Think Globally, Act Locally: Towards an Adaptive Model of Dyadic Negotiations in Organizations

46 Pages Posted: 19 May 2003

See all articles by Mara Olekalns

Mara Olekalns

University of Melbourne - Melbourne Business School

Laurie R. Weingart

Carnegie Mellon University - David A. Tepper School of Business

Abstract

Negotiation is a process through which two or more parties who disagree or are in conflict seek to reach agreement. In this article, we argue that the process of resolving such conflicts is an adaptive one, in which the actions taken by negotiators play a critical role. To fully understand how negotiators obtain mutually beneficial solutions, it is necessary to understand not only the context in which negotiations occur but also how negotiators' strategic choices shape the negotiating context. We analyze the reciprocal relationships between the negotiation context, negotiators' strategic decisions and their outcomes. To do this, we differentiate two levels of action, local and global, that negotiators can take. The two levels of action describe immediate and longer-term strategic behaviours that can either sustain or transform the negotiating context. We examine how congruence between these levels of action is shaped by context (negotiators' goals) and how it in turn shapes outcomes. Building off negotiation and communication theory, we develop a model of negotiation that explicitly considers the relationships between context, action and outcomes. Drawing on negotiation research, we develop a set of propositions about these relationships and discuss their theoretical and practical implications.

Keywords: Dyadic Negotiations, Communication Processes, Negotiation Theory

Suggested Citation

Olekalns, Mara and Weingart, Laurie R., Think Globally, Act Locally: Towards an Adaptive Model of Dyadic Negotiations in Organizations. 16th Annual IACM Conference Melbourne, Australia, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=398140 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.398140

Mara Olekalns (Contact Author)

University of Melbourne - Melbourne Business School ( email )

200 Leicester Street
Carlton, Victoria 3053 3186
Australia
+61 3 9349 8146 (Phone)
+61 3 9349 8133 (Fax)

Laurie R. Weingart

Carnegie Mellon University - David A. Tepper School of Business ( email )

236A Posner Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
United States
412-268-7585 (Phone)
412-268-6920 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.gsia.cmu.edu/andrew/weingart

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