Cultural Variation in Response to Strategic Display of Emotions During Negotiations

Abstract

This research employed two studies to examine how cultural values and norms influence the effectiveness of the strategic displays of emotions during negotiations. In cross-cultural settings, we evaluated whether the strategic display of emotion impacted the outcomes of negotiations. The display of positive emotion is consistent with the manner in which many Asian negotiators communicate respect through humility and deference. The major hypothesis is whether Asian negotiators who highly regard cultural values such as tradition and conformity would be more likely to accept an offer from an opposing party who displayed positive as opposed to negative emotion. Study 1 using Asian MBA students confirmed this hypothesis. Study 2 replicated this finding with a sample of Hong Kong executive managers and also found they were less likely to accept an offer from a negotiator displaying negative emotion than Israeli executive managers who did not hold humility and deference in such high regard. Outcome implications for strategic display of emotions in cross-cultural negotiations are discussed.