Effective Negotiation Preparation for an Uncertain World

Negotiators face an environment of change, increasing uncertainty, and accelerating disruption, driven by the growing complexity and interconnections of modern society. Financial crises, pandemics, wars, social and political movements, climate change, and the transformative innovations of artificial intelligence (AI) reveal societal shifts that are altering the norms, rules, and decision-making and planning procedures for conducting negotiations. With continuous, rapid disruption, agreements can quickly become fragile. The resulting uncertainty increases the consequences and range of unpredictable outcomes, thereby straining existing negotiators’ tool kits, and ultimately driving the requirement to prepare differently.

This strategic and tactical guide is a tool for negotiators navigating these new realities. We describe why negotiators need to prepare differently in a world with increasing uncertainty and accelerating disruption; what they should do to better prepare for negotiations; and how they can rethink strategy and tactics by expanding their mindsets and skills. We encourage negotiators to lift their gaze, identify a systems-thinking mindset, and scan the horizon to better address political, economic, and social changes. By doing so, they can minimize strategic surprises and transform disruptions into opportunities for exercising new kinds of leverage and influence.

To develop this guide, we drew upon decades of experience teaching in Harvard’s degree and executive education programs and advising leaders in international corporations, start-ups, elected office, universities, health systems, and the national security and intelligence communities. The guide is intended for negotiators involved in complex and high-stakes negotiations, especially those at the frontier of societal changes, where new approaches are needed to negotiate effectively in this rapidly changing world.