Once again, the Harvard Project on Negotiation (PONS) posted a blog on whether men or women are more likely to use deceptive tactics in negotiation. (See my February 21, 2020, blog)

Citing several studies, researchers found competitiveness and level of empathy play a role in whether a negotiator is likely to use deceptive tactics.

For example, in one study, University of North Carolina professor Jason R. Pierce and Northwestern University professor Leigh Thompson asked 172 Chilean undergraduate students questions “… designed to assess their competitiveness, their level of empathy, and their attitudes toward using unethical and deceptive tactics in negotiation.” (Id.) They found that the men were more likely to condone the use of unethical tactics resulting from their greater degree of competitiveness. (Id.)

In another study, these same researchers asked 129 students at a university in the United States “… to imagine themselves in a negotiation scenario where they had the opportunity to lie to earn more money without fear of being caught.” (Id.) The result: about 50% of the men stated they would lie while only 29% of the women admitted to doing so. (Id.)

Of importance was the fact that men who were ranked as more competitive and less empathetic than women tended to be more willing to deceive. (Id.)

So, while men may be more willing to use deceptive tactics than women, the researchers point out that what is probably more valuable is to “…pay attention to the other side’s disposition- namely, how competitive and empathetic the other side seems- than his or her sex when trying to predict whether he or she will behave unethically.” (Id.)

How to combat such deception: use a collaborative approach and suggest creating value as much as possible. (Id.)

… Just something to think about.

 

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