five Enduring Lessons for Negotiators." Negotiation Journal 29, no. 2 (April 2013): 159–169. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Michael K. Singh. "Is a Nuclear Deal with Iran Possible? An Analytical Framework for the Iran Nuclear Negotiations." International Security 37, no. 3 (Winter 2012): 52–91. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Level Two Negotiations: Helping the Other Side Meet Its 'Behind-the-Table' Challenges." Negotiation Journal 29, no. 1 (January 2013): 7–21. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Learning from Roger Fisher." Harvard Law Review 126, no. 4 (February 2013): 893–898. View Details
Lax, David A., and James K. Sebenius. "Deal Making 2.0: A Guide to Complex Negotiations." Harvard Business Review 90, no. 11 (November 2012): 92–100. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Are You Ready for the 'Hardest Question'? " Negotiation 15, no. 11 (November 2012): 4–5. View Details
Clarkson, Gavin, and James K. Sebenius. "Leveraging Tribal Sovereignty for Economic Opportunity: A Strategic Negotiations Perspective ." Missouri Law Review 76, no. 4 (Fall 2011): 1045–1112. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiating with Iran: Cultural and Historical Insights." Negotiation Journal 27, no. 4 (October 2011): 493–497. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "What Can We Learn from 'Great Negotiations'?" Negotiation Journal 27, no. 2 (April 2011). View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Developing Negotiation Case Studies ." Negotiation Journal 27, no. 1 (January 2011). View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Beyond the Deal: Wage a 'Negotiation Campaign' ." Negotiation 13, no. 11 (November 2010). View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiation Analysis: From Games to Inferences to Decisions to Deals ." Negotiation Journal 25, no. 4 (October 2009): 449–465. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Hidden Roadblocks in Cross-Border Talks ." Negotiation 12, no. 9 (September 2009): 8. View Details
Friedman, Stephen, and James K. Sebenius. "Transformation: The Quiet Role of Coalitional Leadership." Ivey Business Journal (Online) 73, no. 1 (January–February 2009). View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Facing a Protracted Dispute? Consider a 'Virtual Strike'." Negotiation 9, no. 9 (September 2006): 7–9. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiation Design for Large, Multistakeholder Projects." Negotiation 9, no. 4 (April 2006): 4–6. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Do a 3-D Audit of Barriers to Agreement." Negotiation 9, no. 2 (February 2006): 7–9. View Details
Sebenius, James, Ehud Eiran, Kenneth Feinberg, Michael Cernea, and Francis McGovern. "Compensation Schemes and Dispute Resolution Mechanisms: Beyond the Obvious." Negotiation Journal 21, no. 2 (April 2005): 231–244. View Details
Lax, David A., and James K. Sebenius. "Anchoring the Big Picture." Negotiation 7, no. 11 (November 2004): 9–11. View Details
Curran, Daniel F., James K. Sebenius, and Michael Watkins. "Two Paths to Peace: Contrasting George Mitchell in Northern Ireland with Richard Holbrooke in Bosnia-Herzegovina." Negotiation Journal 20, no. 4 (October 2004). (Reprinted in International Dispute Resolution, Volume III (ed. Carrie Menkel-Meadow, April 2012)) View Details
Lax, David A., and James K. Sebenius. "Anchoring Expectations." Negotiation 7, no. 9 (September 2004): 9–11. View Details
Sebenius, James, and David Lax. "Negotiation: The Right Set-up Makes a Deal." Financial Times (August 3, 2004), 9. View Details
Lax, David A., and James K. Sebenius. "How No-deal Options Can Drive Great Deals: When Actions away from the Table Eclipse Face-to-face Negotiation." Ivey Business Journal (Online) 68, no. 7 (July/August 2004): 1–9. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "When a Contract Isn't Enough: How to Be Sure Your Agent Gets You the Best Deal." Negotiation 7, no. 7 (July 2004). View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Mapping Backward: Negotiating in the Right Sequence." Negotiation 7, no. 6 (June 2004). (Reprinted as "A Better Way to Negotiate: Backward" in Working Knowledge, July 26, 2004.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiating in Three Dimensions." Negotiation 7, no. 2 (February 2004): 4–6. View Details
Lempereur, Alain Pekar, and James Sebenius. "Les théories de la négociation au service des pratiques du manager." Revue française de gestion 30, no. 153 (novembre–décembre 2004): 9–11. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David A. Lax. "3-D Negotiation: Playing the Whole Game." Harvard Business Review 81, no. 11 (November 2003): 65–74. View Details
Fortgang, Ron S., David A. Lax, and James K. Sebenius. "Negotiating the Spirit of the Deal." Harvard Business Review 81, no. 2 (February 2003): 66–75. View Details
Curran, Daniel F., and James K. Sebenius. "The Mediator as Coalition-Builder: George Mitchell in Northern Ireland." International Negotiation 8, no. 1 (2003): 111–147. View Details
Hulse, Rebecca G., and James K. Sebenius. "Sequencing, Acoustic Separation, and 3-D Negotiation of Complex Barriers: Charlene Barshefsky and I.P. Rights in China." International Negotiation 8, no. 2 (2003): 311–338. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiating Lessons from the Browser Wars." MIT Sloan Management Review 43, no. 4 (summer 2002): 43–50. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Caveats for Cross-Border Negotiators." Negotiation Journal 18, no. 2 (April 2002): 121–133. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "The Hidden Challenge of Cross-Border Negotiations." Harvard Business Review 80, no. 3 (March 2002): 76–85. View Details
Lax, David A., and James K. Sebenius. "Dealcrafting: The Substance of Three Dimensional Negotiation." Negotiation Journal 18, no. 1 (January 2002): 5–28. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Six Habits of Merely Effective Negotiators." Harvard Business Review 79, no. 4 (April 2001): 87–95. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David A. Lax. "Interests, Value and the Art of the Best Deal." Mastering Management, Part One, Supplement to the Financial Times Financial Times (October 2, 2000), 6–7. (Reprinted in Pickford, James, ed., Mastering Management 2.0, London: Prentice-Hall, pp. 281-5.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiating Cross-Border Acquisitions." MIT Sloan Management Review 39, no. 2 (winter 1998): 27–41. (Reprinted in Cross-Cultural Management, Gordon Redding and Bruce W. Stening, eds., Surrey: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2002.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "La estructura del acuerdo." Gestión (Argentina) 2, no. 6 (November/December 1997): 96–101. (interview format.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David Lax. "A Better Way to Go on Strike." Wall Street Journal (February 24, 1997), A22. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Glen Whyte. "The Effect of Multiple Anchors on Anchoring Individual and Group Judgment." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 69, no. 1 (January 1997): 75–85. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Hannah Riley. "Stakeholder Negotiations over Third World Natural Resource Projects." Cultural Survival Quarterly 19, no. 3 (fall 1995): 39–43. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Michael A. Wheeler. "Sports Strikes: Let the Games Continue." New York Times (October 30, 1994), Sect. 3, p. 9. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Michael A. Wheeler. "Virtual Strike." Wall Street Journal (September 9, 1994), A16. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiation Analysis: A Characterization and Review." Management Science 38, no. 1 (January 1992): 1–21. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Challenging Conventional Explanations of Cooperation: Negotiation Analysis and the Case of Epistemic Communities." International Organization 46, no. 1 (winter 1992): 323–365. (Reprinted in:
Knowledge, Power, and International Policy Coordination. Studies in International Relations, 323-366,
edited by Peter M. Haas. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1997.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "On 'Offers That Cannot Be Refused'." Negotiation Journal 8, no. 1 (January 1992): 49–57. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David A. Lax. "Negotiating through an Agent." Journal of Conflict Resolution 35, no. 3 (September 1991): 474–493. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "The Art of Business Negotiation." Business World (August 1991). View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Designing Negotiations toward a New Regime: The Case of Global Warming." International Security 15, no. 4 (spring 1991): 110–148. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "The Greenhouse Effect: Negotiating Targets." Environment 32, no. 9 (November 1990): 25–30. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Of Red Ink and the Greenhouse." Christian Science Monitor (September 12, 1990), 19. (Editorial.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David Lax. "Three Ethical Issues in Negotiation." Negotiation Journal 2, no. 4 (October 1986): 363–370. (Reprinted in Negotiation and Settlement Advocacy, edited by Charles B. Wiggins. West Publishing Company, 1997.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David Lax. "Interests: The Measure of Negotiation." Negotiation Journal 2, no. 1 (January 1986): 73–92. (Reprinted in:
Negotiation Theory and Practice, 1991.
