- WINNER OF THE "NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARD" FOR BEST SCIENCE FICTION (2021).
- Currently in development as a TV Series.
The book's many themes—war & peace, history, strategy, negotiation, leadership, friendship, & love—are woven together in a novel with a sci-fi hook and a thrilling premise. The protagonist is a young history professor who is whisked off to Washington, where he discovers that he'll need to use all the skills and knowledge he has acquired in his life to help save humanity from a conflict of truly historic proportions. The book is meant to be a page-turner, with many twists & turns, but embedded throughout the novel are some genuinely cerebral elements: lessons and insights on strategy, history, negotiation, war & peace, and the human condition.
Deepak Malhotra
Eli Goldston Professor of Business Administration
Chair, OPM
Eli Goldston Professor of Business Administration
Chair, OPM
Awards:
"Outstanding Book Award" (International Association for Conflict Management)
"Best Business Book of 2016" (KnowSquare)
"Top 10 Business Books of 2016" (The Globe and Mail)
"Business Bestseller List" (800CEORead)
Now a Wall Street Journal Best-seller! Over a decade ago, the best-selling business fable Who Moved My Cheese? offered its answer to the question: accept that change is inevitable and beyond your control, don't waste your time wondering why things are the way they are, keep your head down, and start looking for the cheese. I Moved Your Cheese takes a different point of view. This stand-alone book tells the inspiring story of a new generation of mice who begin to reexamine what others have taken for granted and to ask the important questions. This book is motivated by a simple observation: Leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity, problem solving, business growth—and even personal development—almost always depend on the ability to challenge accepted notions, reshape the environment, and play by a different set of rules...
VC-entrepreneur partnership agreements often contain flaws that become highly damaging as the parties come up against issues of power, trust, and much more. Yet many of the flaws are systematic and predictable—and hence preventable. The author, a longtime consultant to the VC industry, outlines four recommendations for entrepreneurs sitting down at the table with prospective funders: understand your leverage; maximize trust; focus on value; strive for understanding. Above all, when you're negotiating with a VC, think not only about what will look good in a press release today but also about what will help you create and capture value over the long run.
Deepak Malhotra's teaching, research and advisory work is focused on negotiation, deal-making and conflict resolution. In 2020, Deepak was named MBA Professor of the Year by Poets & Quants. He has won numerous awards for his teaching & research, including the HBS Faculty Award, and has been twice selected by Harvard MBA students to give the end-of-year speech to the graduating class. In 2014, Deepak was listed as one of the "world's best business school professors" under the age of 40. He currently serves as Faculty Chair for the Owner/President Management Program for business owners and entrepreneurs.
Deepak's latest book (and debut novel), The Peacemaker's Code, was published in February 2021. It has won the "National Indie Excellence Award" (for Best Science Fiction Novel) and is currently in development as a TV series.
His previous books include...
- Negotiating the Impossible:
- #1 Business Book of 2016 (KnowSquare), Outstanding Book Award (International Association for Conflict Management), Top 10 Business Books of 2016 (The Globe & Mail).
- Negotiation Genius:
- 2008 Outstanding Book Award (International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution)
- I Moved Your Cheese:
- Wall Street Journal Best-Seller
Deepak's research has been published in top journals in the fields of management, psychology, conflict resolution, and foreign policy.
Outside HBS, Deepak is a trainer, consultant, and advisor to firms & CEOs across the globe, and an advisor to governments that are trying to negotiate an end to protracted & intractable armed conflicts.
In 2020, Deepak created a series of 40 short videos w/ free advice on topics related to negotiation, deal-making, sales, conflict resolution & diplomacy. You can find the Negotiation Insights Series here.
You can follow Deepak on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Prof_Malhotra
- Featured Work
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- WINNER OF THE "NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARD" FOR BEST SCIENCE FICTION (2021).
- Currently in development as a TV Series.
