Abstract
Under what conditions do intricate pre-planned arguments enable negotiators to dominate the conversation and ultimately the outcome? We proposed the advantage occurs when the communication media involves the expectation of rapid turn-taking, because counterparts cannot generate rebuttals in time and end up making concessions. In an experiment with a negotiation task, sellers were provided with either intricate or simple arguments to support a competitive tactic and negotiated via either a quick-tempo (Instant Messaging) or slow-tempo (E-mail) medium. As predicted, intricate (versus simple) arguments enabled sellers to claim more value in the quick (Instant Messaging) but not the slow (E-mail) medium. Mediational analyses traced this effect through two process measures: the extent to which sellers enacted the competitive strategy (coded from transcripts), and the extent to which buyers consequently felt "at a loss" (measured by self-reports). We discuss the theoretical and practical consequences of these findings for negotiations.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 28-38 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes |
Volume | 98 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2005 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Communication media
- Dominance
- Negotiation
- Social interaction
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Applied Psychology
- Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management