To Match or Not to Match? Reactions to Turning Points in Negotiation

Michele Griessmair; Daniel Druckman

doi:10.1007/s10726-017-9550-x

To Match or Not to Match? Reactions to Turning Points in Negotiation

Group Decis Negot. 2018;27(1):61-83. doi: 10.1007/s10726-017-9550-x. Epub 2017 Nov 25.

Authors

Michele Griessmair^{1

2}, Daniel Druckman^{3

4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Sir Zelman Cowen Centre, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.
² University of Vienna Faculty of Business, Economics and Statistics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
³ Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University, Arlington, VA USA.
⁴ Department of Modern History, Politics and International Relations, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
⁵ School of Political Science and International Affairs, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Abstract

This study examines the impacts of process frames and salience of a turning point on negotiators' responses to a departure during the negotiation process. Results show that individuals negotiating within an integrative-cooperative (as opposed to a distributive-competitive frame) are more likely to interpret the departure as a turning point and match the other's offer. Similarly, results show that making the departure salient by clearly articulating the intent, content, and function of the turning point offer increases negotiators' propensity to embrace the mutually beneficial turning point offer. The findings are discussed in light of negotiators' awareness of events during the negotiation process, their (mis)matching of favorable offers, and relational order theory.

Keywords: Matching; Negotiation; Process frames; Salience of offers; Turning points.