The book's many themes—war & peace, history, strategy, negotiation, leadership, friendship, & love—are woven together in a novel with a sci-fi hook and a thrilling premise. The protagonist is a young history professor who is whisked off to Washington, where he discovers that he'll need to use all the skills and knowledge he has acquired in his life to help save humanity from a conflict of truly historic proportions. The book is meant to be a page-turner, with many twists & turns, but embedded throughout the novel are some genuinely cerebral elements: lessons and insights on strategy, history, negotiation, war & peace, and the human condition.How to Break Deadlocks and Resolve Ugly Conflicts (without Money or Muscle)An ideal read for your most difficult negotiations, disputes & relationships.
Awards:
"Outstanding Book Award" (International Association for Conflict Management)
"Best Business Book of 2016" (KnowSquare)
"Top 10 Business Books of 2016" (The Globe and Mail)
"Business Bestseller List" (800CEORead)Whether you've “seen it all” or are just starting out, Negotiation Genius will dramatically improve your negotiating skills and confidence. Drawing on decades of behavioral research plus the experience of thousands of business clients, the authors take the mystery out of preparing for and executing negotiations—whether they involve multimillion-dollar deals or improving your next salary offer.In 2020, I created a series of 40 short videos with free advice on negotiation, deal-making, sales, conflict resolution, diplomacy, and peace-making. All videos are available here & free to watch.In the lead-up to the 2020 US Presidential Election, I authored an open-letter that was eventually signed by over 1,000 business school professors from across America.For Those Who Refuse to Live as Mice in Someone Else's MazeNow a Wall Street Journal Best-seller! Over a decade ago, the best-selling business fable Who Moved My Cheese? offered its answer to the question: accept that change is inevitable and beyond your control, don't waste your time wondering why things are the way they are, keep your head down, and start looking for the cheese. I Moved Your Cheese takes a different point of view. This stand-alone book tells the inspiring story of a new generation of mice who begin to reexamine what others have taken for granted and to ask the important questions. This book is motivated by a simple observation: Leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity, problem solving, business growth—and even personal development—almost always depend on the ability to challenge accepted notions, reshape the environment, and play by a different set of rules...
VC-entrepreneur partnership agreements often contain flaws that become highly damaging as the parties come up against issues of power, trust, and much more. Yet many of the flaws are systematic and predictable—and hence preventable. The author, a longtime consultant to the VC industry, outlines four recommendations for entrepreneurs sitting down at the table with prospective funders: understand your leverage; maximize trust; focus on value; strive for understanding. Above all, when you're negotiating with a VC, think not only about what will look good in a press release today but also about what will help you create and capture value over the long run.
- Books
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- Malhotra, Deepak. The Peacemaker's Code. Kindle Direct Publishing, 2021. (Winner of the 2021 "National Indie Excellence Award" for Best Science Fiction Novel.) View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. Negotiating the Impossible: How to Break Deadlocks and Resolve Ugly Conflicts (without Money or Muscle). Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2016. (Top 10 Business Books of 2016 (The Globe & Mail) #1 Business Book of 2016 (KnowSquare, for the Spanish Edition) Business Bestseller List (800CEORead.) View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. I Moved Your Cheese: For Those Who Refuse to Live as Mice in Someone Else's Maze. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2011. (Wall Street Journal Best-Seller; Translated in ~20 languages.) View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and M. H. Bazerman. Negotiation Genius. Bantam Books, 2007. (Winner of International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution. CPR Award for Outstanding Book presented by International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution. Published in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Italian.) View Details
- Journal Articles
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- Luca, Michael, Deepak Malhotra, and Christopher Poliquin. "The Impact of Mass Shootings on Gun Policy." Art. 104083. Journal of Public Economics 181 (January 2020). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "What Theresa May Might Learn from Woodrow Wilson's Failed Negotiations in 1919." Harvard Business Review (website) (February 1, 2019). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "I'm an Expert on Negotiations, and I Have Some Advice for Theresa May." New York Times (December 20, 2018). View Details
