NCJ Number
109614
Journal
Negotiation Journal Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1988) Pages: 45-54
Date Published
1988
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This essay explores the 'schism' in the modern negotiation literature between the traditional, historically oriented school and the school that often uses behavioral methods and game theories.
Abstract
The traditional school frequently uses case studies and is reluctant to generalize about negotiation. The school that uses behavioral methods and game theories, on the other hand, generates theories that generalize about negotiation. This essay compares the characteristics of 'practical' and 'theoretical' scholarship in the negotiation dimensions of format, actor, emphasis, concern, method, means, procedure, and lessons. The stability of the schism between the two schools stems partly from the irreconcilability of each school's major concepts. Some believe that the evolution of negotiation concepts requires bridging the gap between these schools. These efforts, however, have only resulted in an uneasy compromise, in which an attempt is made to combine 'art' and 'science' without successfully synthesizing them. Other fields function under various schools, recognizing that the complexity of knowledge and perspectives may require it. The field of negotiation may have to do the same. 2 notes and 42 references.