Wendi L. Adair

The Negotiation Dance: Time, Culture, and Behavioral Sequences in Negotiation

We propose a normative model of transactional negotiation in which cooperative and competitive behaviors wax and wane across four stages: relational positioning, identifying the problem, generating solutions, and reaching agreement. Based on a classic proposition of communicative flexibility in high-context cultures, we propose culture-specific dyadic movements within and across these stages. Our sample included 102 high-context dyads from Russia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Thailand; 89 low-context dyads from Germany, Israel, Sweden, and the United States; and 45 United States-Hong Kong and United States-Japan mixed-context dyads. Dyads negotiated a complex, 90-minute transaction with integrative potential. We audiotaped, transcribed, and coded their negotiations for sequences of information and influence behaviors. The unit of analysis was the action-response sequence. Results confirmed that the pattern of sequences varied across the four stages and the frequency of particular sequences varied with culture. We suggest that negotiators can use this model to manage the evolution and strategic focus of their negotiation, especially during the first two stages, when the use of influence-information sequences and reciprocal-information sequences generate the groundwork for joint gains.

For Whom Is Parting With Possessions More Painful? Cultural Differences in the Endowment Effect

The endowment effect—the tendency for owners (potential sellers) to value objects more than potential buyers do—is among the most widely studied judgment and decision-making phenomena. However, the current research is the first to explore whether the effect varies across cultures. Given previously demonstrated cultural differences in self-construals and self-enhancement, we predicted a smaller endowment effect for East Asians compared with Westerners. Two studies involving buyers and sellers of a coffee mug (Study 1a) and a box of chocolates (Study 1b) supported this prediction. Study 2 conceptually replicated this cultural difference by experimentally manipulating independent and interdependent self-construals. Finally, Study 3 provided evidence for an underlying self-enhancement mechanism: Cultural differences emerged when self-object associations were made salient, but disappeared when self-object associations were minimized. Thus, the endowment effect may be influenced by the degree to which independence and self-enhancement (vs. interdependence and self-criticism) are culturally valued or normative.

The Timing and Function of Offers in U.S. and Japanese Negotiations.

The authors examined the function of offers in U.S. and Japanese integrative negotiations. They proposed that early 1st offers begin information sharing and generate joint gains in Japan but have an anchoring effect that hinders joint gains in the United States. The data from the negotiation transcripts of 20 U.S. and 20 Japanese dyads supported 2 hypothesized interactions: Early offers generated higher joint gains for Japanese negotiators and lower joint gains for U.S. negotiators, and the exchange of information prior to the 1st offer generated higher joint gains for U.S. negotiators and lower joint gains for Japanese negotiators. Additional analyses supported predictions that early offer patterns represent information gathering in Japanese negotiations and information consolidation in U.S. negotiations. The results contribute to theories of negotiation and culture by showing that the use and efficacy of early offers and information exchange differ across cultures.

The Culturally Intelligent Team: The Impact of Team Cultural Intelligence and Cultural Heterogeneity on Team Shared Values

This study examines how the cultural heterogeneity of work teams moderates the way in which team cultural intelligence (CQ) affects the development of team shared values. Utilizing the four-factor model of CQ, we predict how each facet of CQ will impact the development of shared values in relatively early stages of team development differently for culturally homogeneous versus culturally heterogeneous work teams. We operationalize team shared values as the degree to which a broad set of cultural values are similarly endorsed by team members as guiding principles when working in their team. Results show that behavioral and metacognitive CQ had a positive effect on shared values in culturally heterogeneous teams; however, motivational and metacognitive CQ had a negative effect on shared values in culturally homogeneous teams. All effects were observed in the early stages of team development. Having uncovered positive and negative effects of CQ for shared values in work teams, we discuss implications for theory and practice around this form of cultural competence.

Managing the Intercultural Interface: Third Cultures, Antecedents, and Consequences

We offer a conceptualization of third culture in intercultural interactions and describe its different forms as well as its antecedents and consequences. Third culture is a multicultural teams shared schema that contains not only team and task knowledge, but also a shared set of beliefs, values, and norms grounded in the national cultures of the team members. We develop a typology to distinguish third culture schema form on two dimensions: third culture strength and third culture content. We then propose both team process and team composition variables that influence the emergence of these different forms. Furthermore, we use social identity formation and sensemaking mechanisms to propose the effects of these third culture forms on team performance.

The Display of 'Dominant' Nonverbal Cues in Negotiation: The Role of Culture and Gender

The current study extends prior negotiation research on culture and verbal behavior by investigating the display of nonverbal behaviors associated with dominance by male and female Canadian and Chinese negotiators. We draw from existing literature on culture, gender, communication, and display rules to predict both culture and gender variation in negotiators’ display of three nonverbal behaviors typically associated with dominance: relaxed posture, use of space, and facial display of negative emotion. Participants engaged in a dyadic transactional negotiation simulation which we videotaped and coded for nonverbal expression. Our findings indicated that male Canadian negotiators engaged in more relaxed postures and displayed more negative emotion, while male Chinese negotiators occupied more space at the negotiation table. In addition, use of space and negative emotion partially mediated the relationship between culture and joint gains, as well as satisfaction with negotiation process. We discuss contributions to cross-cultural negotiation literature, implications for cross-cultural negotiation challenges, as well as future studies to address cultural variation in the interpretation of nonverbal cues.

