The Triple-Interact as a Building Block of Negotiation

Abstract

This article examines the triple-interact, a cue-response-cue-response sequence that plays an important role in organizing negotiators’ behavior. Drawing on theories of interpersonal orientation and framing, we propose four types of triple-interact and make predictions about the relative occurrence and behavioral content of each type. We test these predictions by analyzing the conditional probabilities among behaviors in 29 conflict negotiations. Results show consistent use of the four types of triple-interact irrespective of time period and negotiation outcome. In order of decreasing frequency, negotiators used triple-interacts that reciprocated the current position, reoriented between cooperative and competitive positions, reframed perceptions of the current position, and restructured the interaction onto a new issue. However, the content of triple-interacts differed over time and outcome. In comparison to unsuccessful negotiations, successful negotiations involved triple-interacts that were more likely to end with integrative behavior and, during the second half of interaction, more likely to focus on substantive rather than relational issues.