Negotiating Style of Portuguese Executives : Competition vs. Collaboration

The ambiguity of the current business atmosphere, the increasing change within the organizational environment, and the growing interpenetration of action of the various economic agents, both at domestic and international level, determine that negotiation be considered a central competence in the management of companies. Consequently, the capacity to anticipate the negotiating profile of the agents we deal with becomes vital in defining the negotiation strategies to be adopted. The main objective of this research is to define the most widely adopted bargaining strategies to negotiate effectively and efficiently within complex and uncertain corporate environments, such as those which characterize negotiations occurring at the highest corporate level. Based on a survey of executives of the 500 largest Portuguese corporations, we received 231 valid answers that allowed us to identify two distinct negotiating approaches: competition and collaboration. Afterward, we discuss the relationship between these two negotiating styles and the individual traits of the respondents, such as: (1) gender, (2) negotiation training, (3) professional experience and (4) the perceived profile of the successful negotiator