A collection of 14 studies emphasizing the social dimensions of negotiation as a means of reducing the domination of the field by cognitive approaches. Among the topics are an information-processing perspective on the social context in negotiation, social factors that make freedom unattractive and more.

This is a valuable book. It is a rare combination of appreciation and criticism; it is an eloquent statement of conceptual advocacy. Negotiation as a Social Process attempts the difficult task of the needed reform of a successful field and it does so by example as well as precept. . . . Kramer and Messick have done their research colleagues a great service; let us hope that they make the most of it. --Robert L. Kahn, Professor Emeritus, The University of Michigan "Negotiation as a Social Process puts the ′social′ back in negotiation theory and research, where it belongs. Consisting of contributions by some of today′s leading negotiation researchers, this volume is a direct response to the undue emphasis placed in recent years on the role of cognition in negotiation. Just as one needs two hands to clap (unless you are a Zen Buddhist), one needs two or more sides to negotiate. This excellent collection explicitly addresses the social and relational context in which negotiations invariably occur and, in doing so, returns the discussion to its proper place." --Jeff Rubin, Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School In the past several years, negotiation and conflict management research has emerged as one of the most active and productive areas of research in organizational behavior. Although most research has focused on the cognitive aspects of negotiation, few address the impact of social processes and contexts on the negotiation process. Because negotiations always occur in the context of some preexisting social relationship between the negotiating parties, this neglect is unfortunate. Editors Rod Kramer and Dave Messick have brought together original theory and research from many of the leading scholars in this important and emerging area of negotiation research. Negotiation as a Social Process covers a wide range of topics, including the role of group identification and accountability on negotiator judgment and decision making, the importance of power-dependence relations on negotiation, intergroup bargaining, coalitional dynamics in bargaining, social influence processes in negotiation, cross-cultural perspectives on negotiation, and the impact of social relationships on negotiation. Scholars, students, and professionals in organization, management, and communication studies will find Negotiation as a Social Process an important and thought-provoking volume.

In the global marketplace, negotiation frequently takes place across cultural boundaries, yet negotiation theory has traditionally been grounded in Western culture. This book, which provides an in-depth review of the field of negotiation theory, expands current thinking to include cross-cultural perspectives. The contents of the book reflect the diversity of negotiation—research-negotiator cognition, motivation, emotion, communication, power and disputing, intergroup relationships, third parties, justice, technology, and social dilemmas—and provides new insight into negotiation theory, questioning assumptions, expanding constructs, and identifying limits not apparent from working exclusively within one culture. The book is organized in three sections and pairs chapters on negotiation theory with chapters on culture. The first part emphasizes psychological processes—cognition, motivation, and emotion. Part II examines the negotiation process. The third part emphasizes the social context of negotiation. A final chapter synthesizes the main themes of the book to illustrate how scholars and practitioners can capitalize on the synergy between culture and negotiation research.

From the John Holmes Library collection.

In this book, Walton and McKersie attempt to describe a comprehensive theory of labor negotiation. The authors abstract and analyze four sets of systems of activities which they believe account for much of the behavior found in labor negotiations. The first system of activities, termed "distributive bargaining," comprises competitive behaviors that are intended to influence the division of limited resources. The second system is made up of activities that increase the joint gain available to the negotiating parties, referred to as "integrative bargaining." They are problem-solving behaviors and other activities which identify, enlarge and act upon the common interests of the parties. The third system includes activities that influence the attitudes of the parties toward each other and affect the basic relationship bonds between the social units involved. This process is referred to as "attitudinal structuring." The fourth system of activities, which occurs as an integral aspect of the inter-party negotiations, comprises the behaviors of a negotiator that are meant to achieve consensus within one's own organizations. This fourth process is called "intra-organizational bargaining." Each sub process has its own set of instrumental acts or tactics. Therefore, each of the four model chapters is followed by a chapter on the tactics which implement the process. These chapters translate the model into tactical assignments and include an abundance of supporting illustrations from actual negotiations. This study should be of interest to several audiences, including students and teachers of industrial relations, social scientists interested in the general field of conflict resolution, as well as practitioners of collective bargaining and other individuals directly involved in international negotiations. The overall theoretical framework has been derived by a mixture of inductive and deductive reasoning. Extensive fieldwork and several dozen printed case studies have provided the bulk of the empirical data. In terms of meaning, the study has three touchstones: the field of collective bargaining; the field of conflict resolutions; and the underlying disciplines of economics, psychology, and sociology.

An introductory textbook to sociology.