Big Five personality traits in simulated negotiation settings
ISSN: 1450-2194
Article publication date: 1 June 2018
Issue publication date: 30 July 2018
Abstract
Purpose
After a hiatus in the research on individual differences in negotiation, there has been a surge of renewed interest in recent years followed by several new findings. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects that personality, as structured by the five-factor model, have over negotiation behavior and decision making in order to create new knowledge and prescribe advice to negotiators.
Design/methodology/approach
This study replicates observations from earlier studies but with the innovation of using a different methodology, as data from a sample of volunteer participants were collected in regard to their personality and behavior during two computerized negotiation simulations, one with the potential for joint gains and the other following a more traditional bargaining scenario.
Findings
Significant results for both settings were found, with the personality dimensions of agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion systematically reoccurring as the most statistically relevant, although expressing different roles according to the type of negotiation and measure being registered. The findings thus suggest a multidimensional relationship between personality and situational variables in which specific traits can either become liabilities or assets depending upon whether the potential for value creation is present or not.
Originality/value
The new findings on the impacts of personality traits on both distributive and integrative negotiations allow negotiators to improve their performance and to adapt to specific distributive or integrative negotiation situations.
Keywords
Citation
Falcão, P.F., Saraiva, M., Santos, E. and Cunha, M.P.e. (2018), "Big Five personality traits in simulated negotiation settings", EuroMed Journal of Business, Vol. 13 No. 2, pp. 201-213. https://doi.org/10.1108/EMJB-11-2017-0043
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited