Implicit Theories of Negotiation: Developing a Measure of Agreement Fluidity
Friedman, Pinkley, Bottom, Liu, & Gelfand. Implicit theories of negotiation: Developing a measure of agreement fluidity. Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, Forthcoming.
SMU Cox School of Business Research Paper No. 19-14
Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management Research Paper
47 Pages Posted: 18 Sep 2019
Date Written: September 9, 2019
Abstract
Negotiation scholars generally model agreement as the terminal "endpoint" of the process. From this perspective, parties instantaneously realize their outcomes when agreement is reached. Although this conception may also reflect the understanding of some negotiators (those with what we call a "fixed agreement" mindset), we argue that others actually envision agreement as one step in an ongoing process (what we call a "fluid agreement" mindset). To spur research on this topic, we report initial progress on development of a new measure of agreement fluidity. Basic psychometric properties for this measure were established using six correlational samples that demonstrate aspects of both discriminant and convergent validity. Fixed agreement mindset appears to predict important behaviors during and after the negotiation process.
Keywords: negotiation, mindset, personality, entity theory, agreements, contract
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation