In the system of social relations conflicts are an important determinant of human activity. At the same time, negotiations are its integral attribute in the process of regulation of social contradictions. Regardless of the level of negotiations, whether it is bargaining on the market for a certain product or the solution of military-strategic international tasks — the question arises about the effectiveness of this process. How much we will spend, what we will get as a result, how to estimate it and how long it will take — the most important issues that arise in an attempt to analyze the result of any negotiations. The evaluation characteristics of the high or low effectiveness of the negotiations are based, at best, on qualitative methods, at worst — on a descriptive evaluation of the outcome, which is based on two criteria: agreement between the parties and satisfaction with the process. Both indicators can indeed provide some information about the change in the balance of power, whether or not the goals are achieved, etc. However, in this case, important variables such as time, material costs and reputation are not taken into account. Can satisfaction with the result (even of all the agents of the conflict) be considered the main criterion for the effectiveness of the negotiation process? The article is devoted to the analysis of modern approaches to the concepts of “efficiency” and “effectiveness”, as well as to the study of the applicability of these phenomena in the context of the evaluation of the negotiation process.