Individualism-collectivism and relationships in distributive negotiation: An experimental analysis
McCusker, Christopher Robert
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/19843
Description
Title
Individualism-collectivism and relationships in distributive negotiation: An experimental analysis
Author(s)
McCusker, Christopher Robert
Issue Date
1994
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Triandis, Harry C.
Department of Study
Psychology
Discipline
Psychology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Psychology, Social
Business Administration, Management
Psychology, Industrial
Language
eng
Abstract
An experiment was conducted in Illinois, Korea and Hong Kong to test predictions about the impact of individualism and collectivism on the process of distributive negotiation. Individualism and collectivism are cultural syndromes that generally refer to the relative emphasis people place on individuals or groups in thinking about and behaving in social interactions. Individualism is defined by an emphasis on a private self-identity and a desire for independence. Consequences of individualism include the tendency for behavior to be a function of individual cost-benefit calculations. Collectivism is defined by an emphasis on a collective self-identity and a desire for interdependence. Its main consequences are that social norms should be of primary importance in directing social behavior, and the ingroup or outgroup status of others should be important considerations for behavior in social interactions. Based on an analysis of the implications of individualism and collectivism for negotiation behavior, it was argued that the assumption of self-interest was more valid for individualists than collectivists. It was further argued that collectivistic dyads would follow communal relationships rules, while individualistic dyads would follow exchange relationship rules. Communal rules are characterized by concern for the needs of the other party. Exchange rules are characterized by immediate reciprocation of benefits received by another. In the current experiment, participants were classified as individualists or collectivists based on responses to questionnaire measures. Consistent with expectations, undergraduate male participants from Seoul, Korea and Hong Kong tended to be collectivistic, while those from Champaign, Illinois, U.S.A. tended to be individualistic. Individualistic and collectivistic dyads participated in an issue distributive negotiation. Consistent with predictions, the assumption of self-interest was more viable for individualists than collectivists. Also, consistent with predictions, collectivists and individualists appear to rely on communal and exchange relationship rules for giving and receiving benefits in distributive negotiation, respectively. Implications for the dominant paradigm of negotiation research and the theory of individualism and collectivism are discussed.
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