Professor Raiffa's Experiment

In his classic book "The Art and Science of Negotiation", Harvard Professor Howard Raiffa relates an experiment carried out using a group of experienced executives.

The group was arranged into 21 pairings to negotiate a merger transaction. The parameters for the (ficitious) companies involved were such that it WAS possible to strike a deal.

However, only 9 of the 21 pairs found the deal.

Meaning that 12 out of 21 (or 57%) didn't!

It is, of course, just one example and not statistically significant. But it goes to show that even experienced negotiators can't always find the deal, often because they don't, and can't, know the other side's position in full. This is an issue that Deal Mediation can help you overcome.

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