- Luca, Michael, Deepak Malhotra, and Christopher Poliquin. "Handgun Waiting Periods Reduce Gun Deaths." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114, no. 46 (November 14, 2017). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "A Definitive Guide to the Brexit Negotiations." Harvard Business Review (website) (August 5, 2016). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and Jonathan Powell. "What Donald Trump Doesn't Understand About Negotiation." Harvard Business Review (website) (April 8, 2016). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and Don A. Moore. "Trump Says He's a Great Negotiator, but the Evidence Says Otherwise." Fortune.com (July 19, 2016). View Details
- Ehdaie, Behfar, Melissa Assel, Nicole Benfante, Deepak Malhotra, and Andrew Vickers. "A Systematic Approach to Discussing Active Surveillance with Patients with Low-risk Prostate Cancer." European Urology 71, no. 6 (June 2017): 866–871. View Details
- Conlon, Donald E., Max Bazerman, Deepak Malhotra, and Madan M. Pillutla. "Celebrating the Work of Keith Murnighan." Negotiation and Conflict Management Research 9, no. 4 (November 2016): 332–344. View Details
- Gilchrist, Duncan S., Michael Luca, and Deepak Malhotra. "When 3+1>4: Gift Structure and Reciprocity in the Field." Management Science 62, no. 9 (September 2016): 2639–2650. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Control the Negotiation Before It Begins." Harvard Business Review 93, no. 12 (December 2015): 66–72. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "15 Rules for Negotiating a Job Offer." Harvard Business Review 92, no. 4 (April 2014): 117–120. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and Manu Malhotra MD. "Negotiation Strategies for Doctors and Hospitals." Harvard Business Review Blogs (October 21, 2013). http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/10/negotiation-strategies-for-doctors-and-hospitals/. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "How to Negotiate with VCs." Harvard Business Review 91, no. 5 (May 2013): 84–90. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Why There Are So Many Conflicts in Pro Sports (And What to Do About Them)." Forbes.com (October 21, 2012). View Details
- Van Swol, Lyn M., Deepak Malhotra, and Michael T. Braun. "Deception and Its Detection: Effects of Monetary Incentives and Personal Relationship History." Communication Research 39, no. 2 (April 2012): 217–238. View Details
- Van Swol, Lyn M., Michael T. Braun, and Deepak Malhotra. "Evidence for the Pinocchio Effect: Linguistic Differences Between Lies, Deception by Omissions, and Truths." Discourse Processes 49, no. 2 (2012): 79–106. View Details
- Malhotra, D., and F. Gino. "The Pursuit of Power Corrupts: How Investing in Outside Options Motivates Opportunism in Relationships." Special Issue on "Social Psychological Perspectives on Power and Hierarchy". Administrative Science Quarterly 56, no. 4 (December 2011): 559–592. View Details
- Wang, Long, Deepak Malhotra, and J. Keith Murnighan. "Economics Education and Greed." Academy of Management Learning & Education 10, no. 4 (December 2011): 643–660. View Details
- Pirson, Michael, and Deepak Malhotra. "Foundations of Organizational Trust: What Matters to Different Stakeholders?" Organization Science 22, no. 4 (July–August 2011): 1087–1104. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Mistaking Mistrust for Greed: How to Solve the NFL Dispute." Forbes.com (March 14, 2011). View Details
- Lumineau, Fabrice, and Deepak Malhotra. "Shadow of the Contract: How Contract Structure Shapes Inter-Firm Dispute Resolution." Strategic Management Journal 32, no. 5 (May 2011): 532–555. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and Fabrice Lumineau. "Trust and Collaboration in the Aftermath of Conflict: The Effects of Contract Structure." Academy of Management Journal 54, no. 5 (October 2011): 981–998. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and Jeremy Ginges. "Preferring Balanced vs. Advantageous Peace Agreements: A Study of Israeli Attitudes Towards a Two-State Solution." Judgment and Decision Making 5, no. 6 (October 2010): 420–427. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "The Desire to Win: The Effects of Competitive Arousal on Motivation and Behavior." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 111, no. 2 (March 2010): 139–146. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "(When) Are Religious People Nicer? Religious Salience and the 'Sunday Effect' on Pro-social Behavior." Judgment and Decision Making 5, no. 2 (April 2010): 138–143. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Without Conditions: The Case for Negotiating with the Enemy." Foreign Affairs 88, no. 5 (September–October 2009): 84–90. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "When Contracts Destroy Trust." Harvard Business Review 87, no. 5 (May 2009): 25. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Auto CEOs Aren't Making Their Case." Wall Street Journal (December 4, 2008). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and Max H. Bazerman. "Psychological Influence in Negotiation: An Introduction Long Overdue." Journal of Management 34, no. 3 (June 2008): 509–531. View Details
