Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA)

Roger Fisher and William Ury introduced the concept in Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (1981), developed through the Harvard Negotiation Project. They argued that every negotiator should know their BATNA before entering talks — the best outcome achievable without any deal — because it sets the floor below which no agreement is worth accepting. The book has sold over 15 million copies and remains among the most influential negotiation texts ever published.