Does content of concessions matter in negotiation? Match between concession strategy and target’s regulatory focus

Abstract

This dissertation proposes that responses to concessions in negotiation depend not just on the size of concessions, but on the specific type of concessions that are made. Some concessions focus on giving items that are desired by the other party, while others focus on reducing items that are disliked by the other party. If the regulatory focus of the other party is promotion focused, I expect “giving wants” to have a stronger impact. If the regulatory focus of the other party is prevention-focused, I expect “reducing dislikes” to have a stronger impact. The results of two computer-simulated negotiation studies supported my hypotheses. The results of experiment 1 showed that regulatory-relevant (vs. incongruent) match between concession strategy and target negotiator’s regulatory focus generated greater reciprocal concessions and enhanced subjective feelings from the target negotiators. The results of experiment 2 revealed that self-construal interacted with concession strategy in the way that regulatory focus does.