- Pirson, Michael, and Deepak Malhotra. "Unconventional Insights for Managing Stakeholder Trust." MIT Sloan Management Review 49, no. 4 (Summer 2008): 43–50. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, Gillian Ku, and J. Keith Murnighan. "When Winning Is Everything." Harvard Business Review 86, no. 5 (May 2008). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "To Be a Negotiation Genius." SENSEX 1, no. 6 (2008): 50–52. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and Max H. Bazerman. "Investigative Negotiation." Harvard Business Review 85, no. 9 (September 2007). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and Max H. Bazerman. "Pitch Your Offer—and Close the Deal." Negotiation 10, no. 8 (August 2007). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Leverage Time to Your Advantage." Negotiation 10, no. 6 (June 2007). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Beware of Competitive Arousal." Times of India (January 13, 2007), 1. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "The 'Winning at Any Cost' Syndrome." Times of India (January 13, 2007), 20. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "The Perils of Negotiating to Win." Negotiation 10, no. 3 (March 2007). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Is Your Counterpart Irrational...Really?" Negotiation 9, no. 3 (March 2006). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "The Fine Art of Making Concessions." Negotiation 9, no. 1 (January 2006). View Details
- Bazerman, M. H., and Deepak Malhotra. "It's Not Intuitive: Strategies for Negotiating More Rationally." Negotiation 9, no. 5 (May 2006). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and Sumanisiri Liyanage. "Peace Workshops in Protracted Conflicts: A Study of Long-Term Effects." Journal of Conflict Resolution 49, no. 6 (December 2005): 1–17. View Details
- Ku, Gillian, Deepak Malhotra, and J. Keith Murnighan. "Towards a Competitive Arousal Model of Decision Making: A Study of Auction Fever in Live and Internet Auctions." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 96, no. 2 (March 2005): 89–103. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Making Threats Credible." Negotiation 8, no. 3 (March 2005). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Make Your Weak Position Strong." Negotiation 8, no. 7 (July 2005). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Accept or Reject?" Negotiation 7, no. 8 (August 2004). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Trust and Reciprocity Decisions: The Differing Perspectives of Trustors and Trusted Parties." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 94, no. 2 (July 2004): 61–73. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Smart Alternatives to Lying in Negotiation." Negotiation 7, no. 5 (May 2004). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Risky Business: Trust in Negotiation." Negotiation 7, no. 2 (February 2004). View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Will You Negotiate or Litigate?" Negotiation 7, no. 10 (October 2004). View Details
- Pillutla, Madan M., Deepak Malhotra, and J. Keith Murnighan. "Attributions of Trust and the Calculus of Reciprocity." Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 39, no. 5 (September 2003): 448–455. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and J. Keith Murnighan. "The Effects of Contracts on Interpersonal Trust." Administrative Science Quarterly 47, no. 3 (September 2002): 534–559. View Details
- Ku, Gillian, and Deepak Malhotra. "The On-Line Auction Phenomenon: Growth, Strategies, Promise, and Problems." Negotiation Journal 17, no. 4 (October 2001): 349–361. View Details
- Book Chapters
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- Malhotra, Deepak. "Too Big To Trust? Managing Stakeholder Trust in Business in the Post-Bail-Out Economy." Chap. 3 in Public Trust in Business, edited by Jared D. Harris, Brian Moriarty, and Andrew C. Wicks, 51–85. Cambridge University Press, 2014. View Details
- Bazerman, Max H., and Deepak Malhotra. "Economics Wins, Psychology Loses, and Society Pays." In Social Psychology and Economics, edited by David de Cremer, J. Keith Murnighan, and Marcel Zeelenberg, 263–280. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2006. View Details
