Adopt an Outsider's View of Negotiations

"Just as intuition biases your vision, it can sabotage your negotiations without your awareness. This article [from HBS Working Knowledge] explores why we often think irrationally—and why, even when the stakes are high and mistakes are costly, we sometimes are unable to overcome our psychological biases..."

The article stresses the advisability, particularly in complex and emotionally charged situations, of resisting "System 1" thinking and employing "System 2" thought.

"System 1 thought describes our intuition: quick, automatic, effortless, and influenced by emotion. By comparison, System 2 thought is slower, more conscious, effortful, and logical."

The authors offer four strategies "to help you guard against falling back on your intuition during times of stress and indecision in negotiation.

Strategy 1: Make a System 2 list...identify situations that call for extra vigilance...

Strategy 2: Don't let time pressure affect your decisions...

Strategy 3: Partition the negotiation across multiple sessions...

Strategy 4: Adopt an outsider lens...the outsider uses rational, System 2 thinking...

Ask yourself this simple question: If someone I cared about asked me for my opinion in a negotiation such as this, what advice would I give?"