• On Campus
    Session Date
    -
    Application Deadline
    Program Fee
    $10,200
    Faculty Chair
    Kessely Hong
    Brian Mandell
    Program Director
    Taylor Woods-Gauthier
    Request Brochure
    Apply

    We are still accepting applications for this session. Please contact the program director for additional information.

    Program Fee: The program fee includes tuition, housing, curricular materials and most meals.
    Executive Certificate: This program is a core program in the Public  Leadership concentration. This program can also be used as a third program for any concentration in the Executive Certificate series.
    Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs): This program aligns with one or more Executive Core Qualifications.

  • Online
    Session Date
    -
    Application Deadline
    Program Fee
    $4,800
    Faculty Chair
    Kessely Hong
    Program Director
    Daniel Abar
    Request Brochure
    Apply

    Executive Certificate: This program is a core program in the Public  Leadership concentration. This program can also be used as a third program for any concentration in the Executive Certificate series.
    Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs): This program aligns with one or more Executive Core Qualifications.

Program Overview

The key to negotiating effectively is to be proactive, not reactive. Your ability to frame the parameters at the outset of each negotiation is critical to success.

To do that, however, you must fully understand the context and unique circumstances—including cultural differences and organizational dynamics—surrounding each negotiation before it begins.

Negotiation Strategies: Building Agreement Across Boundaries from Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education is designed specifically to give you these vital abilities. Through this one-week program, you will master the strategic, analytic, and communication skills you need to negotiate effectively. And as an organizational leader, you will acquire the tools and frameworks to diagnose problems, build winning coalitions, and craft robust agreements.

illustration of schedule
Schedule for online program

Program Curriculum

Developed and led by Harvard Kennedy School faculty, Negotiation Strategies: Building Agreement Across Boundaries equips senior leaders like you to negotiate more effectively.

This  program also features the case-study method that Harvard pioneered, so you will explore real-world situations that mirror the kinds of negotiations you face every day.

Learning Objectives

The Negotiation Strategies: Building Agreement Across Boundaries curriculum focuses on:

  • Shaping the agenda for strategic action in the face of resistance and uncertainty
  • Cultivating relationships in order to build coalitions and make effective deals
  • Exploiting leverage points in rules, prior commitments, and obligations to influence perceptions and alternatives
  • Identifying influential players to anticipate barriers to and opportunities for negotiated agreements
  • Framing persuasive arguments and alternatives to create added value
  • Shifting the balance of forces within and across organizations to build momentum
  • Initiating strategic moves at and away from the table to change the dynamic
  • Assessing negotiation outcomes with a view toward improving future performance

Application Information

Negotiation Strategies: Building Agreement Across Boundaries is designed for senior leaders seeking to advance their negotiation skills.

Those who could benefit from the program include:

  • Senior public officials at the national, state, and local levels
  • Corporate executives, including vice presidents, directors, and C-level officers

The online program provides a more flexible format where you can apply concepts directly to your work while experiencing the rigor of Harvard remotely. Through an array of online modalities, you will be immersed in the curriculum and make progress on your individual challenges, while connecting with your peers and developing a robust network of colleagues that will last a lifetime. Access the draft online program schedule.

The on-campus program is an immersive and intense learning experience on Harvard’s historic Cambridge campus. During the week, you’ll experience lectures firsthand and connect with peers both in and outside of the classroom. The fee includes tuition, housing, curricular materials, and most meals. Access a sample on-campus program schedule.

WHAT PARTICIPANTS ARE SAYING

“Passion, expertise, commitment, and emotional intelligence from the faculty and staff are all ingredients that made my program experience unforgettable. If I’m a better negotiating diplomat in Africa today, I owe it to executive education at HKS.”

Fabrizio Lobasso, Deputy Director for Subsaharan Africa, ITA MFA, Rome
Arrow Down

Hear From the Faculty Chairs

Faculty Chairs Kessely Hong and Brian Mandell discuss the Negotiation Strategies executive program.

Faculty & Research

Kessely Hong Photo

Kessely Hong

Senior Lecturer in Public Policy
617-384-8111
Brian Mandell Photo

Brian Mandell

Mohamed Kamal Senior Lecturer in Negotiation and Public Policy

HKS shield.

Monica Giannone

617-495-5953

Alumni Perspective

"Placed in a classroom with high ranking and accomplished professionals while being taught by the best professors in the world is like nothing else. Through the active-learning method, I found myself engaged and finding solutions to my own challenges."

Kara Jenkins, Administrator, Nevada Equal Rights Commission
Arrow Up
Request More Information
Access brochure and receive more information about the program
Access
Apply
Start your application and take the next step in your learning journey.
Apply
Related Resources

Admissions & Financial Information

Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education provides comprehensive admissions and financial information to help you make an informed decision. Learn more now!