Social value orientations and strategy choices in competitive negotiations

Social value orientations are known to influence outcome preferences, expectations, and strategic choices. This research investigated whether dyadic,composition, as determined by the social value orientations of negotiators, affects the negotiation process. A log-linear analysis showed that strategy selection is influenced by dyad type: Prosocial dyads use restructuring and supportive strategies and focus on process management. Proself dyads focus on priority information exchange and concessionary behavior while avoiding positional arguing. Mixed dyads emphasize argumentation and show a pattern consistent with distributive bargaining. Sequencing of strategies also varied with dyad type. Responses to restructuring suggestions were different in the three dyad types, and positional-priority sequences were elicited in proself dyads and suppressed in mixed dyads. The authors conclude that dyads differ in the extent to which they emphasize the procedural or distributive components of the negotiating task as well as in their patterns of information search.