Communication and Negotiation Outcome

Abstract

Despite the prominence of talk in negotiation sessions theoretical discussions of bargaining do not agree as to whether settlement terms are importantly influenced by the nature of that interaction. Further, most laboratory studies have restricted communication opportunity as a means of control in their designs. Consequently, the question of the influence of the communication behavior of negotiators on agreements reached is unanswered. This study was designed to generate data in regard to that question by comparing results obtained by negotiators when the opportunity for communication was restricted and when it was not. Subjects simulated the negotiation of a legal damage case under two conditions of communication opportunity; the first restricted to written offers of a settlement amount, the second, unrestricted. Four dependent measures were obtained following each negotiation: negotiation settlement terms, negotiator satisfaction with those terms, the time required to reach agreement, and the success or failure of each negotiator as compared to other negotiators. Settlement was more likely and the dispersion of settlements was greater under the unrestricted condition. No differences between conditions were found in the time required for settlement or the satisfaction of the negotiators with settlement terms. Negotiation success could not be attributed to the number of the subjects' siblings nor to the presence in the subjects' families of professional negotiators. Results lend support to those theorists who regard communication variables as important influences on negotiation outcomes.