Negotiation and Settlement Advocacy, 1997.
Managing for the Future: Organizational Behavior and Processes, 1999.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David Lax. "The Power of Alternatives or the Limits to Negotiation." Negotiation Journal 1, no. 2 (April 1985): 77–95. (Reprinted in:
Negotiation and Settlement Advocacy, Charles B. Wiggins, ed. West Publishing Company, 1997.
Negotiation Theory and Practice, Rubin & Breslin, eds. Cambridge, Mass.: PON Books, 1991.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and John Geanakoplos. "Don't Bet on It: Contingent Agreements with Asymmetric Information." Journal of the American Statistical Association 78 (June 1983): 424–426. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiation Arithmetic: Adding and Subtracting Issues and Parties." International Organization 37, no. 2 (spring 1983): 281–316. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Peter Stan. "Risk-Spreading Properties of Common Tax and Contract Instruments." Bell Journal of Economics and Management Science 13, no. 2 (fall 1982): 555–560. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "The Computer as Mediator: Law of the Sea and Beyond." Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 1, no. 1 (Fall 1981): 77–95. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Marine Resources Management under Uncertainty: The Case of Eastern Spinner Dolphin Depletion." Marine Fisheries Review 43 (1981): 1–4. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David Lax. "Insecure Contracts and Resource Development." Public Policy 29 (1981): 419–436. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Mati Pal. "Evolving Terms of Mineral Agreements: Risk, Reward, and Participation in Deep Seabed Mining." Columbia Journal of World Business 15, no. 4 (winter 1980): 75–83. View Details
Book Chapters
Clarkson, Gavin, and James K. Sebenius. "High Stakes Negotiation: Indian Gaming and Tribal/State Compacts." Chap. 8 in American Indian Business: Principles and Practices, edited by Deanna M. Kennedy, Charles Harrington, Amy Klemm Verbos, Daniel Stewart, Joseph Gladstone, and Gavin Clarkson, 130–161. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2017. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiations: Statistical Aspects." In International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences. 2nd ed. Edited by James D. Wright, 430–436. London: Elsevier, 2015. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Level II" Negotiation Strategies: Advance Your Interests by Helping to Solve Their Internal Problems. In Negotiating in Times of Conflict, edited by Gilead Sher and Anat Kurz, 107–124. Tel Aviv: Institute for National Security Studies, 2015. Electronic. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiation Analysis: Between Decisions and Games." In Advances in Decision Analysis, edited by Ward Edwards, Ralph Miles, and Detlof von Winterfeldt, 469–488. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "International Negotiation Analysis." Chap. 14 in International Negotiation: Analysis, Approaches, Issues. 2nd ed. Edited by Victor Kremenyuk, 229–252. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Dealmaking Essentials." In Negotiation, edited by Herminia Ibarra, Deborah M Kolb, Robert J. Robinson, James K. Sebenius, Lyle Sussman, Michael D. Watkins, Michael A. Wheeler, Judith Williams, and George Wu, 37–54. Business Fundamentals . Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2001. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiation: Statistical Aspects." In International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences, edited by N. J. Smelser and P. B. Baltes, 10483–10490. Elsevier Science, 2001. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David Lax. "The Power of Alternatives or the Limits to Negotiation." In Negotiation and Settlement Advocacy, edited by Charles B. Wiggins. West Publishing Company, 1997. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Sequencing to Build Coalitions: With Whom I Should I Talk First?" In Wise Choices: Decisions, Games, and Negotiations, edited by Richard Zeckhauser, Ralph Keeney, and James Sebenius, 324–348. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1996. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Overcoming Obstacles to a Successful Climate Convention." In Shaping National Responses to Global Climate Change: A Post-Rio Guide, edited by Henry Lee, 41–79. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1995. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Dealing with Blocking Coalitions and Related Barriers to Agreement: Lessons from Negotiations on the Oceans, the Ozone, and the Climate." In Barriers to Conflict Resolution, edited by Kenneth Arrow, Robert H. Mnookin, Lee Ross, Amos Tversky, and Robert Wilson, 150–182. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1995. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Towards a Winning Climate Coalition." In Negotiating Climate Change: The Inside Story of the Rio Convention, edited by Irving Mintzer, 277–320. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "The Law of the Sea Conference: Lessons for Negotiations to Control Global Warming." In International Environmental Negotiation, edited by Gunnar Sjostedt, 189–216. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, 1993. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Michael Grubb. "Issues of Participation and Rights Allocation in Tradeable Permits Systems to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions." In Tradeable Permits to Reduce Greenhouse Gases, edited by Jan Corfee, 181–222. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 1992. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Lance Antrim. "Multilateral Conference Mediation: Tommy Koh and the Law of the Sea." In Mediation in International Relations: Multiple Approaches to Conflict Management, edited by Jacob Bercovitch and Jeffrey Z. Rubin, 97–130. London: Macmillan Publishing, 1992. View Details
Sebenius, James K., Michael Grubb, Antonio Magalhaes, and Susan Subak. "Sharing the Burden. Fair Allocation and Equity." In Confronting Climate Change: Risks, Implications and Responses, edited by Irving Mintzer, 305–322. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Peter G. Peterson. "Rethinking America's Security: The Primacy of the Domestic Agenda." In Rethinking America's Security: Beyond Cold War to New World Order, edited by Graham T. Allison and Gregory Treverton, 57–93. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1992. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David Lax. "Thinking Coalitionally: Party Arithmetic, Process Opportunism, and Strategic Sequencing." In Negotiation Analysis, edited by H. Peyton Young, 153–193. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1992. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Crafting a Winning Coalition: Negotiating a Regime to Control Global Warming." In Greenhouse Warming, edited by Jessica Tuchman Mathews, 69–98. Washington, D.C.: World Resources Institute, 1991. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David Lax. "The Power of Alternatives or the Limits to Negotiation." In Negotiation Theory and Practice, edited by J. Rubin and W. Breslin. Cambridge, MA: PON Books, 1991. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiation Analysis." In International Negotiation: Analysis, Approaches, Issues. 2nd ed. Edited by Victor Kremenyuk, 203–215. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "From Cross-Border Corporate Transactions to Environmental Accords." In Corporate Dialogue, 153–160. St. Gallen, Switzerland: Internationales Management-Gesprach, 1990. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Howard Raiffa. "Analytic Themes of the U.S. Program on the Processes of International Negotiation." In Processes of International Negotiation, edited by Frances Mautner-Markhof, 293–303. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1989. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Lance Antrim. "Incentives for Ocean Mining Under the Convention." In Law of the Sea: U.S. Policy Dilemma, edited by Bernard Oxman, David Caron, and Charles Buderi, 79–100. San Francisco: Institute for Contemporary Studies, 1983. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Financial Aspects of Antarctic Mineral Regimes." Appendix to The Management of Antarctic Mineral Resources, edited by Barbara V. Mitchell. London: International Institute for Environment and Development, 1982. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Deep Ocean Mineral Resources." In The Economics of Ocean Resources, edited by Gardner M. Brown and James A. Crutchfield, 74–89. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1982. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Costs and Capital Requirements for Transporting Alaskan Natural Gas." In Alternatives for Alaskan Natural Gas, edited by W. K. Linvill, 89–133. Stanford University, Center for Technology Assessment and Resource Policy, 1976. View Details
