Ethically questionable negotiation tactics: the differential roles of national, societal and individual cultural values
Cross Cultural & Strategic Management
ISSN: 2059-5794
Article publication date: 26 March 2021
Issue publication date: 1 July 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to refine theory of negotiation by empirically investigating the extent to which national-, societal- and individual-level cultures relate to negotiators' tendency to endorse questionable negotiation tactics.
Design/methodology/approach
To assess the hypothesized relationships between culture and ethically questionable negotiation tactics at three cultural levels of analysis, the authors collected data from Turks who reside in Turkey and in Germany and from Greeks who reside in Greece and in Cyprus. Respondents' national-level cultural values were inferred from their nationality, respondents' societal-level cultural values were inferred from their country of residency, and respondents' individual-level cultural values were inferred from their discrete and unique individuality.
Findings
At the national level, the authors found that Turks in Turkey and Germany scored significantly higher than Greeks in Greece and Cyprus on the endorsement of pretending negotiation tactics. At the societal level, the authors found that Turkish negotiators in Germany displayed higher levels of lying negotiation tactics and lower levels of pretending negotiation tactics than Turkish negotiators in Turkey. Greek negotiators in Greece endorsed deceiving and lying tactics more than Greek negotiators in Cyprus. At the individual level, the authors found that negotiators who score high on vertical individualism and collectivism endorse questionable negotiation tactics significantly more than negotiators who score high on horizontal individualism and collectivism.
Originality/value
The authors empirically demonstrate how national-, societal- and individual-level cultures differentially influence negotiators' tendency to endorse questionable negotiation tactics. The study's trilevel analysis allows for integrating the societal-level theories of negotiators' acculturation and cultural adjustment to a host culture, highlighting the importance of bicultural identity.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank an anonymous editor, two reviewers who significantly contributed to the development and refinement of this manuscript, and Mr. Petros Katsounotos for his data collection efforts in Cyprus.Conflict of interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.
Citation
Stefanidis, A., Banai, M., Schinzel, U. and Erkuş, A. (2021), "Ethically questionable negotiation tactics: the differential roles of national, societal and individual cultural values", Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, Vol. 28 No. 3, pp. 626-656. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCSM-11-2019-0213
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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