- Weber, Mark J., Deepak Malhotra, and J. Keith Murnighan. "Normal Acts of Irrational Trust: Motivated Attributions and the Trust Development Process." In Research in Organizational Behavior. Vol. 22, edited by B. Staw and R. Sutton, 75–101. Elsevier Science, 2000. View Details
- Murnighan, J. Keith, Deepak Malhotra, and J. Mark Weber. "Paradoxes of Trust: Empirical and Theoretical Departures from a Traditional Model." In Trust and Distrust in Organizations: Dilemmas and Approaches, edited by Roderick Kramer and Karen Cook. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2004. View Details
- Cases and Teaching Materials
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- Schwartzstein, Joshua, and Deepak Malhotra. "Rocket Science." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 923-008, August 2022. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and Cody Smith. "Negotiating Peace in Colombia." Harvard Business School Case 923-006, August 2022. View Details
- Kteily, Nour, and Deepak Malhotra. "Trouble at Basecamp: Managing Politics, Polarization, and Conflict in the Workplace (A) & (B)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 922-022, September 2021. (Revised October 2021.) View Details
- Schwartzstein, Joshua, and Deepak Malhotra. "Rocket Science." Harvard Business School Case 921-043, January 2021. (Revised October 2021.) View Details
- Kteily, Nour, Deepak Malhotra, and David Lane. "Trouble at Basecamp: Managing Politics, Polarization, and Conflict in the Workplace (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 922-004, July 2021. View Details
- Kteily, Nour, Deepak Malhotra, and David Lane. "Trouble at Basecamp: Managing Politics, Polarization, and Conflict in the Workplace (A)." Harvard Business School Case 922-003, July 2021. (Revised October 2021.) View Details
- Kteily, Nour, and Deepak Malhotra. "Project Restart: Deciding the Future of English Football." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 922-015, September 2021. (Revised October 2021.) View Details
- Kteily, Nour, and Deepak Malhotra. "Project Restart: Deciding the Future of English Football." Harvard Business School Case 921-050, April 2021. (Revised April 2021.) View Details
- Wasserman, Noam, and Deepak Malhotra. "Negotiating Equity Splits at UpDown ." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 812-048, March 2012. (Revised March 2014.) View Details
- "Negotiating Equity Splits at UpDown." Harvard Business School Tutorial 812-701, March 2012. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Name Your Price: Compensation Negotiation at Whole Health Management (TN) (A), (B) & (C)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 910-038, March 2010. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Hamilton Real Estate (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 910-037, February 2010. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Strategies of Influence." Harvard Business School Module Note 910-039, February 2010. View Details
- Hall, Brian J., Deepak Malhotra, and Nicole Bennett. "Name Your Price: Compensation Negotiation at Whole Health Management (A)." Harvard Business School Case 908-064, June 2008. (Revised January 2010.) View Details
- Hall, Brian J., Deepak Malhotra, and Nicole Bennett. "Name Your Price: Compensation Negotiation at Whole Health Management (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 908-065, June 2008. (Revised January 2010.) View Details
- Hall, Brian J., Deepak Malhotra, and Nicole Bennett. "Name Your Price: Compensation Negotiation at Whole Health Management (C)." Harvard Business School Supplement 908-066, June 2008. (Revised January 2010.) View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Negotiating on Thin Ice: The 2004-2005 NHL Dispute (TN) (A) & (B)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 909-061, June 2009. (Revised August 2014.) View Details
- Wasserman, Noam T., and Deepak Malhotra. "Negotiating Equity Splits at UpDown (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 809-133, June 2009. View Details
- Wasserman, Noam, and Deepak Malhotra. "UpDown: Confidential Instructions for MICHAEL." Harvard Business School Supplement 809-021, July 2008. (Revised November 2012.) View Details
- Wasserman, Noam, and Deepak Malhotra. "UpDown: Confidential Instructions for GEORG." Harvard Business School Supplement 809-022, July 2008. (Revised November 2012.) View Details
- Wasserman, Noam, and Deepak Malhotra. "UpDown: Confidential Instructions for PHUC." Harvard Business School Supplement 809-023, July 2008. (Revised November 2012.) View Details