Sebenius, J. K., and B. D. Lichter. "Planned Reduction in Electrical Energy Use in Nashville: A Preliminary Assessment." In Proceedings of the Second Annual University of Missouri Conference on Energy, edited by J. Derald Morgan. Rolla: University of Missouri, 1975. View Details
Working Papers
Sebenius, James K., and Eugene B. Kogan. "Henry Kissinger's Negotiation Campaign to End the Vietnam War." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 17-053, December 2016. View Details
Sebenius, James K., R. Nicholas Burns, Robert H. Mnookin, and L. Alexander Green. "Henry Kissinger: Negotiating Black Majority Rule in Southern Africa." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 17-051, December 2016. View Details
Green, Laurence A., and James K. Sebenius. "Tommy Koh and the U.S.–Singapore Free Trade Agreement: A Multi-Front 'Negotiation Campaign'." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 15-053, December 2014. View Details
Sebenius, James K., Laurence A. Green, and Eugene B. Kogan. "Henry A. Kissinger as Negotiator: Background and Key Accomplishments." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 15-040, November 2014. (Revised December 2016.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Better Deals Through Level II Strategies: Advance Your Interests by Helping to Solve Their Internal Problems." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 14-091, March 2014. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Stepping Stone, Stopping Point, or Slippery Slope? Negotiating the Next Iran Deal." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 14-061, January 2014. (Revised March 2014.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Laurence A. Green. "Tommy Koh: Background and Major Accomplishments of the 'Great Negotiator, 2014'." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 14-049, December 2013. (Revised February 2014.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Level II Negotiations: Helping the Other Side Meet Its 'Behind the Table' Challenges." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 13-004, July 2012. View Details
Lax, David A., and James K. Sebenius. "From Single Deals to Negotiation Campaigns. " Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 12-046, December 2011. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Developing Negotiation Case Studies." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 11-008, July 2010. (Revised October 2010.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Assess, Don't Assume, Part I: Etiquette and National Culture in Negotiation. " Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 10-048, December 2009. View Details
Leary, Kimberlyn, James K. Sebenius, and Joshua Weiss. "Negotiating the Path of Abraham. " Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 10-049, December 2009. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Assess, Don't Assume, Part II: Negotiating Implications of Cross-Border Differences in Decision Making, Governance, and Political Economy. " Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 10-050, December 2009. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Cheng (Jason) Qian. "Cultural Notes on Chinese Negotiating Behavior. " Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 09-076, December 2008. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Cheng (Jason) Qian. "Etiquette and Process Puzzles of Negotiating Business in China: A Questionnaire. " Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 09-077, December 2008. View Details
Cases and Teaching Materials
Sebenius, James K., and Laurence A. Green. "Henry Kissinger: Negotiating Black Majority Rule in Rhodesia (A)." Harvard Business School Case 918-003, September 2017. (Revised December 2017.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Laurence A. Green. "Henry Kissinger: Negotiating Black Majority Rule in Rhodesia (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 918-004, September 2017. (Revised December 2017.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Three-Way Organization." Harvard Business School Exercise 916-037, February 2016. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiating the Path of Abraham, 2015 Progress and Challenges." Harvard Business School Case 916-027, December 2015. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Laurence A. Green. "Tommy Koh and the United States–Singapore Free Trade Agreement (A)." Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School Case, 2014. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Laurence A. Green. "Tommy Koh and the United States–Singapore Free Trade Agreement (B)." Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School Case, 2014. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Laurence A. Green. "Henry A. Kissinger as Negotiator: Background and Key Accomplishments." Harvard Business School Case 915-020, December 2014. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Laurence A. Green. "Tommy Koh: Background and Major Accomplishments of the 'Great Negotiator, 2014'." Harvard Business School Case 914-021, February 2014. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Bruce Allyn: Negotiating with the KGB (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 914-028, December 2013. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Bruce Allyn: Negotiating with the KGB (A)." Harvard Business School Case 914-027, December 2013. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Laurence A. Green. "Rough Justice: Stuart Eizenstat and Holocaust-Era Asset Restitution (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 914-026, December 2013. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Paul Levy: Confronting a 'Corporate Campaign'." Harvard Business School Case 914-020, December 2013. (Revised May 2014.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Laurence A. Green. "Rough Justice: Stuart Eizenstat and Holocaust-era Asset Restitution (A)." Harvard Business School Case 913-037, March 2013. (Revised March 2013.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Laurence A. Green. "Peace, Non-Aligned: The Pragmatic Optimism of Lakhdar Brahimi." Harvard Business School Case 912-028, December 2011. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Roger Caracappa: Package Deals for the Estée Lauder Companies." Harvard Business School Case 912-003, December 2011. View Details
Subramanian, Guhan, James K. Sebenius, Phillip Andrews, Rhea Ghosh, and Charlotte Krontiris. "The K-Dow Petrochemicals Joint Venture." Harvard Business School Case 912-002, September 2011. (Revised September 2013.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Roger Caracappa: Package Deals for the Estée Lauder Companies (Video)." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 912-701, January 2012. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Col. Joshua Chamberlain: Background to a Challenging Negotiation from the Civil War." Harvard Business School Background Note 912-029, December 2011. (Revised May 2014.) View Details
Eisenmann, Thomas R., Shikhar Ghosh, and James K. Sebenius. "Keurig: Confidential Information for Negotiation with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters." Harvard Business School Case 812-102, December 2011. View Details
Eisenmann, Thomas R., Shikhar Ghosh, and James K. Sebenius. "Green Mountain Coffee Roasters: Confidential Information for Negotiation with Keurig." Harvard Business School Case 812-103, December 2011. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Kimberlyn Leary. "Negotiating the Path of Abraham." Harvard Business School Case 912-017, December 2011. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Alex Green. "Everything or Nothing: Martti Ahtisaari and the Aceh Negotiations (A)." Harvard Business School Case 911-040, December 2010. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Alex Green. "Everything or Nothing: Martti Ahtisaari and the Aceh Negotiations (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 911-041, December 2010. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Shula Gilad. "The Israeli-Palestinian Negotiating Partners: 2010 Strategic Re-assessment." Harvard Business School Case 911-025, December 2010. View Details
