Every year in my Organizational Behavior class, I run a job offer negotiation simulation where students play the role of either a candidate or a recruiter. The simulation is quantified, and the goal for each…
In a 1997 article published in the Harvard Business Review, Eisenhardt, Kahwajy and Bourgeois argue that the absence of conflict within work teams is not harmony, it’s apathy. The underlying idea is that having disagreements…
Negotiating a job offer can be a scary thing. In a recent survey I ran, 6 out of 10 working adults reported they had not negotiated the terms of their current job. They accepted the…
Someone at work is asking you for something. You want to say no, but you can’t seem to get the word out. A million thoughts pop into your mind. What will they think of you?…
If salary negotiations make you nervous, you are not alone. In a recent study I ran, most working adults accept job offers without negotiating them. The issue? The first offer an employer makes you is…
We humans are irrational decision-makers but in a predictable way. Cognitive biases are the equivalent of funhouse mirrors; they distort your perception of reality. For example, I often ask students to rank themselves in the…
What does negotiation mean to you? Arguing with your counterpart? Haggling for the best price possible? Meeting in the middle? The way you mentally represent your actions determines how you behave in real life. If…
Imagine that you purchased a new laptop. You are meeting an interested buyer later today to sell your old one. You want to make a good deal, but what counts as a “good” deal, really?…
Let me share a short story. I used to hate doing squats at the gym. I would make good progress in every strength-training exercise except for the squat. My posture felt wrong, I had a…