Is reaching an agreement enough to call a negotiation successful?

On October 21, the Schranner Negotiation Institute brought together negotiation experts from academia, business, diplomacy, and conflict resolution for a private roundtable on one fundamental question: What defines success in negotiation?

The discussion challenged conventional assumptions and revealed several important insights:

• Success begins with an objective. Without clearly defined objectives, success cannot be meaningfully measured.
• An agreement does not equal success. What matters is whether the negotiation advances its intended objectives and produces lasting results.
• Success is subjective. Different stakeholders can evaluate the same negotiation very differently.
• Success can mean creating value or preventing harm. Sometimes achieving a better outcome is the objective. Other times, preventing an already difficult situation from deteriorating is itself a success.
• Formal and informal negotiations serve different purposes. While formal negotiations can become displays of power and confrontation, informal exchanges may provide greater opportunities for constructive solutions.
  

One central conclusion emerged: To improve negotiation performance, we must first rethink how we define and measure success.

We have captured the discussion's main findings, contrasting perspectives, and practical implications in our Academic Day Executive Summary.

View below to explore the full Executive Summary.
Note: This is an editorial synthesis of viewpoints, not a verbatim record or a claim of consensus on every point.