Negotiations
Negotiation can be defined as two-way communication, going in either direction at any particular moment, and whose aim is to agree. In negotiations, there have to be shared and antagonistic interests.
Negotiations in situations where it is impossible for individuals to attain their aspirations or wishes without other people’s cooperation. The article presents a review of previous empirical research investigating negotiation in society. The study presented by this article examines the behavior of negotiations and also the outcomes of the process at five analytical levels: virtual, organizational, group, intrapersonal, and interpersonal. At each of the levels, the article research done on the methods and results of negotiation. The authors have also discussed the implication of the different techniques and outcomes of the negotiation-creating values. These values are present in the integrative negotiation. Distributive negotiation involves the process of value-claiming.
This article has high credibility due to the educational and professional experience of the authors. One of the authors, Leigh Thompson, holds the credentials of J.Jay Professor of Dispute Resolution and Organizations, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. She is prolific in research focussing on negotiation behavior as well as performance. She also researches on analogical reasoning and creativity. She has not less than 134 published research articles. Brian Gunia is an Associate Professor at John Hopkins Carey Business School. He has researched topics such as effective negotiation ((“Brian Gunia, Ph.D. | Johns Hopkins Carey Business School,” 2020)
The review focussed on research findings with a substantial impact on the practice and study of negotiation practice. The research findings were derived from researches cutting across many years. Nevertheless, the investigations were thematically related since researchers’ criteria to investigate negotiation quality remained constant.
Modern research on negotiation is rooted in economic. This relationship with economics has been highly beneficial through the provision of robust approaches for examining mutual value existent between two parties pursuing individual interests. The level of interest in research dealing with the quality of negotiation has been stoked by the fact that empirical truth that a great percentage of negotiators do not optimize on their opportunities for maximum gains.
The authors were able to examine negotiation broadly due to the focus on virtual, organizational, group, interpersonal, and intrapersonal systems. The intrapersonal system offers the most focused perspective of negotiation. Through this system, the researchers can understand the negotiator’s mind. In this case, the negotiator is either engaged in or anticipates negotiation.
The interpersonal system is of particular importance in research dealing with negotiation. Due to the dyadic relationship, the researcher can evaluate interpersonal aspects, for instance, mutual gaze and behavioral synchrony. The organizational and group systems are affected by an array of organizational, sociological, and psychological factors.
The virtual level of researching on negotiations has allowed researchers who are globally distributed to cooperate in research. In this regard, there is an expansion of negotiation research. Due to advancements in technology, researchers do not have to report to a physical research center. Also, negotiations occur through the computer, and there is no direct physical contact between the participants.
In conclusion, the methods and outcomes of negotiations are impacted by intrapersonal aspects, such as mood and psychological focus. When negotiations are done at the interpersonal level, the results are influenced by emotional changes. The structure of negotiations, culture, and identity are factors that affect negotiations between groups. Besides, negotiations are also influenced by social networks and context. In the cases of virtual negotiations, many factors may impact on the quality of negotiations.
References
Thompson, L. L., Wang, J., & Gunia, B. C. (2010). Negotiation. Annual review of psychology, 61, 491-515. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292887782_Negotiation
Leigh Thompson – Faculty – Kellogg School of Management. Kellogg.northwestern.edu. (2020). Retrieved 2 July 2020, from https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/faculty/directory/thompson_leigh.aspx.
Brian Gunia, Ph.D. | Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. Carey.jhu.edu. (2020). Retrieved 2 July 2020, from https://carey.jhu.edu/faculty/faculty-directory/brian-gunia-phd.mm