Recasting Goal Setting in Negotiation: A Regulatory Focus Perspective

Abstract

Success in negotiations is largely a function of negotiators' goals. Nevertheless, little research has addressed how negotiators set their own goals. This paper proposes that negotiators' goal setting processes and success in negotiations is influenced, at least in part, by their regulatory foci. Regulatory focus theory (Higgins, 1997, 1998) posits that human behavior is guided by two distinct motivational systems: the desire to attain positive outcomes (promotion), and the desire to avoid negative outcomes (prevention). The potential influence of negotiators' regulatory foci on the type and difficulty of targets, the choice of negotiation strategy, negotiated outcomes, and negotiators' perceptions of success are reviewed and summarized in testable propositions. Implications for negotiation theory and practice are discussed along with recommendations for future research.

Keywords: Negotiation, regulatory focus, strategic preferences