An Experimental Study on the Effects of Exitability and Correctability on Electronic Negotiation

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine via a laboratory experiment the effects of two features of electronic negotiation, correctability and exitability, on negotiation processes and outcomes.We define correctability as the negotiator's ability to revise messages before transmitting them to the other party, thus prompting informational and social elaboration.The opportunity to exit the negotiation that the use of the electronic medium creates, a phenomenon for which we have coined the term "exitability, " can give rise to the perception that electronic negotiation is inherently more unstable than face-to-face negotiation. In two experiments, we manipulated the exitability of one of the parties in three ways. In another experiment, we manipulated correctability in two ways.We found that increased exitability caused by the existence of a potential alternative party with whom to negotiate prompted participants to decrease their demands and to reach agreement more often. Increasing the correctability of messages enhanced their clarity and generated more trade-offs, thus leading to more frequent agreements.

A Decision‐Making Perspective to Negotiation: A Review of the Past and a Look to the Future

“…Finally, even as increasing proportions of social interaction now occur electronically and online, the impact of these media on decision making has thus far been largely overlooked. Lacking the nonverbal cues that have allowed us to efficiently make sense of the complex information we are confronted with in every interpersonal interaction (Ambady and Rosenthal 1992), and given previous research that suggests written negotiations show a higher incidence of impasse (Valley, Moag, and Bazerman 1998), there is much potential for research that continues to examine the implications of this form of communication for negotiations (Hatta, Ohbuchi, and Fukuno 2007).…”

Electronic Negotiation and Behavioral Elements

“…While the results of the aforementioned literatures, put forth primarily for face-toface (f2f) negotiation, can be tested for ENSs as well, an important point to note is that the latter context introduces a new variable, namely, the relative capability of the computer/Internet vis-à-vis humans. On the one hand, computers, with their faster processing capabilities, could support negotiation, and may, in turn, boost its outcome; on the other hand, they may be limited in terms of behavioral elements such as nonverbal cues (Hatta et al 2007) and emotions (Martinovsky 2015). That is, this capability issue raises metalevel questions concerning, for example, what features can/should be incorporated within an ENS, how should they be made incorporated, and what are the implications of incorporation.…”