Critical Moments as “Change” in Negotiation

Abstract

It seems that one of the biggest challenges a negotiator faces is disentangling what is happening while negotiations are ongoing: how does one make sense of the underlying logic of interaction while staying aware of the microprocesses that comprise the emerging whole? How can we be scientific observers of events and still be competent practitioners who shape those same events? The three articles in this section begin to address this question. Each author, in his or her own way, frames the need for such a dual awareness and offers various strategies or moves that serve as resources to guide negotiations in constructive directions.