How do individuals’ beliefs about whether good negotiators are born or made affect how they approach negotiations?
Laura’s research on negotiator mindsets reveals a fundamental distinction in how people approach negotiations, with profound implications for their performance and ethical conduct. At the core of this research is the contrast between growth and fixed mindsets—two distinctly different ways of thinking about negotiation ability and its potential for development.
Negotiators who possess a growth mindset believe that negotiating skills can be developed and refined through experience and effort. In contrast, those with fixed mindsets view negotiating ability as an unchangeable trait—something you either have or don’t have. This basic difference in perspective has far-reaching consequences for negotiation outcomes.
A comprehensive study of MBA students demonstrated the powerful impact of these mindsets on negotiation performance. The research tracked students over a 15-week period, examining their success across multiple dimensions of negotiation. Those with growth mindsets consistently outperformed their fixed-mindset peers in both value claiming (getting the best deal for themselves) and value creation (finding solutions that benefit all parties). What makes this finding particularly significant is its longitudinal nature—the initial assessment of students’ mindsets predicted their performance throughout the entire course, suggesting the profound and lasting influence of these mental frameworks.
The influence of negotiator mindsets extends beyond pure performance into the realm of ethical behavior, particularly when considered alongside gender dynamics. When examining ethical standards in negotiations, an intriguing pattern emerges: fixed mindsets correlate with lower ethical standards, with this effect being particularly pronounced among men. This gender difference likely stems from the traditionally masculine stereotypes associated with negotiation—men with fixed mindsets may feel greater pressure to prove themselves in this domain, potentially leading them to compromise their ethical standards in pursuit of success.
Trust dynamics in negotiations are also significantly shaped by negotiator mindsets, particularly in situations involving deception. When negotiators discover they have been deceived, those with growth mindsets respond by adjusting their assessment of their counterpart’s integrity downward. They recognize deception as an ethical violation and update their perceptions accordingly. In contrast, negotiators with fixed mindsets tend to maintain their initial impressions even after learning about deception, suggesting a fundamentally different way of processing ethical breaches in negotiation contexts.
The research also illuminates how different mindsets influence learning from negotiation experiences. Growth mindset negotiators are more likely to engage in constructive reflection after negotiations, considering how outcomes could have been improved. This tendency toward reflective thinking translates into tangible benefits—they become more adept at discovering creative solutions that benefit all parties. The connection between mindset, reflection, and performance creates a virtuous cycle: their belief in the possibility of improvement leads them to analyze past experiences more thoroughly, which in turn helps them develop more effective negotiation strategies.
These findings collectively paint a picture of negotiator mindsets as a crucial factor in determining not just immediate negotiation outcomes, but also long-term development as a negotiator. The growth mindset appears to create a foundation for continuous improvement, ethical behavior, and the development of sophisticated negotiation skills. Understanding these patterns has important implications for negotiation training and development programs, suggesting that cultivating a growth mindset might be as important as teaching specific negotiation tactics or strategies.
This research underscores the importance of how we think about our own abilities in shaping our actual performance and ethical conduct in negotiations. It suggests that fostering a growth mindset might be a crucial first step in developing more effective, ethical negotiators who can create value for all parties involved in negotiations.