"Great Negotiator 2010: Martti Ahtisaari and the Helsinki Accords - The Challenge." Cambridge: Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, forthcoming. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Great Negotiator 2010: Martti Ahtisaari and the Helsinki Accords--Overcoming the Barriers." Cambridge: Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School Case, 2010. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Jason Cheng Qian. "Esquel Group: Building a Sustainable Partnership with Cotton Farmers in Xinjiang (A)." Harvard Business School Case 911-031, November 2010. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Jason Cheng Qian. "Esquel Group: Building a Sustainable Partnership with Cotton Farmers in Xinjiang (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 911-032, November 2010. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "C.K. Claridge, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 910-045, May 2010. (Revised May 2013.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "Bill Nichol Negotiates with Walmart: Hard Bargains over Soft Goods (A)." Harvard Business School Case 910-043, April 2010. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "Bill Nichol Negotiates with Walmart: Hard Bargains over Soft Goods (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 910-044, April 2010. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "Tom Muccio: Negotiating the P&G Relationship with Wal-Mart (A)." Harvard Business School Case 907-013, January 2007. (Revised January 2010.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "Tom Muccio: Negotiating the P&G Relationship with Wal-Mart (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 907-014, April 2007. (Revised January 2010.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "Steven Scheyer: Renegotiating the Newell Rubbermaid Relationship with Wal-Mart." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 910-705, November 2009. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Michael Brown: Negotiating Slots at Foxwoods (A)." Harvard Business School Case 899-234, February 1999. (Revised November 2009.) View Details
Larkin, Ian, James K. Sebenius, and Guhan Subramanian. "Negotiating Star Compensation at the USAWBL (A-1): Confidential Instructions for Jesse J." Harvard Business School Case 906-026, January 2006. (Revised October 2009.) View Details
Larkin, Ian, James K. Sebenius, and Guhan Subramanian. "Negotiating Star Compensation at the USAWBL (A-2): Confidential Instructions for the Boston Sharks General Manager." Harvard Business School Supplement 906-027, January 2006. (Revised October 2009.) View Details
Larkin, Ian, James K. Sebenius, and Guhan Subramanian. "Negotiating Star Compensation at the USAWBL (A-3): Confidential Instructions for Jesse J's Agent." Harvard Business School Supplement 906-028, January 2006. (Revised October 2009.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "Don Soderquist: Negotiating the Wal-Mart-P&G Relationship (A)." Harvard Business School Case 910-004, October 2009. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "Don Soderquist: Negotiating the Wal-Mart-P&G Relationship (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 910-005, October 2009. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Michael A. Wheeler. "ADR Choices Video (Alternative Dispute Resolution Vignettes)." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 910-701, October 2009. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "Tom Muccio: Negotiating the P&G Relationship with Wal-Mart - Video." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 910-703, July 2009. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Cheng (Jason) Qian. "Wyoff and China-LuQuan: Negotiating a Joint Venture (A)." Harvard Business School Case 908-046, January 2008. (Revised April 2009.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Cheng (Jason) Qian. "Wyoff and China-LuQuan: Negotiating a Joint Venture (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 909-014, September 2008. (Revised April 2009.) View Details
Wheeler, Michael, James Sebenius, and Marjorie Aaron. "ADR Choices." Harvard Business School Background Note 908-040, March 2008. (Revised June 2012.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Doyle's Dealmaking Dilemma (A): Negotiating the Job Search." Harvard Business School Case 801-229, October 2000. (Revised December 2008.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., Michael Shih-ta Chen, and Medha Samant. "The Hong Kong & China Gas Company Ltd.: Negotiating Joint Ventures in China." Harvard Business School Case 909-028, November 2008. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "Steven Scheyer: Renegotiating the Newell Rubbermaid Relationship with Wal-Mart." Harvard Business School Case 909-013, September 2008. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "The Elcer Products Transaction: Confidential Information for Pearl Equity Partners." Harvard Business School Exercise 908-031, December 2007. (Revised April 2008.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "The Elcer Products Transaction: Confidential Information for US Industrial ElectroCeramics (US-IND)." Harvard Business School Exercise 908-032, December 2007. (Revised April 2008.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "The Elcer Products Transaction: Confidential Information for Euro Elektrische Keramische Vorrichtungen (Euro EKV), GmbH." Harvard Business School Exercise 908-033, December 2007. (Revised April 2008.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "The Elcer Products Transaction: Confidential Information for TNDA Corporation." Harvard Business School Exercise 908-034, December 2007. (Revised April 2008.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "The Elcer Products Transaction: Confidential Information for RubyFibre Enterprises." Harvard Business School Exercise 908-035, December 2007. (Revised April 2008.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Guhan Subramanian. "The Elcer Products Transaction: Confidential Information for Elcer Products Division President." Harvard Business School Exercise 908-036, December 2007. (Revised April 2008.) View Details
Sebenius, James. "Bidding on Martha's Vineyard (A)." Harvard Business School Case 908-044, January 2008. (Revised March 2008.) View Details
Sebenius, James. "Bidding on Martha's Vineyard (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 908-045, January 2008. (Revised March 2008.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Daniel F. Curran. "To hell with the future, let's get on with the past." George Mitchell in North Ireland. Harvard Business School Case 801-393, May 2001. (Revised March 2008.) View Details
Hall, Brian, and James K. Sebenius. "Joe Bachelder: Reflections." Harvard Business School Supplement 908-030, January 2008. View Details
Sebenius, James K., Jeswald Salacuse, Daniel Curran, Rebecca Hulse, and Kristin Schneeman. "Great Negotiator Case Study Package." Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School Case, 2008. View Details
Lax, David A., James K. Sebenius, Lawrence Susskind, and Thomas Weeks. "DEC v. Riverside." Simulation and Teaching Note. Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, 2008. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "Great Negotiator 2004: Ambassador Richard Holbrooke." Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, 2008. Video. (DVD.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Stephen Friedman. Tools and Tactics for Transformation: Three "Whats" and Three "Hows". Harvard Business School Background Note 908-028, December 2007. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "The Bollingers: Negotiating with Wal-Mart (A)." Harvard Business School Case 907-009, November 2006. (Revised September 2007.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "Peter Welz: When a Marquee Prospect Plays Hardball (A)." Harvard Business School Case 908-010, September 2007. (Revised April 2013.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "Peter Welz: When a Marquee Prospect Plays Hardball (B)." Harvard Business School Case 908-011, September 2007. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "Lou Pritchett: Negotiating the P&G Relationship with Wal-Mart." Harvard Business School Case 907-011, January 2007. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "The Bollingers: Negotiating with Wal-Mart (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 907-010, November 2006. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "Sarah Talley and Frey Farms Produce: Negotiating with Wal-Mart (A)." Harvard Business School Case 907-003, November 2006. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "Sarah Talley and Frey Farms Produce: Negotiating with Wal-Mart (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 907-004, November 2006. View Details
Sull, Donald N., James K. Sebenius, and Noam Wasserman. "Smartix (A): Dancing with Elephants." Harvard Business School Case 902-156, November 2001. (Revised October 2006.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., Michael Kull PHD, and Ellen Knebel. "Jack Valenti Negotiating for the Motion Picture Association." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 906-702, June 2006. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Natasha Affolder. "The Brent Spar Campaign (B): Rescuing Greenpeace?" Harvard Business School Supplement 906-050, May 2006. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Andrew Wasynczuk. "Smartix (D): Reflections from the Other Side of the Table." Harvard Business School Supplement 906-031, February 2006. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Smartix (C): Rethinking the Negotiations." Harvard Business School Supplement 906-030, February 2006. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Smartix (B): The Last Dance." Harvard Business School Supplement 906-029, February 2006. View Details
