Representatives in Negotiations: "Internal" Variables That Affect "External" Negotiations

Abstract

This study examined the influence of "internal" organizational variables on representative perceptions of "external" negotiations. Representative reelection, involvement in position formation, and entry into groups perceived to differ in their stages of development were manipulated in the context of simulated union-management wage negotiations to determine their effect on negotiators' subsequent perceptions of the bargaining experience. Results indicated that entry into a newly formed group (vs. an ongoing group) and involvement in formulating the group position both increased negotiators' acceptance of the group goals. Further, several negative effects of new group membership in ongoing groups were attenuated by increasing the involvement of representatives in group decision making. There was no support for the hypothesis that a formal reelection process would strengthen representatives' commitment to the group goals. Overall, these findings suggest that involvement in position formation, and entry into groups differing in their maturity, influence the perceptions of representatives and may have several important and interesting effects on negotiations.