Professor Deepak Malhotra (Harvard Business School)

Dr. Deepak Malhotra is a professor and Wall Street Journal bestselling author whose interests include negotiation strategy, trust development, international and ethnic dispute resolution, and competitive escalation. He earned his PhD at Northwestern Kellogg School of Management and is now a highly respected Negotiations professor at Harvard Business School (HBS).

At HBS, Dr. Malhotra is currently the Eli Goldston Professor of Business Administration. Previously, he was a visiting professor at the University of Oxford for three years, between 2013 and 2016.

How Dr. Malhotra Teaches Negotiations at HBS

At HBS, Dr. Malhotra teaches a variety of courses including the full-time MBA’s Negotiation class and executive programs like the Owner/President Management Program (for which he is Faculty Chair), Changing the Game, and Families in Business. Additionally, he pioneered a new HBS course, War & Peace, which looks at leadership and negotiation lessons from history.

“His ability to spread awareness of the world around us extends beyond the borders of the classroom. … Every interaction I have with Professor Malhotra leaves me pondering about what more I can do with the knowledge and opportunities I have been given in my life.”

Justine Lelchuk, HBS Class of 2011

Dr. Malhotra has a highly engaging and dynamic teaching style, using experiential learning, case studies, and simulations in the classroom. Students consistently describe his teaching as highly engaging, inspiring, and even life-changing.

“Deepak’s engaging and humorous style makes every class an unforgettable experience. A hunger exists in his classroom that is impossible to describe. Each discussion brings nuggets of wisdom that students scramble to compile. … Though Deepak teaches at a ‘business’ school … ‘life’ professor is more precise.”

Jon Engberg, HBS Class of 2012

Thanks to the deep impact he has on students, he has twice been selected by MBA students to give the end-of-year address for the graduating class; you can see one of these speeches below.

Research Interests & Publications

Dr. Malhotra’s research interests include negotiation strategy, trust development, conflict resolution, and competitive escalation.

His approach is characterized by the ambition to apply his negotiations insights to a wide variety of contexts, including research on

• Negotiations in the business world and beyond
• International and ethnic conflicts and how they can be effectively mediated and resolved
• Efforts to reduce gun violence in the US
• The issue of trust development in the context of business and negotiations
• A concept he calls “competitive arousal”—the psychological and physiological impact that competitive contexts can have on the people involved, and how this impacts decision-making
• How negotiations insights can be applied in the context of cancer treatment to improve communication between surgeons and patients

All his research, as well as his professional activities, is dedicated to high-impact, transformative, original interventions.

Selected Bibliography

Dr. Malhotra has published several bestselling nonfiction books on the topic of negotiations, and most recently a sci-fi novel incorporating the same themes: 

• The Peacemaker’s Code (2021)
• Negotiating the Impossible: How to Break Deadlocks and Resolve Ugly Conflicts (Without Money or Muscle) (2016)
• I Moved Your Cheese: For Those Who Refuse to Live as Mice in Someone Else’s Maze (2011)
• Negotiation Genius (with Max Bazerman, 2007) 

He has published prolifically in academic journals. A few examples are given below:

• “A Systematic Approach to Discussing Active Surveillance with Patients with Low-Risk Prostate Cancer” (European Urology, 2017)
• “The Desire to Win: The Effects of Competitive Arousal on Motivation and Behavior” (Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2010)
• “Shadow of the Contract: How Contract Structure Shapes Inter-firm Dispute Resolution” (Strategic Management Journal, 2010)
•  “Psychological Influence in Negotiation: An Introduction Long Overdue” (Journal of Management, 2008)
• “Paradoxes of Trust: Empirical and Theoretical Departures from a Traditional Model” (in Trust and Distrust in Organizations: Dilemmas and Approaches, 2004)

He has also an impressive media presence, with multiple appearances on CNBC and op-eds in Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, and Fortune. His articles in popular media outlets include

• “I’m an Expert on Negotiations, and I Have Some Advice for Theresa May” (The New York Times, 2018)
• “Trump Says He’s a Great Negotiator, but the Evidence Says Otherwise” (Fortune, 2016)
• “Why There Are So Many Conflicts in Pro Sports (and What to Do About Them)” (Forbes, 2012)

Dr. Malhotra on Negotiation Mindsets

Professional Experience

Beyond the classroom, Dr. Malhotra has extensive industry experience as a trainer, consultant, and advisor to firms and CEOs across the globe. Further, he has served as an advisor to governments negotiating to end armed conflicts.

Previously, Dr. Malhotra has served as a Board Member at CollegeVine and on the Board of Advisors at Nutanix and Cylance, Inc. 

Awards

Over the years, Dr. Malhotra has accrued several awards for his teaching, research, and publications. A few are highlighted below:

• The Peacemaker’s Code won the 2021 National Indie Excellence Award for Best Science Fiction.
• He was honored with the HBS Student Association Faculty Award for Outstanding Teaching, 2011–2020
• Poets & Quants named him MBA Professor of the Year in 2020.
• Both Negotiation Genius and Negotiating the Impossible won the Outstanding Book Award from the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution.
• He won the 2011 and 2013 Charles M. Williams Awards for Excellence in Teaching.