- Wasserman, Noam, and Deepak Malhotra. "Negotiating Equity Splits at UpDown." Harvard Business School Case 809-020, July 2008. (Revised November 2012.) View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and Max H. Bazerman. "The Book Deal: Confidential Instructions for the PUBLISHER." Harvard Business School Exercise 908-050, March 2008. (Revised August 2017.) View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and Max H. Bazerman. "The Book Deal: Confidential Instructions for the AGENT." Harvard Business School Exercise 908-051, March 2008. (Revised August 2017.) View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and John A. Davis. "Negotiating Effectively in Family Business Systems." Harvard Business School Module Note 807-144, March 2007. (Revised October 2007.) View Details
- Davis, John A., and Deepak Malhotra. "Matthew B. Hunter." Harvard Business School Case 806-204, June 2006. View Details
- Davis, John A., and Deepak Malhotra. "Matthew A. Hunter." Harvard Business School Exercise 806-203, June 2006. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and Maly Hout. "Negotiating on Thin Ice: The 2004-2005 NHL Dispute (A)." Harvard Business School Case 906-038, February 2006. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak, and Maly Hout. "Negotiating on Thin Ice: The 2004-2005 NHL Dispute (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 906-039, February 2006. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Hamilton Real Estate: Confidential Role Information for the CEO of Estate One (BUYER)." Harvard Business School Exercise 905-052, January 2005. (Revised August 2014.) View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Hamilton Real Estate: Confidential Role Information for the Executive VP of Pearl Investments (SELLER)." Harvard Business School Exercise 905-053, January 2005. View Details
- Presentations
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- Malhotra, Deepak. "The Purpose of Education." Harvard Business School, April 2016. View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "How to Negotiate a Job Offer." Harvard Business School, 2012. (Over 600,000 views on YouTube.) View Details
- Malhotra, Deepak. "Tragedy & Genius: My Speech to Graduating Harvard Business School Students." Harvard Business School, April 23, 2012. View Details
- Other Publications and Materials
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- Malhotra, Deepak. "Negotiating in the Shadow of Terrorism: How Violent Extremism Makes Peace Negotiations Possible and Improbable." View Details
- Research Summary
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A large part of my work focuses on negotiation, dealmaking and conflict resolution. My latest book is Negotiating the Impossible: How to Break Deadlocks & Resolve Ugly Conflicts (without Money or Muscle). Negotiating the Impossible has earned numerous distinctions (including the Best Business Book of 2016 by KnowSquare). My previous book on negotiation (with Max Bazerman) is titled Negotiation Genius: How to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Brilliant Results at the Bargaining Table and Beyond. The book was awarded the 2008 Outstanding Book Award by the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution.
My articles on negotiatin include: a paper that looks at how the degree and type of contract complexity shapes inter-firm dispute resolution when conflict arises; an article entitled "How to Negotiate with VCs"; an article on "How to Negotiate Your Job Offer"; and an article titled "A Definitive Guide to the Brexit Negotiations". I have also contributed often to the Negotiation Newsletter, writing on topics such as: negotiating from a position of weakness, managing distrust, dealing with a seemingly irrational counterpart, using psychological influence tactics, making concessions strategically, and finding smart alternatives to lying in negotiation. My current focus is on strategies for dealing with complex, ugly disputes.A second stream of research looks at issues related to conflict resolution in the context of international and ethno-political conflict, and in particular, at the role of negotiation in ending armed conflicts. I launched a new course at HBS entitled "War & Peace: The Lessons of History," and have written a series of case studies on the history of war and peace, including on: The Peloponessian War, World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, Colombia, Rwanda, and the history of war and peace in the Middle East. An article, published in Foreign Affairs, examines whether and when countries should set preconditions to negotiating with their 'enemies'. In another project, a colleague and I study Israeli attitudes towards a two-state solution. We find that concerns regarding successful implementation of a negotiated agreement can lead parties to prefer "balanced" over advantageous deals. Another project, conducted in Sri Lanka, demonstrates the kind of long-term impact that 'peace camps' can (and cannot) have on attitudes and behaviors of ethnic disputants. My current work in this area is looking at how peace processes can be designed more effectively.My colleagues and I are studying gun violence from two perspectives. First, how