Negotiation Engineering: A Quantitative Problem-Solving Approach to Negotiation

ETH Zurich: Negotiation and Conflict Management Research Paper No. 15-01

20 Pages Posted: 4 Nov 2015 Last revised: 22 Nov 2016

Date Written: July 11, 2016

Abstract

Negotiations are complex problems whose solutions require special, practical methods. We introduce a problem-solving approach to negotiation inspired by the established solution-oriented discipline of engineering, which we call Negotiation Engineering. The key elements of this approach are the reduction of problems to their basic structures and the application of heuristic methods to problem solving. We argue that the use of mathematical language in negotiations enables an increased logical accuracy in negotiation analysis and allows the use of a variety of existing helpful mathematical tools to achieve a negotiation agreement. We demonstrate the practicability and usefulness of this approach in four case studies in the area of international diplomacy in which Negotiation Engineering was applied to achieve negotiation solutions.

Keywords: Negotiation Engineering, problem solving, heuristic method, mathematical language

Suggested Citation

Langenegger, Tobias and Ambühl, Michael, Negotiation Engineering: A Quantitative Problem-Solving Approach to Negotiation (July 11, 2016). ETH Zurich: Negotiation and Conflict Management Research Paper No. 15-01, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2685871 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2685871

Tobias Langenegger (Contact Author)

ETH Zürich ( email )

Weinbergstrasse 56/58
WEV K 516
Zürich, 8092
Switzerland

Michael Ambühl

ETH Zürich ( email )

Weinbergstrasse 56/58
WEK K 511
Zürich, 8092
Switzerland

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