A social-cognitive approach to understanding gender differences in negotiator ethics: The role of moral identity

Abstract

a b s t r a c tTo date, gender differences in ethics have received little theoretical attention. We utilize a socialcognitive framework to explain why these differences emerge and when women engage in less unethical negotiating behavior than do men. We propose that, relative to men's, women's stronger moral identities suppress unethical negotiating behavior. Study 1 establishes a gender difference in moral identity strength through a meta-analysis of over 19,000 people. Study 2 observes gender differences in two aspects of negotiator ethics -moral disengagement and opportunism. Study 3 establishes moral identity strength as an antecedent to negotiator ethics. Finally, Studies 4 and 5 explore financial incentives as a situational moderator. Because financial incentives temporarily decrease the salience of moral identity, they could mitigate gender differences in negotiator ethics, leading women to act more like men. Across both studies, financial incentives impacted women's (but not men's) unethical negotiating behavior. Our findings help to explain why and when gender differences in ethics emerge.

Explaining Differences in Men and Women's Use of Unethical Tactics in Negotiations

“…For instance, our findings viewed alongside those of Kennedy et al. () and Ward and King () suggest that empathy constitutes a more fundamental driver of sex differences in ethicality than moral identity. As noted earlier, moral identity has strong conceptual and statistical overlap with empathy.…”

“…Scholars who have attempted to answer this question have proposed and tested a range of compelling answers (e.g., Kennedy, Kray, & Ku, ; Kray & Haselhuhn, ; Lee et al., ). Taken together, their findings suggest that, as proposed by McCabe, Ingram, and Dato‐on (), two universal factors drive ethical differences between men and women: agency (i.e., concern for self) and communion (i.e., concern for others; Abele & Wojciszke, ).…”

“…Most of these studies, however, involve only one or the other. That is, scholars who have studied ethical differences between men and women have tended to either focus on women's higher moral standards as a function of their being more communal (e.g., Kennedy et al., ; Ward & King, ) or men's lower ones as a function of their being more agentic (e.g., Kray & Haselhuhn, ; Lee et al., ). Simultaneous tests of both (e.g., McCabe et al., ) remain relatively rare and indirect at best.…”

“…either focus on women's higher moral standards as a function of their being more communal (e.g., Kennedy et al, 2017;Ward & King, 2018) or men's lower ones as a function of their being more agentic (e.g., Kray & Haselhuhn, 2012;Lee et al, 2017). Simultaneous tests of both (e.g., McCabe et al, 2006) remain relatively rare and indirect at best.…”

Her Place at the Table: Gender and Negotiation after Trump

“…According to Trump, a great negotiator is a tough guy with a zero‐sum competitive strategy and the goal to win at all costs. His style aligns with what scholars have described as a masculine, competitive approach to negotiation, as opposed to one that is more “feminine” – that is, relational and ethical (Babcock and Laschever ; Kray and Thompson ; Mazei et al ; Kennedy, Kray, and Ku ). Trump’s high‐profile example may encourage others – particularly men – to behave similarly.…”