Intellectual Humility in Negotiations

Abstract: Negotiations are mixed-motive interactions in which parties typically approach the exchange with a competitive orientation while managing ongoing tensions between competition and cooperation. Although humility has been theorized to facilitate cooperation, little is known about how intellectual humility shapes negotiators’ strategic behavior. Across two studies, we examine whether intellectual humility influences reliance on question-and-answer (Q&A) strategies versus substantiation and offer (S&O) strategies. Study 1 (N = 200) shows that individuals higher in intellectual humility anticipate greater use of Q&A strategies, even after controlling general humility and the Big Five personality traits. Study 2 (N = 302) experimentally manipulates intellectual humility in a simulated negotiation and demonstrates that intellectually humble negotiators rely more on Q&A than S&O strategies relative to two control conditions. Together, these findings provide causal evidence that intellectual humility increases the use of question-and-answer (Q&A) strategies, providing insight into how negotiators can engage more constructively in mixed-motive interactions.

Keywords: Intellectual humility; negotiation process; negotiator characteristics