The ODA Section invites you to an ODA research seminar where Peter Kesting will give the following presentation:

“How Much Is Enough? Rethinking Success in Negotiation and Management”

Abstract
Negotiation theory largely assumes that rational actors aim to maximize outcomes within the zone of possible agreement. Success is equated with claiming and creating as much value as possible. Yet negotiators often stop short of the maximum - even when additional gains are attainable at negligible cost. This conceptual paper addresses this overlooked puzzle by introducing a third analytical threshold alongside reservation and aspiration points: the sufficiency point. It first reconstructs how maximization became embedded as the dominant ideal of rationality in economic and negotiation thought. It then turns to the philosophical tradition of sufficientarianism as a counter position, which shifts the evaluative focus from “as much as possible” to “enough.” Bringing this perspective into negotiation theory yields several implications: reaching Pareto efficiency is not necessarily a meaningful indicator of success; sufficiency can become a driving force and precondition for sustainability; and maximization is always local to the negotiation at hand, risking becoming an end in itself detached from broader consequences. In this sense, sufficiency does not reject rationality but reframes it, correcting a narrow optimizing logic by reintroducing limits, proportion, and practical reason.

Everyone is welcome!