Constraints and triggers: situational mechanics of gender in negotiation.
The authors propose 2 categories of situational moderators of gender in negotiation: situational ambiguity and gender triggers. Reducing the degree of situational ambiguity constrains the influence of gender on negotiation. Gender triggers prompt divergent behavioral responses as a function of gender. Field and lab studies (1 and 2) demonstrated that decreased ambiguity in the economic structure of a negotiation (structural ambiguity) reduces gender effects on negotiation performance. Study 3 showed that representation role (negotiating for self or other) functions as a gender trigger by producing a greater effect on female than male negotiation performance. Study 4 showed that decreased structural ambiguity constrains gender effects of representation role, suggesting that situational ambiguity and gender triggers work in interaction to moderate gender effects on negotiation performance.
Bowles
Hannah Riley
HR
John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. hannah_bowles@harvard.edu
Babcock
Linda
L
McGinn
Kathleen L
KL
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017008:Negotiating; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment