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Are Some Negotiators Better Than Others? Individual Differences in Bargaining Outcomes
Hillary Anger Elfenbein1, Jared R Curhan, Noah Eisenkraft
1University of California, Berkeley.
Journal of Research in Personality
|July 2, 2011
Summary
Individual differences significantly impact negotiation performance, explaining substantial variance in objective and subjective outcomes. Understanding these differences offers untapped potential for improving negotiation strategies and success.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Organizational Behavior
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Individual differences in negotiation performance remain a persistent mystery.
- Empirical findings on negotiation performance have been inconsistent.
- Conventional wisdom and intuition often clash with research on negotiation outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate stable individual differences in negotiation performance.
- To examine individual differences using the Social Relations Model.
- To disentangle the roles of dyadic partners in negotiation interactions.
Main Methods:
- Employed the Social Relations Model to analyze negotiation data.
- Assessed performance consistency across multiple negotiation dyads.
- Conducted exploratory analyses of various psychological traits.
Main Results:
- Individual differences accounted for 46% of objective performance variance.
- Individual differences explained 19% of subjective performance variance.
- Positive negotiation beliefs, positive affect, and outcome concern predicted better objective performance.
Conclusions:
- Substantial individual differences in negotiation performance are demonstrable and predictable.
- Previous research may have underestimated individual differences due to methodological limitations.
- There is significant untapped potential to explain negotiation performance through individual characteristics.
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