Roger Fisher

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For other persons named Roger Fisher, see Roger Fisher (disambiguation).

Roger Fisher (born May 28, 1922) is Samuel Williston Professor of Law emeritus at Harvard Law School and director of the Harvard Negotiation Project.

[edit] Background

Fisher specializes in negotiation and conflict resolution. He is the co-author (with Bill Ury) of Getting To YES, the classic book on win-win negotiation, as well as numerous other publications. Fisher started his study of negotiation with the question, "What advice could I give to both parties in a dispute?"

In 2005, Fisher published a follow-up to Getting to YES called Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate (with co-author Daniel Shapiro, a Harvard psychologist). Beyond Reason identifies five "core concerns" that everyone cares about: autonomy, affiliation, appreciation, status, and role. The book shows how to use the core concerns to stimulate helpful emotions in negotiations ranging from the personal to international. In Beyond Reason, Fisher documents many of his first-hand experiences negotiating around the world, from his involvement in negotiating the Iran-Hostage situation to his advisory role in helping Jamil Mahuad, President of Ecuador (1998-2000), resolve a long-standing international border dispute.

Fisher received his Bachelor's degree from Harvard in 1943 and his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1948. He taught at Harvard from 1958-1992.

In 1984, Fisher founded the Conflict Management Group (CMG) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. CMG specialized in facilitating negotiations in conflicts world-wide. CMG merged with the Mercy Corps humanitarian group in 2004. He is a member of the International Editorial Board of the Cambridge Review of International Affairs.