Predicting Cooperative Behavior In Conflict Management: The Impact of Political Skill

This research studies the role of individual differences in conflict management by exploring whether a social competence measure known as political skill is related to cooperative behaviors and superior outcomes. Two studies were conducted with professional executives and MBA students, and we find that political skill is significantly related to a party’s overall use of cooperative (i.e., problem-solving) behaviors and higher subjective outcomes. The research contributes to the reemerging literature exploring individual differences in conflict management and negotiation.