Agreement Fluidity Mindset: Impact on Contract Extensiveness and Information Search

While most negotiation research assumes that negotiations end with a formal agreement, we argue that agreements are sometimes changed and revised and that negotiators vary in whether they expect changes, due to culture, industry experience, or individual differences. Those with a Fixed Agreement Mindset expect that the deal will not change, while those with a Fluid Agreement Mindset expect that a deal may well change. Those with a more fixed mindset have higher contract anxiety – concern to get the agreement exactly right – resulting in writing more extensive contracts and engaging in more information search during negotiations. This framework, supported in five studies, brings into view a major element of the negotiation process, and opens new avenues for research.