Beyond Machiavelli : Tools for Coping With Conflict (Paperback)

by Roger Fisher (Author), Elizabeth Kopelman (Author), Andrea Kupfer Schneider (Author)
Key Phrases: target future choice, yesable proposition, partisan perceptions, United States, South Africa, Soviet Union (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Anybody who reads the newspaper headlines and understands that conflicts--whether in the Middle East, the former Yugoslavia or right in his or her neighborhood--cause tremendous human suffering can appreciate this book. The authors, who belong to the Harvard Negotiation Project, present their case in the most readable fashion. Although they cite mostly international conflicts as examples, their insights and suggestions are applicable to domestic situations...The book goes on to present a blueprint for improving the process of coping with conflict--that is by breaking a conflict down and dealing with it piece by piece. A reader can look at the various chapters of the book as a step-by-step approach to handling conflict...This book is an important tool for civic and government leaders, students, academics and researchers, dispute resolution practitioners, journalists, diplomats, and anybody who cares to give conflict resolution a serious thought.
--Cindy Fazzi (Dispute Resolution Journal )

Offers a clear approach for dealing with conflicts of interest of any kind, particularly focusing on how to help with the persistent and complex political and economic conflicts that, unfortunately, appear to plague the world today. Probably the first primer about conflict management on a global scale. Urgently needs to be widely read. (International Journal of Strategic Management )

A wise little book with much to say about constructively shaping the future. (Future Survey )

Originally a handbook for diplomats, this book contains tools and practical advice for anyone dealing with conflict...By following [the authors'] guidelines, a negotiator can create a checklist of steps, a set of tools, and an action plan. The charts, or tools, throughout the book provide quick, clear ways to clarify thinking about conflicts. (Sloan Management Review )

The book continues in the tradition of Fisher and William Ury's Getting to Yes, but the focus is less on teaching people to negotiate in their own disputes than on how to help resolve other parties' conflicts...It offers a great deal of advice on getting conflicting parties to the table, viewing disputes from a variety of perspectives, generating creative solutions to disputes, and moving conflicting parties toward peaceful settlements...A lot of ground is covered in a relatively short book. Readers intent on resolving actual conflicts can derive a checklist of steps and considerations from the book. Experienced negotiators will find much of their intuition codified and may glean some new ideas. (Choice )

Of all the books on handling conflict, Beyond Machiavelli is the most practical, creative, and down to earth. It offers lots of new ideas to anybody called upon to cope with conflict -- from diplomats at the negotiating table to secondary school teachers in the classroom.
--Jeswald Salacuse, Dean, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy

A gold mine--full of insights on conflict resolution that seem obvious after reading but many of which are otherwise likely to be gained, if ever, only through long and painful experience.
--George Rathjens, Professor of Political Science, MIT --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description
In this revolutionary book, the mastermind behind Getting to Yes and Director of the Harvard Negotiation Project spells out basic techniques for dealing with conflict and applies them to one international problem after another, from the Middle East to Central Europe to Japan.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140245227
• ISBN-13: 978-0140245226
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #467,843 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond Stalled Thinking in International Relations Conflicts, July 16, 2000

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

The authors explain their purpose this way, "We are not looking for a perfect solution." In most cases, the perfect solution is unattainable or will be endlessly delayed. A workable solution is much to be preferred. On the other hand, the power of this approach is clearly a major contribution to the conflict resolution literature, and contains insights that you would do well to capture and apply for yourself.

The book references Machiavelli in the title because he first asked the question of what once should advise princes. Since then, there has not been enough progress in answering that question. The book makes good headway in adding new insights and directions.

Although this book is aimed at (and explicitly discusses) conflicts in international relations, the authors also report that those using these techniques in negotiating workshops and exercises found them helpful in resolving business and legal issues as well. Having studied the book, heard Professor Fisher speak about it, and participated in a workshop to use this approach, I agree with that assessment. You can think of this book as the next phase beyond the landmark book, Getting to Yes, that Professor Fisher also coauthored.

Anyone who has gone to law school (which I admit I am guilty of) will recognize familiar elements of the legal analysis process. Yet the application is new and powerful.

