Individual Differences and Situational Constraint Predict Information Search In Negotiation Planning

Planning is critical for negotiation success as it facilitates obtaining superior outcomes. However, little empirically is known about this topic. We argue that individual differences are important to understanding planning behavior because planning affords greater opportunities for individual differences to manifest. We conducted a series of studies to understand how the Big Five factors and gender predict information search and preference while planning. We observed individual differences to manifest in distinct ways across information search task and preference. In a more complex search task, agreeableness predicted persistence in search (Study 1a). In more constrained or simpler tasks, few associations between individual differences and search behavior emerged (Study 1b and 1c). How individual differences manifest in information search and preference in negotiation planning is a function of both task type and complexity. A different pattern was observed in information preference. Individual differences predicted preferences, aligning with existing patterns (Study 2).