Improvisation Training increases Negotiators’ Creativity but not Necessarily Their Outcomes

Keywords: Negotiation, Improvisation, Creativity

Abstract: This study was designed to investigate the effect of a short improvisation intervention on negotiation processes and outcomes. The expectation was that improvisation training, compared to a control condition in which participants engaged in jig-saw puzzling, would result in better negotiation agreements via higher levels of adaptability to new circumstances, better listening, or higher levels of creativity. Results showed that improvisation training increased participants’ creativity and divergent thinking, compared to the control condition. The effects however, did not carry over to the negotiation; participants reached similar negotiation outcomes after an improvisation training or after puzzling, and also their (self-reported) negotiation behaviors did not differ between those groups. Possible explanations and future research are discussed.