Relationality in negotiations: a systematic review and propositions for future research

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to systematically review and analyze the important, yet under-researched, topic of relationality in negotiations and propose new directions for future negotiation research. Design/methodology/approach This paper conducts a systematic review of negotiation literature related to relationality from multiple disciplines. Thirty-nine leading and topical academic journals are selected and 574 papers on negotiation are reviewed from 1990 to 2014. Based on the systematic review, propositions regarding the rationales for relationality in negotiations are developed and future research avenues in this area are discussed. Findings Of 574 papers on negotiations published in 39 peer-reviewed journals between 1990 and 2014, only 18 papers have studied and discussed relationality in negotiations. This suggests that relationality as a theoretical theme has long been under-researched in negotiation research. For future research, this paper proposes to incorporate the dynamic, cultural and mechanism perspectives, and to use a qualitative approach to study relationality in negotiations. Originality/value This paper presents the first systematic review of the negotiation literature on relationality, and identifies new research topics on relationality in negotiations. In so doing, this research opens new avenues for future negotiation research on relationality.

Distributive/integrative negotiation strategies in cross-cultural contexts: a comparative study of the USA and Italy

“…Our findings are relevant as they seem to give insight into a multifaceted nature of the original distributive versus integrative framework, where the differential importance given to emotions in certain cultures (such as the Italian vs. the American) allows for a development of a specific, nontypical, negotiation prototype, especially among integrative negotiators. This result is in line with a trend to understand relationality in cross-cultural negotiations (Cheng, Huang, & Su, 2017;Graham, 2019;Usunier, 2018).…”

Dynamic relationality toward congruence: a symbiotic solution to cross-cultural negotiations

“…Relationality is the state of being interrelated rather than discrete (Cheng et al , 2017). In negotiation research, the relational view emphasizes social connectedness and interdependence between negotiators.…”

“…Taken together, the dynamics of relationality in negotiations have yet to be sufficiently addressed in negotiation literature (Cheng et al , 2017; Cheng et al , 2015), and further research is needed to fully understand how relational dynamics evolve across negotiation sessions. Negotiation scholars and practitioners would be better informed with a solution-oriented framework prescribing how to manage the progression of dyadic relationality as negotiation proceeds over time.…”

Culturally varied relationality in buyer-supplier negotiations: a multi-session simulation

“…Relationality, the state of being interrelated rather than discrete (Bradbury and Lichtenstein, 2000), is inherently embedded in negotiation dynamics, and shapes negotiators’ decision-making process and subsequent outcomes (Tsay and Bazerman, 2009). Despite its salience in negotiations, the discussion of relationality in negotiation literature had been insufficient over the past several decades (Barley, 1991; Cheng et al , 2017; Ingerson et al , 2015). Greenhalgh (1987) cogently argued that negotiators’ experienced interconnectedness had not been fully addressed and negotiators’ long-term time horizon should be taken into account to understand better the interactive dynamics between negotiating parties.…”