Traditionally, businesses have viewed the goal of negotiation as being simply to get the best deal possible from their own perspective. The focus has been very much on the strategies and tactics needed to negotiate this deal now, with no thought for the future. The short-sighted nature of this approach, and the opportunities for doing business in a much better way for longer-term success, is the premise of this book.

As the authors note, increasingly, business success depends on strategic relationships built for an ever-dynamic and interconnected world that will endure long after the deal is done. The focus needs to be on developing evolving and mutually beneficial relationships that create shared value, solve mutual problems and get both parties to a place of “we” rather than the usual “us versus them”.

Six principles of collaborative relationships are outlined: reciprocity, autonomy, honesty, equity, loyalty and integrity. These are principles of action rather than aspirations and both sides need to commit jointly to following these principles and ensure they care more for the relationship than for their own short-term interest.