The Strategic Adaptable Negotiator

Negotiators frequently cannot adjust purposefully to changing circumstances. This lack of strategic adaptability can lead to failure to close high-quality business agreements and may undermine the relationship with the other side. Strategic adaptability is a valuable skill for negotiators, and given the inherent uncertain and dynamic nature of negotiations, strategic adaptability is thus an essential skill for negotiators to possess. However, little research has been done to conceptualize and empirically investigate strategic adaptability. Considering its potential to foster high joint gain, this study bridges the gap by developing a framework for strategic adaptability. With this aim, student participants from three different countries and different negotiation experience levels (NL=83, IS=30, JP=19; N=132) participated in a negotiation simulation. The interactions were recorded, transcribed, and coded for various behavioral indicators of strategic adaptability. This research provides a first step towards developing didactic training interventions that foster the development of such a skill.