Summary

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In is a landmark book on negotiation by Roger Fisher and William Ury, first published in 1981. As founding members of the Harvard Negotiation Project, the authors developed a method of principled, interest-based negotiation that has been widely adopted in fields from business and law to international diplomacy and social work. At its core, Getting to Yes focuses on four keys to effective negotiation—separating people from the problem, focusing on interests rather than positions, generating options for mutual gain, and using objective criteria. The book’s practical approach and real-world examples have made it accessible to a broad audience, from corporate executives to everyday individuals seeking to improve their negotiation skills, and an enduring success, with translations into over 35 languages and sales exceeding 15 million copies worldwide.

Plot

Getting to Yes presents a method for negotiation developed by the Harvard Negotiation Project. The book outlines a strategy called “principled negotiation” that aims to help parties reach mutually beneficial agreements without resorting to positional bargaining or antagonistic tactics.

Roger Fisher and William Ury introduce four key principles that form the foundation of their negotiation method. First, they advise separating the people from the problem, emphasizing the importance of addressing relationship issues separately from the substantive disagreement. Second, they recommend focusing on interests rather than positions, encouraging negotiators to look beyond stated demands to understand the underlying needs and motivations of all parties involved.

The third principle involves inventing options for mutual gain. This creative problem-solving approach seeks to expand the range of possible solutions by brainstorming ideas that could satisfy the interests of both sides. Finally, the authors stress the importance of insisting on using objective criteria to evaluate potential agreements rather than relying on willpower or pressure tactics.

Throughout the book, Fisher and Ury provide practical advice for implementing these principles in various negotiation scenarios. They address common challenges such as dealing with more powerful opponents, handling “dirty tricks,” and overcoming reluctance to engage in principled negotiation. The authors also include a section answering frequently asked questions about their approach, making the book a comprehensive guide for anyone seeking to improve their negotiation skills.

Themes

• Bringing a practical, principled, interest-based approach to negotiation   

• Separating relationship issues from the substantive disagreement in a negotiation  

• Focusing on people’s genuine interests rather than positions in negotiations

• Generating options for mutual gain in every negotiation

• Relying on objective criteria in negotiations 

• Dealing with difficult negotiators and pressure tactics

• Applying principled, interest-based negotiation in all fields and across cultures

Setting

Getting to Yes was first published in 1981, during a period of increasing global tensions in the Cold War era. This timing likely influenced the authors' focus on conflict resolution and mutually beneficial negotiation strategies.

The concepts presented in Getting to Yes were developed at Harvard University's Negotiation Project, reflecting the academic environment of elite American institutions in the 1970s and early 1980s. Many of the book’s examples and case studies draw from international diplomacy, business negotiations, and interpersonal conflicts familiar to a Western, particularly American, audience.

Throughout the book, Fisher and Ury reference various global locations and historical events to illustrate their points. These range from the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel to labor disputes in the United States. The authors' approach aims to be universally applicable, transcending specific cultural or geographical boundaries, though critics have noted its inherent Western perspective.

Key Figures

• Roger Fisher: Co-author. As a professor at Harvard Law School and director of the Harvard Negotiation Project, Fisher developed many of the key concepts in principled negotiation outlined in the book. He also drew on his extensive experience in international conflicts and diplomacy to create practical negotiation strategies.

• William Ury: Co-author. A co-founder of Harvard's Program on Negotiation, Ury helped refine and expand on Fisher's ideas about interest-based negotiation. 

• Bruce Patton: Editor of the first edition, added as a co-author for later additions. Patton helped revise and update the book, contributing additional examples and answering common questions about applying the negotiation techniques.

• Hypothetical negotiators: The book uses various unnamed hypothetical negotiators in example scenarios to illustrate negotiation concepts and techniques. These include parents and children, neighbors, bosses and employees, and international diplomats.

Quick facts

• Getting to Yes, originally published in 1981, has sold over 15 million copies worldwide with translations into more than 35 different languages.

• Authors Roger Fisher and William Ury developed the concept of “principled negotiation” at the Harvard Negotiation Project.

• Getting to Yes introduces the idea of BATNA—Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement.

• A second edition was released in 1991 with Bruce Patton added as a co-author.

• A BusinessWeek bestseller, Getting to Yes is widely considered one of the most influential books on negotiation ever written.

• The third edition in 2011 added new examples, including negotiations in post-Saddam Iraq.

• Getting to Yes has been used in high schools across the US to teach students about negotiation.

• Despite its status as an international bestseller, Getting to Yes has attracted critic

About the Author

Roger Fisher (1922-2012) was a renowned American academic and negotiation expert. As a Samuel Williston Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, Fisher dedicated his career to the study and teaching of conflict resolution. He founded the Harvard Negotiation Project in 1979, which became a cornerstone for research and education in the field of dispute management. He is widely known as the co-author of Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, published in 1981. This groundbreaking work introduced the concept of “interest-based” negotiation, revolutionizing how people approach conflict resolution. The book's practical advice and innovative strategies have made it an enduring bestseller, influencing generations of negotiators across various sectors.

Throughout his career, Fisher was involved in numerous high-profile international negotiations. He played advisory roles in conflicts ranging from the Middle East peace process to the Iran hostage crisis. His approach to negotiation, which emphasized understanding the interests of all parties involved, proved effective in many real-world scenarios, including the resolution of the Ecuadorian-Peruvian territorial dispute and the negotiations that led to the end of apartheid in South Africa.

Beyond his academic and practical work, Fisher was known for his innovative ideas. One of his more unconventional proposals involved nuclear deterrence, suggesting that nuclear launch codes be implanted in a volunteer to make the human cost of nuclear war more tangible to decision-makers. This bold concept exemplifies Fisher's commitment to finding creative solutions to even the most challenging global issues.