NCMR 13:2 Articles

 

Introductory article for NCMR ‘s Special Issue: Negotiation and Conflict Management in Entrepreneurial Ventures and Small Medium Enterprises (SME s) doi:10.1111/ncmr.12168
By Andrea Caputo

This article introduced the Special Issue of NCMR titled Negotiation and Conflict Management in Entrepreneurial Ventures and Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Dr. Caputo described the purpose of the special issue, which was to help advance research in NCMR that was connected to entrepreneurship and small media enterprises.

 

Tracing the Roots of Constructive Conflict Management in Family Firms doi:10.1111/ncmr.12164
By Cristina Alvarado-Alvarez, Immaculada Armadans, María José Parada

The overlap between family and business systems creates a particular bundle of resources, which is a specific familiness that may determine how family firms positively or negatively manage their conflicts. In this article, we review the current research on conflict management and family firms and suggest theoretical propositions about the influence of familiness in constructive conflict management in family firms. We propose that specific levels of structural, cognitive, and relational dimensions of familiness configure a specific arrangement of resources that we conceptualized as collaborative familiness, which enhances constructive conflict. We discuss the main implications of this conceptualization in terms of its theoretical contributions, further research, and practice.

 

Implicit Theories of Negotiation: Developing a Measure of Agreement Fluidity doi:10.1111/ncmr.12166
By Raymond A. Friedman, Robin L. Pinkley, William, P. Bottom, Wu Liu, Michele Gelfand 

Negotiation scholars generally model agreement as the terminal “endpoint” of the process. From this perspective, parties instantaneously realize their outcomes when agreement is reached. Although this conception may also reflect the understanding of some negotiators (those with what we call a “fixed agreement” mindset), we argue that others actually envision agreement as one step in an ongoing process (what we call a “fluid agreement” mindset). To spur research on this topic, we report initial progress on development of a new measure of agreement fluidity. Basic psychometric properties for this measure were established using six correlational samples that demonstrate aspects of both discriminant and convergent validity. Fixed agreement mindset appears to predict important behaviors during and after the negotiation process.

 

Mediators’ and Disputing Parties’ Perceptions of Trust‐Building in Family Mediation doi:10.1111/ncmr.12167
By Joan Albert Riera Adrover, María Elena Cuartero Castañer, Juan José Montaño Moreno

Different studies have demonstrated that trust‐building between mediators and disputing parties is a basic factor in the success of mediation processes. The aim of this study was to conduct an integrated analysis of mediation by taking into account the perceptions of mediators working for the Mediation Service and those of the service users over a period of one year. The obtained results show statistically significant differences in the two groups’ analyzed response patterns associated with a series of factors that predict trust‐building (the mediator’s legal expertise; suggesting an alternative; sincerity; focusing on settling the dispute; the appointment of a mediator by public authorities and/or by a recognized service; focusing on the parties’ common goals; highlighting the rules of mediation; and devoting some time to talking about informal matters). The identification of these factors contributes to improved training and professional practices in the field of mediation.

 

Theory to Practice: Reflections on a Consulting Life doi:10.1111/ncmr.12144
By Daniel Druckman      

In this essay, I recount my career experiences as a research consultant in Washington DC. These experiences, over the course of 23 years, provide examples of how theory and research can be used to guide practice. The account is chronological, beginning with my first consulting assignment in 1975, where I worked with a US delegation on resolving a negotiation impasse, to the 1990s where I directed study groups on a variety of human performance and international conflict resolution topics. These projects consisted both of applications of research‐based knowledge and the generation of research ideas for new projects. By immersing myself in both theory and practice, I could transform basic research into applied insights and induce research ideas from practice. This was the kind of career that Jeff Rubin aspired to having. The IACM Rubin award recognizes the way that his aspiration was fulfilled by one of his colleagues.