Book recommendation: not your typical MBA negotiation book?
November 1, 2021 12:40 AM Subscribe
Please recommend a non-fiction book that would help me understand the topics such as negotiation, facilitation, and possibly conflict resolution. It doesn't have to be super practical or business-oriented, but it has to be thought-stimulating and vision-broadening. Hope me!
What I think I'm seeking is an "extracurricular" book (as compared to the classics such as Getting to Yes), that doesn't mind going into the less practical aspects of negotiation, yet is still accessible to general readers (as opposed to the academic scholars of the relevant disciplines).
My goal is to better understand the "deeper" aspects of negotiation from an integral and holistic perspective with curiosity -- to approach it as a human phenomenon worthy of exploration.
I don't mind a bit of theory in this book. Actually I feel that topics like game theory, behaviour science, or economics would be necessary. However, my background is not really within these fields, and I appreciate contextual and accessible approaches when theories are discussed.
Does this book exist? Am I sounding like a commission editor for a one not yet written?
What I think I'm seeking is an "extracurricular" book (as compared to the classics such as Getting to Yes), that doesn't mind going into the less practical aspects of negotiation, yet is still accessible to general readers (as opposed to the academic scholars of the relevant disciplines).
My goal is to better understand the "deeper" aspects of negotiation from an integral and holistic perspective with curiosity -- to approach it as a human phenomenon worthy of exploration.
I don't mind a bit of theory in this book. Actually I feel that topics like game theory, behaviour science, or economics would be necessary. However, my background is not really within these fields, and I appreciate contextual and accessible approaches when theories are discussed.
Does this book exist? Am I sounding like a commission editor for a one not yet written?
Never Split the Difference is a negotiation book written by a former hostage negotiator. Maybe the same one mentioned above.
I found it very good and aspects of it have stuck with me for years. I don't remember specifics of theory vs tips, but I remember thinking that in the book as well as interviews I've heard with the author that he comes across as much more empathetic than I expected.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 5:39 AM on November 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
I found it very good and aspects of it have stuck with me for years. I don't remember specifics of theory vs tips, but I remember thinking that in the book as well as interviews I've heard with the author that he comes across as much more empathetic than I expected.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 5:39 AM on November 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
Never Split the Difference is the book by the person that does the masterclass chesty_a_arthur mentioned.
posted by A Blue Moon at 5:39 AM on November 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by A Blue Moon at 5:39 AM on November 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
Chris Voss and Tahl Raz fyi. Worth a read
posted by crocomancer at 6:14 AM on November 1, 2021
posted by crocomancer at 6:14 AM on November 1, 2021
A fourth recommendation for Never Split the Difference. This is a textbook example of how a mass market paperback can bring the nuances of a complex topic such as negotiation to life in a very memorable way.
posted by jacobean at 10:46 AM on November 1, 2021
posted by jacobean at 10:46 AM on November 1, 2021
adrienne maree brown's Emergent Strategy has some interesting tips and perspectives on group facilitation.
The Social Animal by Elliot Aronson is a very readable introduction to modern social psychology.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini explains research and is accessibly written.
posted by brainwane at 11:09 AM on November 1, 2021
The Social Animal by Elliot Aronson is a very readable introduction to modern social psychology.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini explains research and is accessibly written.
posted by brainwane at 11:09 AM on November 1, 2021
While ostensibly about change management, I found this to be helpful when approaching some negotiations: The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry. The blurb on amazon is underwhelming; there are some sample pages here.
posted by nkknkk at 11:35 AM on November 1, 2021
posted by nkknkk at 11:35 AM on November 1, 2021
I came here to suggest Emergent Strategy also, and brown's followup book Holding Change.
posted by spindrifter at 11:40 AM on November 1, 2021
posted by spindrifter at 11:40 AM on November 1, 2021
I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for as it was the textbook for the negotiation class I took in grad school, but The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator very much about the concepts and philosophy of negotiation and helped me think about how to broaden out negotiations beyond the idea of it being an antagonistic/zero sum thing (it's crazy expensive on Amazon but when I googled it, there were much cheaper options).
I also really like the books Difficult Conversations and the Practice of Adaptive Leadership, both of which touch on important factors that influence negotiations.
posted by lunasol at 12:39 PM on November 1, 2021
I also really like the books Difficult Conversations and the Practice of Adaptive Leadership, both of which touch on important factors that influence negotiations.
posted by lunasol at 12:39 PM on November 1, 2021
Response by poster: Thank you very much for all of your replies. I'm very interested in the book Never Split the Difference by Voss and Taz. Meanwhile, I bought Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown. I'll mark answers when I get back from more reading.
posted by runcifex at 1:43 AM on November 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by runcifex at 1:43 AM on November 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by chesty_a_arthur at 5:14 AM on November 1, 2021