Sebenius, James K., Ellen Knebel, and Erin Egan. "Negotiating for the Motion Picture Association of America and the Motion Picture Association: Jack Valenti (A)." Harvard Business School Case 906-025, January 2006. View Details
Sebenius, James K., Ellen Knebel, and Erin Egan. "Negotiating for the Motion Picture Association of America and the Motion Picture Association: Jack Valenti (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 906-032, January 2006. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Betonn Corporation: Confidential Negotiation Information." Harvard Business School Exercise 801-419, May 2001. (Revised April 2005.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Michael A. Wheeler. "Ray Rogers and the Corporate Campaign (A)." Harvard Business School Case 905-054, January 2005. (Revised February 2005.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Michael A. Wheeler. "Ray Rogers and the Corporate Campaign (B)." Harvard Business School Case 905-055, January 2005. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Kristin Schneeman. "Great Negotiator 2002: Lakhdar Brahimi." Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, 2004. Video. (DVD.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Daniel F. Curran. "George Mitchell in Northern Ireland (A)." Harvard Business School Case 904-001, December 2003. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Daniel F. Curran. "George Mitchell in Northern Ireland (B)." Harvard Business School Case 904-002, December 2003. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David T. Kotchen. "Morgan Stanley and S.G. Warburg: Investment Bank of the Future (A)." Harvard Business School Case 898-140, January 1998. (Revised November 2003.) View Details
"Negotiating for Results." Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing Case, 2003. Electronic. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Kristin Schneeman. "Lakhdar Brahimi / Negotiating a New Government for Afghanistan." Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School Case, 2003. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Alphexo Corporation: Confidential Negotiation Information." Harvard Business School Exercise 801-418, May 2001. (Revised December 2002.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Doyle's Dealmaking Dilemma (B): Final Negotiations." Harvard Business School Case 801-230, October 2000. (Revised September 2002.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Hannah Bowles. "Case Brief: Stone Container in Honduras and Costa Rica." Harvard Business School Case 800-137, October 1999. (Revised June 2002.) View Details
Sebenius, J. K. "Negotiating Corporate Change." Simulation and Teaching Note. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2001. Video. (see also published case series.) View Details
Nanda, Ashish, James K. Sebenius, and Ron Fortgang. "Honda-Rover (A): Crafting an Alliance." Harvard Business School Case 899-223, March 1999. (Revised November 2001.) View Details
Nanda, Ashish, James K. Sebenius, and Ron Fortgang. "Honda-Rover (B): Honda Draws the Line." Harvard Business School Case 899-224, March 1999. (Revised November 2001.) View Details
Nanda, Ashish, James K. Sebenius, and Ron Fortgang. Honda-Rover (C): "The Sting". Harvard Business School Case 899-225, March 1999. (Revised November 2001.) View Details
Nanda, Ashish, James K. Sebenius, and Ron Fortgang. "Honda-Rover (D): The Changing Tide of the BMW-Rover Alliance." Harvard Business School Case 899-226, March 1999. (Revised November 2001.) View Details
Watkins, Michael D., James K. Sebenius, and Ann Leamon. "Telecom Italia Takeover (A)." Harvard Business School Case 800-363, May 2000. (Revised August 2001.) View Details
Watkins, Michael D., James K. Sebenius, and Ann Leamon. "Telecom Italia Takeover (B)." Harvard Business School Case 800-364, May 2000. (Revised August 2001.) View Details
Watkins, Michael D., James K. Sebenius, and Ann Leamon. "Telecom Italia Takeover (C)." Harvard Business School Case 800-365, May 2000. (Revised August 2001.) View Details
Watkins, Michael D., James K. Sebenius, and Ann Leamon. "Telecom Italia Takeover (D): Bernabe's Revenge." Harvard Business School Case 801-095, July 2000. (Revised August 2001.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Rebecca Hulse. "Charlene Barshefsky (A)." Harvard Business School Case 801-421, March 2001. (Revised March 2016.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Rebecca Hulse. "Charlene Barshefsky (B)." Harvard Business School Case 801-422, March 2001. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David T. Kotchen. "Bumper Acquisition (C), A." Harvard Business School Case 898-201, March 1998. (Revised August 2000.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Hannah Bowles. "Stone Container in Honduras (A)." Harvard Business School Case 897-172, March 1997. (Revised October 1999.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Double Dealmaking in the Browser Wars (A)." Harvard Business School Case 800-050, August 1999. (Revised September 1999.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Michael Brown: Negotiating Slots at Foxwoods (B)." Harvard Business School Case 899-235, February 1999. (Revised August 1999.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Randall A Fine. Doing Business in Russia: Note on Negotiating in the "Wild East". Harvard Business School Background Note 899-048, January 1999. (Revised August 1999.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Double Dealmaking in the Browser Wars (B)." Harvard Business School Case 800-051, August 1999. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David T. Kotchen. "Automated Intelligence Corporation." Harvard Business School Case 898-045, September 1997. (Revised May 1999.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David T. Kotchen. "Precision Controls, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 898-046, September 1997. (Revised May 1999.) View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ron Fortgang. "Steve Perlman and WebTV (A)." Harvard Business School Case 899-270, April 1999. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Ron Fortgang. "Steve Perlman and WebTV (B)." Harvard Business School Case 899-271, April 1999. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiating Corporate Change Series TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 899-244, March 1999. View Details
Sebenius, James K., David T. Kotchen, and Rebecca Green. "Decorum in Guangzhou (A)." Harvard Business School Exercise 899-136, December 1998. View Details
Sebenius, James K., David T. Kotchen, and Rebecca Green. "Decorum in Guangzhou (B)." Harvard Business School Exercise 899-137, December 1998. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David T. Kotchen. "Bumper Acquisition (A1), A: Confidential Information for Thermo-Impact, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 898-198, March 1998. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David T. Kotchen. "Bumper Acquisition (A2), A: Confidential Information for Medallion Capital, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 898-199, March 1998. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David T. Kotchen. "Bumper Acquisition (B), A." Harvard Business School Case 898-200, March 1998. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David T. Kotchen. "Morgan Stanley and S.G. Warburg: Investment Bank of the Future (B)." Harvard Business School Case 898-141, January 1998. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and David T. Kotchen. "From Wall Street to Main Street: Morgan Stanley, Dean Witter, Discover & Co." Harvard Business School Case 898-143, January 1998. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Hannah Bowles. "Stone Container in Costa Rica (A)." Harvard Business School Case 897-140, June 1997. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Hannah Bowles. "Stone Container in Costa Rica (B)." Harvard Business School Case 897-141, June 1997. View Details
Bowles, Hannah, and James K. Sebenius. "Stone Container in Honduras (B)." Harvard Business School Case 897-173, March 1997. View Details
Sebenius, James K., and Hannah Bowles. "Stone Container in Honduras (C)." Harvard Business School Case 897-174, March 1997. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Dr. Sergio Ceccuzzi and SMI: Negotiating Cross-Border Acquisitions in Europe (A)." Harvard Business School Case 897-084, January 1997. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Dr. Sergio Ceccuzzi and SMI: Negotiating Cross-Border Acquisitions in Europe (B)." Harvard Business School Case 897-085, January 1997. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiating Corporate Change: Confidential Information, David Carlson, VP, Management Information Systems." Harvard Business School Exercise 897-057, January 1997. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiating Corporate Change: Confidential Information, Helen Freeman, VP, Small Appliances Division." Harvard Business School Exercise 897-058, January 1997. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiating Corporate Change: Confidential Information, Jack Morris, VP, Food Division." Harvard Business School Exercise 897-059, January 1997. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Negotiating Corporate Change: Confidential Information, Paul Stokes, VP, Health and Beauty Aids Division." Harvard Business School Exercise 897-060, January 1997. View Details
