Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA)

The best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA) is the course of action that a party engaged in negotiations will take if talks fail, and no agreement can be reached. Negotiation researchers Roger Fisher and William Ury coined the term BATNA in their 1981 bestseller Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. A party’s BATNA refers to what a party can fall back on if a negotiation proves unsuccessful.