The Manager as a Sustainability Negotiator: Psychological Drivers and Barriers in Navigating Complex Conflicts of Interest

Abstract: Organizations face increasing pressure to integrate sustainability into their operations, requiring managers to navigate complex conflicts of interest in negotiations. Specifically, sustainability negotiations involve multi-faceted conflicts, spanning multiple stakeholders (internal vs. external), outcome dimensions (economic, ecological, social), and time points (present vs. future). While traditional negotiation models focus on maximizing economic gains, they often overlook the complexities and psychological challenges associated with sustainability goals. This paper introduces the Integrative Model of Sustainability Negotiations (IMSuN), a framework that identifies key psychological and contextual challenges in sustainability negotiations. Synthesizing insights from psychology and sustainability science, we propose three criteria for the evaluation of sustainability agreements: efficiency, sustainable scale, and distributive justice. Further, the IMSuN outlines three negotiation stages: 1) forming sustainability intentions in the preparation stage, influenced by attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control, 2) targeting, exploring, and evaluating trade-offs during negotiations, and 3) implementing sustainability outcomes through monitoring, communication, and adaptation. This framework bridges negotiation theory and practice, offering managers theoretical insights and practical strategies to navigate trade-offs between economic, social, and ecological goals, fostering long-term corporate sustainability. The model’s contributions to negotiation research and the development of practical strategies for achieving sustainability agreements are discussed.

Keywords: Negotiation, Sustainability, Complexity, Psychology, Trade-Offs