do events like mass shootings impact gun policy? Do they have any effect? We find that they do, but not in the way most people would expect. Second, we are studying which types of gun laws might actually lead to fewer gun deaths. In a recent paper, entitled "Handgun Waiting Periods Reduce Gun Deaths", which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, we find that when states enact "waiting period" laws, this leads to a significant reduction in gun homocides (~17%) and gun suicides (~5-10%). In addition to examining every change in such policies across all 50 states over 45 years, we also leverage a natural experiment that replicates our results and speaks to the causal relationship between waiting periods and gun deaths.I am working with collaborators at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to develop interventions that will help surgeons communicate more effectively with cancer patients, with the goal of helping patients make better decisions regarding their health.My research on trust falls into two broad categories. First, I study barriers to trust development, and focus on mechanisms that might help to overcome these barriers. One recent project analyzes over 150,000 pages of documents concerning 102-interfirm disputes to examine whether and when contracts facilitate vs. undermine inter-party trust and collaboration. In other work, I have used laboratory and field experiments to examine the psychological barriers that inhibit trust development among otherwise well-intentioned parties, and how parties might facilitate trust and reciprocity. Second, I study stakeholder trust in organizations. One recent project examines how organizations build trust with multiple stakeholder groups when the very nature of trust differs across groups. Another project looks at whether we need to rethink the nature of "trust in business" in light of the recent financial crisis (i.e., in the "post-bailout" economy).A fourth stream of research examines a phenomenon that my co-authors and I have termed Competitive Arousal. We find that some features of competitive contexts (e.g., time pressure, perceptions of rivalry, and the presence of an audience) can heighten physiological arousal and lead to a win-at-any-cost mindset. For example, as perceptions of rivalry and time pressure are heightened, competitor motivation seems to shift away from the initial goal of making the best decision and towards a new goal of winning at any cost. My work on this topic looks at when any why competitive arousal is likely to derail otherwise sound strategy, and how decision makers in a variety of contexts (e.g., negotiations, bidding wars, disputes, etc.) might avoid its ill effects. My most recent publication on the topic incorporates a field study, a field experiment, and a laboratory experiment to examine the effects of rivalry and time pressure on competitive motivation and behavior. - Awards & Honors
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Honored as MBA Professor of the Year by Poets & Quants, in 2020.“The Peacemaker's Code” won the 2021 National Indie Excellence Award for Best Science Fiction.Winner of the 2018 Outstanding Book Award from the International Association for Conflict Management (IACM) for Negotiating the Impossible: How to Break Deadlocks and Resolve Ugly Conflicts (without Money or Muscle) (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2016).Included as one of “40 Best Business School Professors Under 40” by Poets & Quants in 2014.Won the 2013 Charles M. Williams Award for Excellence in Teaching.Chosen by students in both 2011 and 2012 to give the Harvard Business School "Best of EC Year" speech to graduating MBA students.Wall Street Journal Best-Selling Author in 2012 for I Moved Your Cheese: For Those Who Refuse to Live as Mice in Someone Else's Maze (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2011).Won the 2011 Charles M. Williams Award for Excellence in Teaching.Won the 2008 International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution Outstanding Book Award with Max Bazerman for Negotiation Genius (Bantam Books, 2007).
- Additional Information
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- The Peacemaker's Code (read reviews or order the book)
- Negotiating the Impossible (book)
- On Twitter @Prof_Malhotra
- Working Knowledge
Videos - Areas of Interest
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- conflict management
- dealmaking
- dispute resolution
- negotiation
- strategy
- cognition
- conflict
- conflict management
- contracts
- cross-cultural/cross-border
- dealmaking
- decision-making
- dispute resolution
- electronic markets
- emotions
- experimental economics
- experimentation
- family business
- labor management
- organizational behavior
- power and influence
- reciprocity
- venture capital
- Africa
- Asia
- Europe
- North America
- South America
Additional TopicsGeographies