Emergent Negotiations: Stability and Shifts in Process Dynamics

Mara Olekalns, Melbourne Business School
Laurie Weingart, Carnegie-Mellon University

Abstract

Negotiation is a dynamic process in which negotiators change their strategies in response to each other. We believe mutual adaptation is best conceptualized as an emergent process and is a critical determinant of negotiators’ abilities to identify mutually beneficial solutions. We argue that two factors drive the process of negotiation and influence the quality of agreements: alignment of negotiators’ strategies across individuals (strategy sequences) and with the negotiation-wide dynamic (phases) and congruence of negotiators’ goals.