How perceived power influences the consequences of dominance expressions in negotiations

We examined how the perceived relative power of negotiators who express dominance influences value claiming and value creation in negotiations. Negotiators with relatively little power benefitted by expressing dominance, as expressing dominance increased relatively low-power negotiators’ abilities to claim value. In contrast, relatively powerful negotiators’ expressions of dominance fueled value creation. Dyads in which only the relatively powerful negotiator expressed dominance created more value than did dyads in which neither, both, or only the relatively powerless negotiator expressed dominance. The coordination benefits attributable to dominance complementarity were therefore best achieved when there was congruence between a negotiator’s perceived power and the power/status cues the negotiator sent through expressions of dominance.

Source: Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes - March 3, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research