Negotiation and Training: A Study in Multi-Cultural Montreal

Abstract

Business is internationalizing and the Canadian population is getting more culturally diverse. Conflict due to cultural differences may rise in interpersonal as well as business negotiations. Negotiators may also not see the benefits that a more cooperative negotiation strategy would bring. Negotiation strategy is one factor that affects the outcome of a negotiation (Rubin, Pruitt & Kim, 1994). This study investigates how the individualism-collectivism cultural attribute may affect negotiation strategies and outcomes. It also explores the effectiveness of training negotiators to be more cooperative when negotiating thus reaching more integrative outcomes than non-trained counterparts and whether training may allow a negotiator who is culturally predisposed to a more competitive negotiation strategy to be more cooperative. Culture, negotiation training and trust are examined for their effects on negotiation behavior and outcomes. Results of a longitudinal laboratory study found that both trained and trusting negotiators were less competitive, more cooperative and reached more integrative outcomes than untrained negotiators and less trusting negotiators. Collectivist negotiators reached more integrative outcomes than individualist negotiators.