Customer Reviews

Mind and Heart of the Negotiator, The (3rd Edition)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a professor of Organizational Leadeship and Conflict Resolution...as well as a practicing mediator and negotiator, I found this book to be of great interest. There are many books on negotiation that either focus on the simplistic bargaining tactics or the theoretical implications of negotiation. This text skillfully integrates both of these elements providing the reader with a comprehensive viewpoint as it relates to negotiation.

Of specific assistance were the many helpful examples and tips placed throughout the book. If I had to criticize the book, I would only say that it is not a simple read per se for the beginning negotiator. That is, there are elements of logic, weighted analysis and such that the novice negotiator may get lost in. Looking past that, there are many helpful tips, tactics and theories that any negotiator could benefit from.

Now if the price could just come down a bit (I'm negotiating), then this would be a perfect book for a course on negotiation!

The book is very well structured and extremely readable with real case problems. It starts off with the big picture of negotiation, leads to specific points, and includes toward the end a lot of "people skills" (likes social dilemmas or different cultures). The book is neately structured with a great conclusion at every chapter. Quantitative support is used only where necessary and therefore kept to a minimum. I recommended as a supplementary book to Getting to Yes (still my all time favourite) or The Art and Science of Negotiation (for the very serious student).

We used this book in our negotiations class and actually found Getting to Yes to be more useful. This is one of those textbooks that I have written about in other classes that has a lot of common sense in it but it actually makes thinking about negotiation harder than it really is. The book could easily have been shrunk from 430 pages to about 150 pages. The book actually presents too many things to think about in a negotiation that you end up becoming confused about which strategy to use or how to play defense. Of course, like any book some people might like it but I know myself and other classmates did not find it that helpful.

Thompson's book provides an easy to read guide for both the novice and experienced negotiator. While providing clear strategic advice on what to do at and away from the table, this book goes one step further by providing insights into the mental models of negotiators and the biases that can seriously hinder one's negotiated outcome. I used this book for a negotiation course at Harvard, and continue to refer back to it in my work and personal interactions.

The book has many excellent points, but is written in a manner that will bore you. Several of us in class have three books to read, and this one is the least interesting. I still would recommend it as a good textbook, but only if used as an additional resource to "Getting to Yes" and "You can negotiate anything". Between the three you'll stay interested and the overlap will reinforce.

Professor Thompson is an extremely talented woman and excellent writer. She is based at Northwestern, which competes with Harvard to be the epicenter of the academic negotiation world.

Her book is by far the best available negotiation textbook. Lewicki et al., Negotiation, is the other textbook that comes to mind. However, for people trying to develop competence in negotiation, books available in the popular press are far superior. Negotiation is not rocket science, so there isn't much need for a lengthy, expensive textbook. Try Shell's Bargaining for Advantage, Malhotra and Bazerman's Negotiation Genius, Lewicki's Mastering Business Negotiations, and, for a non-academic and unconventional approach, Jim Camp's No.

If you are a professional negotiator, or teach negotiations or simply want a negotiation reference, then Thompson's book should be a part of your negotiation library. However, if your objective is simply to improve your negotiation skills, then there are more efficient and effective sources elsewhere.

Thompson's book is an excellent book on negotiation! I took it for a negotiation class at MIT and it put forth many strong working concepts on preparation, conduct of negotiations, decision making, relationships and explains common dilemmas. A good additional chapter would be one detailing the creation of a negotiation template.

Book was perfect condition and i received it on time. Looks just like new. No missing pages and no highlights.

I needed this book for my Negotiations class and I found it here for a bargain price. Sure it's a used item, but who cares when you're on a student budget?

Very good book for those negotiators out there. I also got the "Getting a Yes!" book to complement it (also under $10).

Having read a lot of textbooks, this is one of the more enjoyable reads I have had. The format has chapter headings in a question and answer format. A few comments here and there show the age of the 1998 edition, but overall this book was a help not a hindrance in my Negotiation class at Georgia State.