The Negotiation Style: A Comparative Study between the Stated and in- Practice Negotiation Style

Abstract

The awareness of personal negotiation style is the most basic step allowing the negotiator to learn, develop and conduct successful negotiation processes. The purpose of this study is to identify whether there is a correlation between the negotiation style as stated by the negotiator (the “SNS”) and the negotiation style in practice (the “INS”). The results of the study were unexpected: no correlation was found between what the participants stated and their in-practice negotiation style. An extreme expression of this discrepancy was found in the collaborating style that was chosen by half of the subjects as their stated negotiation style, while only 2.6 percent of the total sample was in-practice conducting negotiations in this style. Moreover, a stark contrast was found while the results in the INS indicate that competitive and accommodating styles are considered the preferred styles by the Israeli negotiator. This result is particularly interesting in light of the contradiction between the two styles.Other interesting results have been observed on participants educated in negotiating or having experience in negotiations. The results contradicted my hypothesis that participants with experience probably recognize their own style. In light of the results of this study, I suggest that negotiators should use the model of this study in order to create for themselves a secure first step in the long journey of the negotiation process.