Raiffa, Howard, James K. Sebenius, Craig Best, and Scot Melland. "Wheeling and Dealing: The Zirconia GT." Harvard Business School Case 895-013, November 1994. (Revised January 1995.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Four-Way Organization." Harvard Business School Exercise 894-015, January 1994. (Revised December 1994.) View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Four-Way Organization: One Round." Harvard Business School Case 895-012, December 1994. View Details
Lax, David A., and James K. Sebenius. "Salty Dog: Smith Brothers (A): Confidential Instructions." Harvard Business School Case 186-154, December 1985. (Revised September 1987.) View Details
Lax, David A., and James K. Sebenius. "Salty Dog: Snowytown (A): Confidential Instructions." Harvard Business School Case 186-156, December 1985. (Revised September 1987.) View Details
Lax, David A., and James K. Sebenius. "Salty Dog: Smith Sisters (B): Confidential Instructions for Smith Sisters." Harvard Business School Case 186-155, December 1985. View Details
Lax, David A., and James K. Sebenius. "Salty Dog: Snowytown (B): Confidential Instructions for Snowytown." Harvard Business School Case 186-157, December 1985. View Details
Presentations
Sebenius, James K., and Richard Lehman. "Short Term Natural Gas Consumption Forecasts: Optimal Use of National Weather Service Data." Paper presented at the American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting, American Geophysical Union, January 01, 1977. View Details
Other Publications and Materials
Samore, Gary, Graham T. Allison, Aaron Arnold, Matthew Bunn, Nicholas Burns, Shai Feldman, Chuck Freilich, Olli Heinonen, Martin B. Malin, Steven E. Miller, Payam Mohseni, Richard Nephew, Laura Rockwood, James K. Sebenius, and William Tobey., ed. "The Iran Nuclear Deal: A Definitive Guide." Report, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, August 2015. View Details
Samore, Gary, Graham T. Allison, Matthew Bunn, Nicholas Burns, Shai Feldman, Chuck Freilich, Olli Heinonen, Martin B. Malin, Steven E. Miller, Payam Mohseni, Laura Rockwood, James K. Sebenius, and William Tobey., ed. "Decoding the Iran Nuclear Deal: Key Questions, Points of Divergence, Pros and Cons, Pending Legislation, and Essential Facts." Report, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, April 2015. View Details
Sebenius, James K. "Dealmaking Essentials: Creating and Claiming Value for the Long Term." HBS Dealmaking Course Note, September 2000. View Details
Research Summary
Research Summary
3D Negotiaton
by James K. Sebenius
In articles and books, often with David Lax, I have been developing a broad approach to effective negotiation that encompasses three "dimensions." In this "3D" approach, our first dimension — "tactics"-- is the most familiar territory. Tactics are the persuasive moves one makes and the process one chooses for dealing directly with the other side, at the table. To most people and most researchers, "negotiation" is synonymous with this first dimension.
Where one-dimensional negotiators hone their back-and-forth tactics, we also focus on underlying value, which often means more than just price. Our second dimension—"deal design"—systematically probes that value and develops principles for crafting agreements that unlock it for the parties. For example: should the prospective agreement really be a pure price deal? Does some sort of trade between sides make sense and, if so, on what terms? Can we unbundle different aspects of what looks like a single issue, and give to each side what it values most? Should it be a staged agreement, perhaps with contingencies and risk-sharing provisions? If there’s a contract involved, should it be an unusual kind of contract – one with a more creative concept and structure than we’ve used before? One that meets ego, needs as well as economic ones?
Where one-dimensional negotiators mainly focus on actions at the table, we also analyze moves away from the table, designed to shape the situation advantageously. Our third dimension – "setup" – flows from our observation that, once the parties and issues are fixed, and once the negotiating table has otherwise been set, much of the game has already been played. Therefore, before even showing up at the conference room, 3-D Negotiators act away from the table to set up the most promising possible situation, ready for tactical interplay. This means ensuring that the right parties have been approached, in the right sequence, to deal with the right issues, that engage the right set of interests, at the right table or tables, at the right time, under the right expectations, and facing the right consequences of walking away if there is no deal. If the setup at the table isn’t promising, this calls for moves to re-set it more favorably. A superior setup can enable tactics at the table to achieve otherwise impossible results.
In practice, a 3D negotiator first does an "audit" of barriers to agreement—tactical and interpersonal challenges, deal-related problems, or setup flaws—then crafts a 3D strategy: an aligned combination of setup, deal design, and tactical moves designed to overcome the barriers.
Research Summary
Great Negotiator Study Initiative
by James K. Sebenius
What can be legitimately be learned from closely studying great negotiators at work? Since 2000, the Program on Negotiation (PON)—an active inter-university consortium mainly comprised of numerous faculty from across Harvard, MIT, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts--has annually bestowed the “Great Negotiator Award,” a program that I have chaired in my role at PON. Over their careers, the awardees have typically negotiated against great odds in different settings to accomplish worthy purposes. By systematically probing the experiences of this distinguished group of men and women from varied backgrounds (briefly characterized below), I have designed a faculty study initiative (and an exploratory HBS course) to uncover broader lessons and generalizations about effective negotiation and dispute resolution.
This initiative investigates the pedagogical and intellectual challenges associated with what (and how) we can learn from this group. Specifically, this initiative analyzes the Great Negotiators that have been named so far in the context of a few of their key accomplishments: Senator George Mitchell’s work in Northern Ireland leading to the Good Friday Accords; Bruce Wasserstein’s dealmaking at Lazard and elsewhere; Special Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky’s negotiations with China over intellectual property rights; the efforts of Lakhdar Brahimi, Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary General, to forge a post-conflict government in Afghanistan; Ambassador Richard Holbrooke’s negotiations leading to the Dayton Agreement that ended the Bosnian war as well as his multiparty efforts to deal with unpaid U.S. dues to the United Nations; the Honorable Stuart Eizenstat’s negotiations over Holocaust-era assets in various European countries; U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata’s quiet negotiations on behalf of refugees and internally displaced persons in regions from Iraq to the Balkans to Rwanda; as well as the complex negotiations by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude to erect massive, controversial installations from the Running Fence in California to the Gates in Central Park, New York, and wrapping Paris’s Pont Neuf and the German Reichstag.
Research Summary
Negotiating Campaigns
by James K. Sebenius
While most negotiation research focuses on specific transactions, many important negotiating situations can better be understood as elements of larger "campaigns." By this term, I mean a series of related negotiations and other away-from-the-table moves, carefully orchestrated to build toward success in an ultimate "target" negotiation. Examples of negotiation campaigns include very large-scale sales, efforts to gain approval among many internal parties for major initiatives, as well as actions to build support and secure permission for a controversial project such as a dam, pipeline, or real estate development. Through field investigation and analytic modeling, this line of research investigates the consequences of shifting the unit of analysis from the individual negotiation to the campaign. Further, it seeks to characterize and define negotiating campaigns more precisely, crystallize the most important questions about them (e.g., inter-related questions of sequencing and framing), and develop grounded diagnostic and prescriptive theory.
