A vast wisdom literature espouses the power of asking open-ended questions during negotiations: questions invite counterparts to disclose information and, in doing so, put askers at an informational advantage. But is this advice necessary, and more importantly, is it effective?
In the current work, we analyzed 61,057 speech turns from the transcripts of 309 dyadic interactions using Natural Language Processing to estimate the frequency and effectiveness of question-asking in integrative negotiations (Study 1). Open-ended questions were uncommon, occurring only in 8% of all negotiators’ speech turns. Yet, there was a robust positive linear relationship between asking open-ended questions and personal gains in the negotiation.
In contrast, asking closed-ended questions and making non-question statements did not significantly impact personal gains. Open-ended questions solicited next-turn responses that were twice as long as those prompted by closed-ended questions or non-question statements—an informational edge that at least partly explains the success of more inquisitive negotiators.
To experimentally substantiate this descriptive effect, we instructed some participants to prepare and ask either open-ended questions or statements prior to engaging in live chat integrative negotiations. Participants who were instructed to ask open-ended questions realized significantly higher personal gains than those who were not (Study 2). Collectively, these findings offer empirical support for the widely accepted—but previously untested—assertion that negotiators focus excessively on influencing (by making statements) at the expense of learning (by asking questions).
Matteo Di Stasi specializes in negotiation, conversations and behavioral science. He is Assistant professor at CUNEF Universidad, he holds a Ph.D. in Management Sciences at ESADE Business School and a research stay at Harvard Business School.
His research explores how individuals can improve their navigation of conversations.He is interested in understanding how people's way of talking shapes the decisions they make, the deals they seal, and the relationships they build. His research has been published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.He is also a frequent presenter at international conferences such as the International Association for Conflict Management and Association for Psychological Science. As well as, he presented his research to various research lab in Europe and USA. He has teaching experience at undergraduate, masters and MBA level.
The seminar will be held in English.
Major information: Elisa Villani (e.villani@unibo.it).