Strategic sequences in police interviews and the importance of order and cultural fit

This study introduces the concept of strategic sequences to police interviews and concentrates on the impact of active listening behavior and rational arguments. To test the authors’ central assumption that the effectiveness of strategic sequences is dependent on cultural fit (i.e., the match with the cultural background of suspects), young people participated in virtual police interviews. Study 1 demonstrated that contrast sequences accentuating rational rather than relational behavior were found to be effective in eliciting information and admissions from suspects originating from cultures that tend to use more direct and content-oriented communication (i.e., low-context cultures), whereas for suspects from cultures that use more indirect and context-oriented communication (i.e., high-context cultures) a nonsignificant trend in reversed order was found. Study 2 added the investigation of the joint impact of active listening and rational arguments. In line with predictions, the results showed that an active listening—rational arguments sequence is most effective when active listening behavior precedes— rather than follows—rational arguments.

Conceptualizing Culture as Communication in Management and Marketing Research

Decades of management and marketing researchers are grateful to Geert Hofstede for bringing an empirical approach to studying culture in the workplace. Since Hofstede’s (1980) original publication of the cultural values of IBM employees in 40 nations, hundreds of researchers have used the Hofstedean framework to understand culture’s influence on managerial, consumer, and organizational behavior. This includes conceptualizing culture as a nation-level construct capturing a set of shared values and measuring culture empirically through self-reports of value statements. For managers and marketers, this approach has proven fruitful. When our goals are to explain and predict the behavior of employees, managers, and consumers in an increasingly global workplace, we agree that there is utility in measuring culture empirically at the individual level, in describing and categorizing individuals from different nationalities when shared values are apparent (though some authors in this volume might question the value of such an approach), and in empirically testing the relationship between cultural values and organizational outcomes. At the same time, we believe that it is time to move beyond the empirical study of cultural values to address other facets of culture that have the power to predict marketing and management behaviors.

Understanding intercultural dynamics: Insights from competition and cooperation in complex contexts

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview on the state of the field in intercultural dynamics on competition and cooperation at the individual, team, and organizational levels. The authors integrate previous studies from multiple disciplines to articulate the contextual importance of intercultural dynamics. The authors also suggest three overarching themes to expand the field of research on intercultural dynamics. Design/methodology/approach The authors use an integrative literature review to articulate the importance of intercultural dynamics, provide an introduction to the new contributions in this special issue, and propose new directions for future research. Findings Intercultural dynamics research has the potential to expand in three overarching areas: constructive controversy, collaborative communication, and global competency and identity at multiple levels. Research limitations/implications Intercultural dynamics is still a nascent field emerging from cross-cultural and strategic management. The authors hope the review lays the groundwork for more studies on intercultural dynamics at the interpersonal, team, organizational, and mixed levels of analysis in both theory building and empirical works. Practical implications Understanding intercultural dynamics in competition and cooperation can help individuals and managers in multinationals and born global organizations navigate cultural complexity and foster cooperation. Social implications The authors hope the ideas on intercultural dynamics can facilitate collaboration and reduce conflict in intercultural encounters at the individual, organization, and societal levels. Originality/value This paper offers an overview on the state of the field and lays groundwork for more systematic inquiries on intercultural dynamics in competition and cooperation.

Cultural mosaic beliefs as a new measure of the psychological climate for diversity: Individual distinctiveness and synergy in culturally diverse teams

This article introduces the concept of cultural mosaic beliefs (CMBs) as a component of effective multicultural work groups. Building on theories of group diversity and self-verification, and responding to calls to understand moderators that explain the impact of group diversity on performance outcomes, we conceptualize CMBs as a psychological climate that individual group members perceive to promote the recognition, acceptance and expression, and utilization of cultural diversity (values, traditions, and practices) in their work. We also propose that CMBs might attenuate conflict that can sometimes characterize culturally diverse work groups distinguishing groups that falter from those that flourish and benefit from the informational and other potential advantages associated with their diverse cultural composition. In a series of five studies (N = 1119), we develop a 17-item CMB scale comprised of three factors: perceived group diversity, cultural acceptance and expression, and culture utilization. We present evidence of convergent and discriminant validity, showing that the CMB scale is related to but distinct from other measures of diversity. We also demonstrate predictive validity, showing that the CMB scale is related to work group members’ identification with the group, commitment to the group, satisfaction with the group, and learning from the group. We conclude by proposing applications of our CMBs concept and measure to multicultural workplaces and offer future directions for research on cultural diversity, specifically the study of group CMBs as a moderator of cultural diversity’s effects on groups.