Wielding power in multiparty negotiations: the impact of communication medium and assertiveness
International Journal of Conflict Management
ISSN: 1044-4068
Article publication date: 2 October 2021
Issue publication date: 11 January 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The medium negotiators choose for communication will influence both process and outcome. To understand how medium influences power expression, this paper aims to compare value claiming by asymmetrically powerful negotiators, using face-to-face and computer-mediated messaging across two studies. Following up on long-standing conjectures from prominent coalition researchers, the authors also directly tested the role of the apex negotiator's personality in coalition formation and value expropriation.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted two laboratory experiments which manipulated communication medium (computer-mediated vs face-to-face) in three- and four-person bargaining. They also varied asymmetry of power so the apex negotiator either could not be left out of a winning coalition (Study 1) or could be (Study 2). The authors measured trait assertiveness along with multiple indicators of hard bargaining behavior.
Findings
Communicating using instant messages via a computer interface facilitated value claiming for powerful negotiators across both studies. Trait assertiveness correlated with hard bargaining behavior in both studies. An index of hard bargaining behavior mediated the effect of assertiveness on value expropriation but only in the context where the powerful negotiator held a genuine monopoly over coalitions.
Originality/value
The authors contribute to the literature on multiparty negotiations by demonstrating persistent media effects on power utilization and by finally confirming the conjectures of prominent coalition researchers regarding personality. Though personality traits generate consistent effects on behavior, their influence on negotiation outcomes depends on the power structure. Negotiation theory needs to incorporate structural and situational factors in modelling effects of enduring traits. Negotiation research should move beyond a rigid focus on dyads.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Barbara Gray for her helpful feedback on an earlier version of the manuscript and Kurt Silver for his assistance with the programming for their studies. They also thank Richard Posthuma and three anonymous reviewers for their many constructive comments.
Citation
Lee, J.I., Jang, D., Luckman, E.A. and Bottom, W.P. (2022), "Wielding power in multiparty negotiations: the impact of communication medium and assertiveness", International Journal of Conflict Management, Vol. 33 No. 1, pp. 132-154. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCMA-01-2021-0002
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited