Quantum Negotiation (the Art Of Getting What You Need)

Master the art of getting what you need with a more collaborative approach to negotiation

Quantum Negotiation is a handbook for getting what you need using a mindset and behaviors based on a refreshingly expansive perspective on negotiation. Rather that viewing every negotiation as an antagonistic and combative relationship, this book shows you how to move beyond the traditional pseudo win-win to construct a deal in which all parties get what they need. By exploring who we are as negotiators in the context of social conditioning, this model examines the cognitive, psychological, social, physical, and spiritual aspects of negotiation to help you produce more sustainable, prosperous, and satisfying agreements.

We often think of negotiation as taking place in a boardroom, a car dealership, or any other contract-centered situation; in reality, we are negotiating every time we ask for something we need or want. Building more robust negotiation behaviors that resonate beyond the boardroom requires a deep engagement with others and a clear mindset of interdependence. This book helps you shift your perspective and build these important skills through a journey of discovery, reflection, and action.

• Rethink your assumptions about negotiations, your self-perception, your counterpart, and the overall relationship
• Adopt new tools that clarify what you want, why you need it, and how your counterpart can also get what they want and need
• Challenge fundamental world views related to negotiation, and shift from adversarial to engaging and satisfying

• Understand the unseen forces at work in any negotiation, and prevent them from derailing your success

In the interest of creating an environment that elevates everyone’s participation and assists them in reaching their full potential, Quantum Negotiation addresses the reality of hardball and coercion with a focus on engaging the human spirit to create new opportunities and resources. 

Acknowledgments vii

The Authors ix

Foreword xi

Introduction: What Comes to Mind When You Think of Negotiation? xv

PART I Quantum Negotiation Practice 1

Chapter 1 The WHO & WHY of Quantum Negotiation 3

Chapter 2 The WHAT & WHAT IF of Quantum Negotiation 31

Chapter 3 The HOW of Quantum Negotiation 49

PART II Quantum Negotiation Tools 77

PART III Quantum Negotiation Mindset 91

Chapter 4 Independence Is a Powerful Illusion 93

Chapter 5 What You See Is Not What You Get 111

Chapter 6 Leading Is Not about the Leader 137

Conclusion 147

QN References and Further Reading 151

Index 157

KAREN S. WALCH is a partner of Clair-Buoyant Leadership, LLC and Emeritus faculty at Thunderbird school of Global Management. She is an expert in global negotiation, leadership, and social interactions.

STEPHAN M. MARDYKS is a world-renowned expert in the field of Global Learning and Development, Founder of Wisdom Destinations, co-CEO of SMCOV, and a Managing Partner at ThomasLeland.

JOERG SCHMITZ is Managing Partner at ThomasLeland. As a business an-thropologist, he specializes in culture and interaction dynamics in complex organizational environments.

Praise for Quantum Negotiation

"Quantum Negotiation is a phenomenal book offering a new, transformative lens through which to view the negotiation process. Not only does the book provide the framework and principles needed to create a better way for all parties involved, it also demonstrates an interdependent approach that is deeply insightful while simultan