Stone is a graduate of and professor at Harvard Law School. He served for a number of years as one of the directors of the Harvard Negotiation Project, the institute that acted as the springboard and nurturing ground for multiple important sociological studies, including the one that led to this book. He is a contributing author to multiple other books, including Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well (2014).

Patton is also a cofounder of the Harvard Negotiation Project. He has taught at Harvard Law School for over 40 years, and helped to launch the teaching of negotiation at the school when he first began his career teaching law. He is also a contributing author of the book Getting to YES: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (1981). His specific teaching interests and expertise include the art of negotiation, dealing with conflict, and creating specific management techniques to deal with employing strategic goals.

Heen is a graduate of and professor at Harvard Law School. Heen’s writing and personal expertise have been featured in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, National Public Radio, and the show Oprah.