People negotiate every day. During an average day, we may negotiate with

• The boss, regarding an unexpected work assignment.
• Subordinates, regarding unexpected overtime.
• A supplier, about a problem with raw materials inventory management.
• A banker, over the terms of a business loan.
• A government official, regarding compliance with environmental regulations.
• A real estate agent, over the lease on a new warehouse.
• Our spouse, over who will walk the dog.
• Our child, over who will walk the dog (still an issue after we lose the previous negotiation).
• The dog, once out, as to whether any "business" gets done.

In short, negotiation is a common, everyday activity that most people use to influence others and to achieve personal objectives. In fact, negotiation is not only common, it is also essential to living an effective and satisfying life. We all need things—resources, information, cooperation, and support from others. Others have those needs as well, sometimes compatible with ours, sometimes not. Negotiation is a process by which we attempt to influence others to help us achieve our needs while at the same time taking their needs into account. It is a fundamental skill, not only for successful management but also for successful living.

In 1985 Roy Lewicki and Joseph Litterer published the first edition of this book. As they were preparing that volume, it was clear that the basic processes of negotiation had received only selective attention in both the academic and practitioner literature. Scholars of negotiation had generally restricted examination of these processes to basic theory development and laboratory research in social psychology, to a few books written for managers, and to an examination of negotiation in complex settings such as diplomacy and labor–management relations. Efforts to draw from the broader study of techniques for influence and persuasion, to integrate this work into a broader understanding of negotiation, and to apply this work to a broad spectrum of conflict and negotiation settings were only beginning to occur.

In the past 21 years this world has changed significantly. Several new practitioner organizations (such as the Society for Professionals in Dispute Resolution and the Association for Conflict Resolution) and academic professional associations (such as the Conflict Management Division of the Academy of Management and the International Association for Conflict Management) have devoted themselves exclusively to facilitating research and teaching in the fields of negotiation and conflict management. Several new journals (Negotiation Journal, International Journal of Conflict Management, International Negotiation) focus exclusively on research in these fields. Finally, through the generosity of the Hewlett Foundation, a number of university centers have devoted themselves to enhancing the quality of teaching, research, and service in the negotiation and conflict management fields. Many schools now have several courses in negotiation and conflict management—in schools of business, law, public policy, psychology, social work, education, and natural resources. Development has occurred on the practitioner side as well. Books, seminars, and training courses on negotiation and conflict management abound. And, finally, mediation has become an extremely popular process as an alternative to litigation for handling divorce, community disputes, and land use conflicts. In pragmatic terms, all of this development means that as we assembled this fifth edition, we have had a much richer and more diverse pool of resources from which to sample. The net result for the student and instructor is a highly improved book of readings and exercises that contains many new articles, cases, and exercises, which represent the very best and most recent work on negotiation and the related topics of power, influence, and conflict management.

A brief overview of this book is in order. The readings in this book are organized into seven sections: (1) negotiation fundamentals, (2) negotiation subprocesses, (3) negotiation contexts, (4) individual differences, (5) negotiation across cultures, (6) resolving differences, and (7) a summary.

The rest of the book presents a collection of role-play exercises, cases, and selfassessment questionnaires that can be used to teach about negotiation processes and subprocesses. Complete information about the use or adaptation of these materials for several classroom formats is provided in our accompanying Instructor’s Manual, which faculty members may obtain from their local McGraw-Hill/Irwin representative, by calling (800) 634-3963, or by visiting the McGraw-Hill Web site at http://mhhe.com/lewickinegotiation.

For readers who are familiar with the earlier editions of this book, the most visible changes in this edition are to the book’s content and organization, as follows:

• The content of this edition is substantially new. About half of the readings are new to this edition, and there are approximately eight new exercises and cases. Almost all exercises and cases have been revised and updated.
• We have reorganized the readings into seven sections. These sections parallel the seven sections and 20 chapters of completely revised textbook, Negotiation, 5th edition, by Lewicki, Saunders, and Barry, also published by McGraw-Hill/Irwin. The text and reader can be used together or separately. A shorter version of the text, Essentials of Negotiation (3rd ed.) by Lewicki, saunders, Barry, and Minton, can also be used in conjunction with this readings book; a fourth edition of Essentials should be available in late 2006. We encourage instructors to contact their local McGraw-Hill/Irwin representative for an examination copy (call 800-634-3963, or visit the Web site at http://mhhe.com/lewickinegotiation).

This book could not have been completed without the assistance of numerous people. We especially thank

• The many authors and publishers who granted us permission to use or adapt their work for this book and whom we have recognized in conjunction with specific exercises, cases, or articles.
• The many negotiation instructors and trainers who inspired several of the exercises in this book and who have given us excellent feedback on the previous editions of this book.
• The staff of McGraw-Hill/Irwin, especially our current editor, Ryan Blankenship, and our previous editors: John Weimeister, John Biernat, Kurt Strand, and Karen Johnson; Allison Clelland, an editorial coordinator who can solve almost any problem; and Christine Vaughan, a tireless project manager who helps turns our confusing instructions and tedious prose into eminently readable and usable volumes!
• Our families, who continue to provide us with the time, inspiration, opportunities for continued learning about effective negotiation, and personal support required to finish this project.

Roy J. Lewicki
Bruce Barry
David M. Saunders