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Analysis of Negotiation Processes

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Handbook of Group Decision and Negotiation

Part of the book series: Advances in Group Decision and Negotiation ((AGDN,volume 4))

Abstract

Communication can be considered to lie “at the heart” of the negotiation process, it ties together the individual decisions and choices which, together with communication, form the negotiation process (See the chapter by Kersten and Lai, this volume). It encompasses both hard facts as offers or factual questions (See the chapter by Schoop, this volume) as well as soft factors (See the chapter by Eden and Ackerman, this volume) and emotions (See the chapter by Martinowski, this volume). Therefore, researchers have to apply qualitative as well as quantitative methods in order to analyze negotiation processes comprehensively. In this chapter, we give an overview of different analysis strategies by looking at the information exchange that takes place during a negotiation. Given the complexity and multitude of communication processes, these analysis strategies can be distinguished along two dimensions: (1) The information used for analysis could either be inclusive and take into account all information exchanged, or selective, i.e. focus on one specific type of information. For example, a selective approach could focus only on quantitative information. (2) The elementary unit of analysis could range from a micro-analysis of individual utterances to a macro-analysis of the entire process. In our discussion, we show that the various combinations of these dimensions highlight different angles of negotiation processes and each delivers valuable insights. We consequently propose a multi-method approach for the analysis of negotiation processes as most promising.

All social phenomena unfold and change over time, and one of the best ways to understand them is to discover how they are born, develop, and terminate […].

Holmes and Poole (1991, p. 286)

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In the post-modernist and (post-) structuralist research paradigm, discourse is understood as an ideological practice. “If language does more than reflect meaning, if it actually constructs this meaning, then discourse becomes a central aspect of investigation in understanding the reproduction and reconstruction of ideology” MacDonald (2003, p. 154). In this context, discourse analysis is a tool through which the construction, contestation and negotiation of social value, authority, power, dominance, and knowledge can be revealed. In this chapter we focus on research that uses discourse analysis in the traditional way, i.e. as a means of linguistic analysis of communication. Nevertheless, we also briefly touch post-modern ideas when discussing narrative analysis, a form of rhetoric analysis, in this section.

  2. 2.

    Sequence analysis methods are applied to any type of sequences, e.g. repeated decision making events of on individual. If however the unit of analysis is a sequence of interaction (e.g., communication between two or more individuals), we also use the term interaction analysis.

  3. 3.

    A detailed application of these tools can be found in Poole and Roth (1989) as well as in Holmes and Poole (1991). Holmes (1997) and Olekalns et al. (2003) have already used these tools to analyze negotiation processes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Management Science, Vienna University of Technology, Theresianumgasse 27, 1040, Vienna, Austria

    Sabine T. Koeszegi

  2. Department of Business Administration, University of Vienna, Bruennerstrasse 72, 1210, Vienna, Austria

    Rudolf Vetschera

Authors
  1. Sabine T. Koeszegi
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  2. Rudolf Vetschera
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Correspondence to Sabine T. Koeszegi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Mathematics, Wilfrid Laurier University, University Ave. W. 75, Waterloo, N2L 3C5, Canada

    D. Marc Kilgour

  2. Strathclyde Business School, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G4 0QU, United Kingdom

    Colin Eden

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Koeszegi, S.T., Vetschera, R. (2010). Analysis of Negotiation Processes. In: Kilgour, D., Eden, C. (eds) Handbook of Group Decision and Negotiation. Advances in Group Decision and Negotiation, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9097-3_8

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