title: Cooperation in multicultural negotiations: How the cultures of people with low and high power interact.
abstract: This study examined whether the cultures of low- and high-power negotiators interact to influence cooperative behavior of low-power negotiators. Managers from 4 different cultural groups (Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, and the United States) negotiated face-to-face in a simulated power-asymmetric commons dilemma. Results supported an interaction effect in which cooperation of people with lower power was influenced by both their culture and the culture of the person with higher power. In particular, in a multicultural setting, low-power managers from Hong Kong, a vertical-collectivist culture emphasizing power differences and group alignment, adjusted their cooperation depending on the culture of the high-power manager with whom they interacted. This study contributes to understanding how culture shapes behavior of people with relatively low power, illustrates how a logic of appropriateness informs cooperation, and highlights the importance of studying multicultural social interactions in the context of negotiations, work teams, and global leadership. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Department of Management and Organizations, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.
authors.forename: Shirli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kopelman
authors.affiliation: Department of Management and Organizations, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.
authors.forename: Ashley E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Hardin
authors.affiliation: Organizational Behavior Unit, Harvard Business School, Harvard University.
authors.forename: Christopher G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.affiliation: Department of Management and Organizations, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.
authors.forename: Leigh Plunkett
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Tost
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000208:ethnology; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007557:Israel / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017008:Negotiating / Q000523:psychology*; D011209:Power, Psychological; D014481:United States / Q000208:ethnology