Essentially, this book gives you the guidelines and examples you need to create:

-- a checklist of steps to analyze conflict

-- a set of analytic tools to figure out why the conflict is not settled and to offer a new approach that is better

-- an action plan built from a 2 page digest of a proposal, a 1 page list of talking points, and a to-do list for each party as next steps.

You are exhorted to focus on points of choice for the adversary, looking to your purposes in planning your moves rather than just reacting to what the other side does, and carefully choosing your purposes.

The process basically involves role playing that begins with seeing the problem from the point of view of the other side (this is nicely summarized in tables that show side-by-side comparisons of views on the same conflict elements); focusing on the choices open to the other side and influencing those choices (using tools of message analysis to get to intent); generating fresh ideas (by looking at the problem, diagnosing choices, looking at the approach being used, and reviewing action plans); formulating good advice ("What decision do you want the adverary to choose?"); and helping remove the causes of conflicts with process changes (creating new mediators, training people in this way of thinking, etc.).

The examples in the book cover every major conflict that you are likely to be familiar with in the last 40 years. They provide a useful reference point to the book's principles.

I was particularly impressed with the discussion of how to determine which advice is moral, and how to frame solutions so they would be well understood.

The key to this approach is to break down your thinking into step-by-step, smaller pieces. Those of you who have read Six Thinking Hats will recognize the benefits this can bring. By doing this, you can dissipate your own in-going perspective to capture the perspective of the person you want to convince.

Well done!

Good luck in using this approach to overcome misconception, communication, disbelief, procrastination, and bureaucratic stalls!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Conquering Conflict, August 22, 2001

By	M. A. ZAIDI "Ali Zaidi" (Karachi; Pakistan) - See all my reviews

How many times we have been in a conflict with others may it be of a personal or business in nature. I find this text extremely useful in punctuating the loopholes and pitfalls to avoid in a conflict and means to manage it. When in a conflict we are always trying to send a message to the other party suggesting them that there is something else they should be doing. The text will help in the appropriate way to transfer this message across.

To identify the root cause of a conflict Fisher suggests that one must not be responsive but purposive. As an example when two children are fighting the adult who breaks them apart may ask "why" they hit each other. To this the most likely response may be "because he hit me first". But that response only explains the cause of the fight not its root cause.

Another key ingredient suggested by Fisher is keeping in perspective the situation and mind set the other side is facing. In a ball game it may be easy to not agree with a team change decision a coach has made. But understanding the dynamics and pressure faced by him, we are then in a better position to critique if the decision made was correct. If we had a chance him our opinion this added perspective can aid us to be sensitive to his situation.

Fisher believes that understanding how others view a conflict is knowledge that gives us strength. It enhances our ability to influence them. Through exploring and motivations leading up to a conflict we can increase our understanding of where their perceptions comes from.

No matter how much we disagree with someone we need influenced. It is extremely important that we maintain a level of dialogue; so that we may not push the party away and be faced with a situation we never wish to face. After the overthrow of the shah of Iran in 1979, the U.S unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the government for a hundred executions conducted by the new government. Ironically the U.S had overlooked the thousands of executions of political opponents done during the Shahs regime. It was in the best interest of the U.S to keep Iran engaged and maintain some working relationship to avoid Iran being driven to the Soviet block and preventing the hostage crisis.

This is not a book of answers and solutions to conflicts. The tools suggested in this book are intended to ask or simulate better questions. Better questions are not about who is right or who is wrong, or about one-hot solutions, but the process of dealing with conflicting views about right and wrong and for dealing with the inevitable changes that lie ahead. For e.g. Fisher suggests that instead of starting with the question "What shall I do?" you might want to start with such questions as "What would I like someone else to do?" and "What could I do that would make it easier for them to do it?".

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Liked Getting to Yes...., August 11, 2001

By	Douglas Stone (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you liked Getting to Yes, you'll appreciate this one too. To me, this book is really about how to think clearly about complex situations. As the authors demonstrate, too often we don't think through the long term consequences of our actions. We react to the past without thinking how our actions will then be interpreted by those we seek to influence. Great book.