---
id: "prereq-batna"
type: "prerequisite"
source_timestamps: ["§ Don't Rely on Reactive Deal Reviews", "§ Don't Give Negotiators Decision Authority"]
tags: ["negotiation-theory"]
related: ["framework-negotiator-mandate", "framework-dvb-lifecycle", "concept-consultation-funnel", "entity-roger-fisher"]
reason: "Understanding BATNA is required to grasp why identifying walkaway alternatives empowers negotiators who lack commitment authority."
sources: ["ecosystem"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-ecosystem"
originDay: 11
articleStem: "hbr-nm-103-big-companies-negotiate-deals"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/01/why-big-companies-struggle-to-negotiate-great-deals"
sourceTitle: "Why Big Companies Struggle to Negotiate Great Deals"
---
# BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement)

**BATNA** = *Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement* — the course of action a party will take if the current negotiation fails. A strong BATNA provides leverage and serves as the ultimate benchmark against which any proposed deal must be measured.

**Why it's a prerequisite here:** BATNA is referenced repeatedly as a critical component of negotiation preparation and final decision-making. Understanding it is required to grasp why *identifying walkaway alternatives* empowers negotiators who lack commitment authority. It is an explicit component of [[framework-negotiator-mandate]] and [[concept-business-plan-mandate]], the exit benchmark at the end of the [[framework-dvb-lifecycle]] and the [[concept-consultation-funnel]] ('take the deal or walk away to BATNA'). The concept traces to the interest-based tradition of [[entity-roger-fisher|Roger Fisher]] (*Getting to Yes*).