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Conflicting social motives in negotiating groups
Laurie R Weingart1, Jeanne M Brett, Mara Olekalns
1David A. Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburg, PA 15213, USA. weingart@cmu.edu
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|December 13, 2007
Summary
Cooperative negotiators adapt their strategies based on group composition, unlike individualistic negotiators. This study reveals how social motives impact negotiation tactics within diverse groups.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
- Game Theory
Background:
- Negotiator social motives, such as cooperative or individualistic orientations, significantly shape negotiation strategies.
- Understanding how group dynamics and composition interact with individual motives is crucial for effective negotiation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of negotiators' social motives and group composition on negotiation strategies.
- To analyze how cooperative and individualistic negotiators adapt their tactics in homogeneous and heterogeneous groups.
Main Methods:
- Utilized multilevel modeling and sequential analysis of negotiation strategies.
- Videotaped and transcribed interactions of four-person groups engaged in a 5-issue mixed-motive task.
- Examined group compositions ranging from homogeneous (all cooperators or all individualists) to heterogeneous (mixed ratios).
Main Results:
- Cooperative negotiators dynamically adjusted their use of integrative and distributive strategies based on group composition.
- Individualistic negotiators demonstrated less adaptability in their strategic choices regardless of group makeup.
- Sequential analysis indicated that cooperators responded more systematically to others' behaviors and redirected negotiations based on group composition.
Conclusions:
- Social motives critically influence adaptive negotiation behavior, with cooperators showing greater flexibility.
- Group composition acts as a significant contextual factor that cooperative negotiators utilize to modify their strategies.
- Individualistic negotiators' strategies appear less sensitive to the social-motive composition of the group.
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