Negotiation Strategies and Dispute Resolution: The Importance of Personality Traits and Individual Distinctions
In a groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Research in Personality, a team of researchers from Dartmouth College, University of Notre Dame, Northwestern University, and other institutions have identified several key personality traits that significantly affect negotiation performance. The study involved negotiators in a simulation where they played the role of both seller and buyer.
The researchers concluded that sensitivity to slights can impact negotiation outcomes, particularly when individuals are personally invested in an issue. Some people who are sensitive to slights are more likely to declare impasse in negotiations when they are personally invested. However, the study did not find a close connection between this trait and specific personality traits such as gender, ethnic background, or physical attractiveness.
Interestingly, negotiators who scored high on creativity measures were adept at uncovering innovative tradeoffs on issues, but their overall scores did not rise above average. This behavior can lead to impasse even when agreement would benefit both parties. On the other hand, proself negotiators, who focus primarily on their own outcomes, can be responsive to the other side's needs to improve their odds of reaching agreement.
The study also found that highly intelligent negotiators created more value than others, but they also claimed slightly less value for themselves. As a result, intelligence did not significantly affect negotiators' performance. Slight-sensitive people do not overreact when they play the role of buyer in negotiations.
Research in the Journal of Research in Personality and related studies identify several key personality traits and individual differences that significantly affect negotiation performance. A positive attitude and high expectations tend to lead to better negotiation outcomes, as negotiators who approach talks optimistically perform well.
The dimension of selfishness versus selflessness matters: negotiators focused on maximizing their own outcomes ("proself") often achieve higher performance scores than those focused on mutual gain ("prosocial"), although prosocial negotiators may be more generous and cooperative in some contexts.
Emotional intelligence—especially the ability to accurately recognize and understand others' emotions—is a strong predictor of negotiation success. Studies show that negotiators with higher emotion recognition skills achieve higher joint gains and are perceived as more cooperative and likable than those with higher general mental ability but lower emotional intelligence.
Assertiveness plays a complex role: Being sufficiently assertive helps claim value in negotiation, but over-assertiveness can damage interpersonal relationships and lead to worse outcomes for both parties. Moreover, negotiators often misjudge how their assertiveness is perceived, leading to "self-awareness blindness" and suboptimal deals.
Personality type frameworks such as MBTI highlight that certain types excel due to traits like strategic thinking, adaptability, and communication skills. For example, INTJs ("Masterminds") are strong in analytical problem-solving and long-term planning, while ENTPs ("Challengers") excel with adaptability and innovative thinking, enhancing their negotiation effectiveness.
Cultural and self-image factors, conceptualized in face-negotiation theory, influence negotiation by shaping conflict management styles (avoidance, compromise, domination) and the importance placed on maintaining positive self-image or autonomy. These cultural differences further affect negotiation behaviors and outcomes.
In summary, significant traits affecting negotiation performance include a positive mindset, selfishness/selflessness orientation, emotional intelligence (especially emotion recognition), calibrated assertiveness, strategic thinking, adaptability, and cultural/self-image awareness. Emotional intelligence and appropriately perceived assertiveness stand out as particularly strong predictors of effective negotiation. These insights synthesize findings from personality research, emotional intelligence studies, and communication theories relevant to negotiation contexts.
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- Emotion recognition skills, as highlighted in the study published in the Journal of Research in Personality, are a strong predictor of success in negotiation, leading to higher joint gains and a more cooperative and likable image.
- A focus on selflessness, as opposed to self-centeredness, can positively affect negotiation performance, with prosocial negotiators sometimes being more generous and cooperative, albeit with the potential for lower performance scores in some contexts.
- Integrating findings from personality research, emotional intelligence studies, and communication theories, it becomes apparent that emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, adaptability, and cultural/self-image awareness are key personality traits and individual differences that significantly affect negotiation performance.