Research Summary
American Secretaries of State Project: Negotiation, Diplomacy, and Statecraft
by James K. Sebenius
With Nicholas Burns and Robert Mnookin, I co-lead a project to do background research on all living former American Secretaries of State, interview them extensively on video at Harvard (if possible) about their most challenging negotiations, and analyze this information in order to develop powerful generalizations about negotiation, diplomacy, and statecraft. Thus far, we have gone through this process with James A. Baker, III, George Shultz, and Henry Kissinger. All remaining Secretaries have agreed to participate.
Research Summary
Middle East Negotiation Initiative
by James K. Sebenius
The Middle East Negotiation Initiative is a component of the Harvard Negotiation Project that seeks to analyze and develop grounded analysis and advice for complex negotiations in and around the Middle East. Its current focus is on the intellectual and study questions surrounding a) the Israeli Palestinian Negotiating Partners network and b) the long-term negotiation of the Abraham Path, a cultural tourism route that retraces the journey made some four thousand years ago by Abraham (Ibrahim) through through Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, and elsewhere in the Middle East. In an activity jointly undertaken by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and the Program on Negotiation, I co-chaired (with Graham Allison) a working group on Iran Nuclear Negotiations, which has produced working papers and articles on this subject.
Research Summary
Dealing with Hard Bargainers
by James K. Sebenius
In this line of research, I have been developing effective approaches to negotiating 1) with hard bargainers, 2) in difficult situations, and 3) from positions of perceived weakness. Through field study and theoretical inquiry, I have been developing classes of moves, both at and away from the table, to constructively handle these challenges.
Research Summary
Cross-border negotiations, emphasis on China
by James K. Sebenius
For several years, I have been interested in the special challenges of cross-border negotiations. I am now working with colleagues on this topic, but with an emphasis on negotiations involving Chinese parties. In particular, through the Harvard China Negotiation Initiative, I have been doing research and casewriting on effective China-related negotiations.
Research Summary
Winning Coalitions
by James K. Sebenius
James K. Sebenius is examining the most effective ways to generate and sustain cooperation among a corporations many stakeholders. As the number of stakeholders grows, and management actions more often involve players outside the traditional chain of command and organizational boundaries, corporate governance and general management must increasingly take into account the interests and influence of multiple stakeholders. At the public and international levels, effective action almost always involves many players, whether in the financial, economic, or environmental realm-even in the realm of security (e.g., the Gulf War coalition). In these tasks, success involves building and sustaining 'winning coalitions,' in part by dealing with 'blocking coalitions.' Sebenius has developed a series of cases and papers on the fundamental issues of coalitional assessment and action. Using concepts drawn from negotiation analysis, he seeks to discover how to build and sustain winning coalitions and deal successfully with would-be blocking coalitions through the processes of coalition-building and coalition-breaking, in particular, by sequencing choices.
Research Summary
Dealforum Design for Large, Multiparty Negotiations
by James K. Sebenius
When large projects such as mines, pipelines, oilfields, or powerplants are proposed, negotiations often commence with many kinds of interested parties. Such 'stakeholders' can range from corporate or government project sponsors to international financial institutions, environmental groups, advocates for indigenous people, and other NGOs. Two very different approaches bracket common approaches to undertaking these kinds of long term negotiations. Caricaturing only slightly, they might be called "decide-announce-defend" ("DAD") and "full consensus" ("FC") models. Both approaches have a high failure rate, even for projects that arguably create value for most stakeholders. By contrasting a variety of field cases utilizing these polar approaches, I have highlighted and investigated the effects of a variety of underlying "dealforum" design choices. Such design choices--sometimes explicit and sometimes implict-- include the auspices, mandate, participation, agenda, decision rules and procedures, staging, external communication, process support, and post-deal arrangements. By tailoring the dealforum design choices to the specific negotiating challenges for a particular project, the odds of sustainable success can be enhanced.
Awards & Honors
Winner of the 1986 Harold and Margaret Sprout Prize presented by International Studies Association for Negotiating the Law of the Sea: Lessons in the Art and Science of Reaching Agreement (Harvard University Press, 1984).
Areas of Interest
dispute resolution
negotiation
Kissinger the Negotiator: Lessons from Dealmaking at the Highest Level
Publishers Weekly. 265.7 (Feb. 12, 2018): p68.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Kissinger the Negotiator: Lessons from Dealmaking at the Highest Level
James K. Sebenius, R. Nicholas Burns, and Robert H. Mnookin. Harper, $28.99 (400p)
ISBN 978-0-06-269417-1
Sebenius, Burns, and Mnookin, professors of business, government, and law, respectively, insightfully chronicle key moments from Henry Kissinger's diplomatic career, and less successfully try to relate them to the art of business negotiations. The authors' knowledge of their subject can't be faulted: they extensively cite Kissinger's speeches and memoirs, as well as new interviews with him conducted for the book. Topics include the secret talks on ending the Vietnam War, the push for U.S. rapprochement with China, and the "shuttle diplomacy" undertaken to end the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. The authors find some promising tactics, such as Kissinger's ability to simultaneously "zoom out" to the big picture and "zoom in" on his counterparts' specific traits. As an example of the latter skill, they cite his memos to Nixon about the contrasting personalities of Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai before the president's historic visit to China in 1973. However, the book's historical analyses overshadow its intended function as a repository of business advice, which receives short shrift throughout. The authors do share Kissinger's 15 main negotiating tactics, such as "think strategically, act opportunistically," in an appendix, this time sans historical context, but the gesture comes off as too little, too late. (May)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Kissinger the Negotiator: Lessons from Dealmaking at the Highest Level." Publishers Weekly, 12 Feb. 2018, p. 68. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A528615527/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=7084de27. Accessed 27 June 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A528615527
3-D negotiation; powerful tools to change the game in your most important deals
Reference & Research Book News. 22.1 (Feb. 2007):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2007 Ringgold, Inc.
http://www.ringgold.com/
Full Text:
9781591397991
3-D negotiation; powerful tools to change the game in your most important deals.
Lax, David A. and James K. Sebenius.
Harvard Bus. School Press
2006
286 pages
$29.95
Hardcover
HD58
Lax, an investment banker, and Sebenius (business administration, Harvard Business School) discuss their approach to negotiation, which adds the idea of setup to the tactics and deal design steps in the process. They describe how to identify barriers to agreement, overcome them, design value-creating deals, and understand problem solving-tactics. They also show their approach in practical examples and real cases.
([c]20072005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"3-D negotiation; powerful tools to change the game in your most important deals." Reference & Research Book News, Feb. 2007. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A159047020/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=54aa893f. Accessed 27 June 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A159047020
3D Negotiation: Powerful Tools to Change the Game in Your Most Important Deals
Jeffrey Marshall
Financial Executive. 23.1 (January-February 2007): p13.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2007 Financial Executives International
http://www.financialexecutives.org/
Full Text:
3D Negotiation: Powerful Tools to Change the Game in Your Most Important Deals. By David A. Lax and James K. Sebenius. Harvard Business School Press, 286 pages. $29.95.
To anyone who thinks deal-making is a simple transaction at a table between two parties, 3D Negotiation offers a different view. This is a long and detailed book that makes a case for a new way to look at the negotiation process--and to come away with much more of what you want.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
The authors, partners in the negotiation firm of Lax Sebenius LLC (author Sebenius is also a professor at Harvard Business School) posit a three-pronged approach to negotiations. Conventional bargaining, they write, leaves money on the table and puts one party at a major disadvantage if the other holds all the cards.
Great negotiators, they argue, set up the most promising negotiation and envision value-creating deals even before they sit at the table. They do so by concentrating on three elements: tactics, deal design and setup. Using this "3D" roadmap, negotiators can create maximum value for their side.
Using good examples from corporate transactions involving companies like McDonald's, Mazda, Kennecott Copper, Microsoft and America Online, 3D Negotiation is full of perceptive advice for corporate strategists about how to get the most from a negotiated deal.
Marshall, Jeffrey
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Marshall, Jeffrey. "3D Negotiation: Powerful Tools to Change the Game in Your Most Important Deals." Financial Executive, Jan.-Feb. 2007, p. 13. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A158094206/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=9800e197. Accessed 27 June 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A158094206
Learning From Henry Kissinger
By Jeremi Suri
• Aug. 2, 2018
•
KISSINGER THE NEGOTIATOR
Lessons From Dealmaking at the Highest Level
By James K. Sebenius, R. Nicholas Burns and Robert H. Mnookin
411 pp. Harper/HarperCollins Publishers. $28.99.
Although American foreign policy often sounds absolutist — “you are with us or against us” — the successful practice of diplomacy requires compromise. No nation is powerful enough to get whatever it wants unilaterally, and the complexities of international affairs make it impossible to control the course of events.
The great American statesmen in our history — Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Franklin Roosevelt, among others — were all negotiators. They spent much of their time meeting with allies and adversaries to hammer out agreements that reconciled divergent interests. Franklin persuaded the French monarchy to aid American anti-monarchists fighting for independence. Jefferson worked with another French ruler, Napoleon, to send Paris needed cash in return for doubling the landholdings of the United States. And Roosevelt, of course, procured Soviet Communist and British imperialist contributions to American anti-Communist and anti-imperialist aims in fighting fascism. Wars are indeed won and lost at the negotiating table.
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Few American statesmen have understood this history as well as Henry Kissinger. He made his early career as a scholar, arguing that American leaders had to reject the rigidity of mutually assured nuclear destruction. He advocated a more sophisticated mix of military pressures and diplomatic overtures, hoping to induce agreements from the Soviet Union that would stabilize a divided Europe, limit the growth of nuclear arsenals and manage rivalries in other regions.
During his years as President Nixon’s and President Ford’s most influential foreign policy adviser, 1969-77, Kissinger put these ideas to work. He participated in marathon haggling sessions with some of the most battle-hardened figures of the 20th century, including Zhou Enlai, Leonid Brezhnev, Anwar Sadat, Yitzhak Rabin, Hafez al-Assad and Ian Smith. Kissinger appeared to succeed in many of these negotiations — opening relations with China, forging a détente with the Soviet Union, bringing a precarious peace to the Middle East, and speeding the end of white rule in Rhodesia. He became the wise man of American foreign policy — a ubiquitous advocate for strategic compromises to secure stability for the United States. Now a 95-year-old private citizen, he continues to negotiate on behalf of wealthy clients and elected leaders who seek influence in foreign lands.
How does he do it? The authors of “Kissinger the Negotiator,” James K. Sebenius, R. Nicholas Burns and Robert H. Mnookin, are an all-star trio of experts on negotiation in business, law and diplomacy. They have focused on Kissinger because he is unsurpassed for the range and intensity of his negotiations as national security adviser and secretary of state. He has also left a long documentary trail, including thousands of pages that he has written recounting what he did when seated across from so many adversaries and other interlocutors. The authors spent many hours interviewing Kissinger, and he has written a short preface blessing their analysis as a whole.
Kissinger appears in this account as a quick learner, a bold strategist and a relentless pursuer. In Rhodesia, he orchestrated a series of pressures on Ian Smith from multiple directions to push the stubborn defender of white rule to accept a two-year transition to majority governance. In the Middle East, he tirelessly traveled between capitals to knit together compromises among antagonistic leaders. In China, probably his most famous triumph, Kissinger probed a series of neglected routes to establish communication and avoid recurring controversies, particularly the future status of Taiwan.
The authors provide play-by-plays for many of the negotiations, but they have little new to say about them, and they leave out a lot. The historical sections are written almost exclusively from the American side of the negotiating table, and the loudest voice is always Kissinger’s own from his memoirs, interviews and the contemporary documentary record. The authors have read many critical accounts challenging Kissinger’s negotiating efficacy, and the consequences of his choices, but these accounts are mostly relegated to footnotes and textual asides. The one partial exception is their discussion of the Vietnam War, in which the authors posit that Kissinger’s negotiations may have prolonged a failing American military strategy and increased the death toll. Yet they praise his efforts to negotiate the Paris Accords that led to the delayed American withdrawal in 1975.
Sebenius, Burns and Mnookin identify 15 lessons from Kissinger’s efforts to understand and manipulate his counterparts. These lessons are the basics — the driving skills that define whether someone is competent, even above average, behind the wheel. What matters for assessing effectiveness, however, is not how you drive but whether you arrive safely and on time. The skilled driver who gets lost while steering beautifully is not a model. The destination matters most of all, and the negotiator, like the driver, should be judged on how reliably he reaches it.
From this perspective, Kissinger’s lessons for contemporary negotiators are much more problematic than the authors are willing to admit. For all his mastery of the issues, Kissinger frequently lost sight of American purposes. Negotiating with dictators is sometimes unavoidable (and better than the alternatives), but relationships that encourage aggression are counterproductive for American interests in democracy and stability. The authors never address how Kissinger’s support for military juntas in Chile, Argentina and other Latin American states underwrote regional violence.
They also neglect how cooperation with the apartheid regime in South Africa spread racial conflict across the continent, and undermined America’s international credibility. Kissinger negotiated these harmful relationships through arms sales, aid programs and efforts to distract attention from our partners’ atrocities. Kissinger often misled Congress and the American public about his agreements. “Kissinger the Negotiator” needs to add a lesson: Negotiations should never undermine a nation’s values.
Kissinger’s obsessive secrecy was equally harmful. The authors are correct that discretion is necessary when opening new communications, as in China, or cajoling a series of adversaries to collaborate, as in the Middle East. But Kissinger’s tight hold on information went much further. He personalized his negotiations, he actively sidelined other important American actors (including Secretary of State William Rogers) and he frequently fed the conspiratorial inclinations of Richard Nixon. Kissinger’s secrecy was self-serving, designed to boost his influence and diminish his domestic peers.
Kissinger repeatedly told Soviet, Chinese and other leaders that they should work only with him, encouraging disregard for the rest of the American government. This personalization of his negotiations runs against the authors’ advice about building a strong team. Kissinger was, in fact, a terrible team player. And many of his negotiations, particularly with the Soviet Union and the Middle East states, proved unsustainable after his departure. Effective negotiators need less ego and sycophancy, more humility and coordination with members of their own side.
Current policymakers must prepare themselves for an unstable world where compromise and collaboration, not unilateral force, are the coins of the realm. The authors of “Kissinger the Negotiator” have done a great service in elucidating the actions of a very skilled American diplomat. We have a lot to learn from his history, but it requires attention to his limitations and failings as much as to the successes. Great negotiators are appropriately skeptical that any one man or country can manage it all.
Jeremi Suri, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, recently published “The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office.”