Predictable Surprises

Max H. Bazerman is the Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, where his research focuses on negotiation, behavioral economics, and ethics. The author of over 200 research articles and chapters, his previous books include The Power of Noticing, The Power of Noticing, Blind Spots, Negotiation Genius, and a bestselling textbook, Judgment in Managerial Decision Making. An award-winning scholar and mentor, Bazerman has been named one of Ethisphere's 100 Most Influential in Business Ethics and a Daily Kos Hero. His consulting, teaching, and lecturing includes work in 30 countries. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Michael D. Watkins is a professor of leadership and organizational change at the IMD Business School and a cofounder of Genesis Advisers. In 2023, he was inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame in recognition of his decades of contributions to management and leadership. Originally from Canada, Michael received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of Waterloo, did graduate work in law and business at the University of Western Ontario, and completed his Ph.D. in decision sciences at Harvard University. He subsequently was a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Business School and an affiliate faculty member at the Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation.

Michael is the author of sixteen books, including Right From the Start (with Dan Ciampa), The First 90 Days, Shaping the Game, and Master Your Next Move. The First 90 Days has been called “the onboarding bible” by the Economist and is an Amazon “100 Leadership and Success Books to Read in a Lifetime.” An international bestseller, it has also been translated into 20 languages. He is also the author or co-author of dozens of articles on leadership in the Harvard Business Review and Sloan Management Review. In addition to his research and writing, Michael coaches C-level executives taking new roles, supports leadership team development at senior levels, and consults extensively on organizational transformation.