Keywords

negotiation, dysfunction, the dark triad, personality disorders

Abstract

Workplace negotiations often present daunting challenges. The negotiation process can test relationships and place reputations at risk. Moreover, in some situations, the difficulty and stress involved in routine negotiations become magnified. Approximately ten percent of working adults have personality styles or behavioral tendencies that can make interactions with them especially challenging. Identifying, understanding, and dealing with personality dysfunction in the negotiation process is therefore a critically important skill (Kessler et al. 2005; Eddy 2018). Today’s negotiators need to be able to recognize and interact with people who have difficult and dysfunctional personality traits.

Unfortunately, many of those on the receiving end of such interactions are often left confused, frustrated, exhausted, and unsure of how best to handle these seriously challenging situations (Spain, Harms, and LeBreton 2014). Furthermore, since the most dysfunctional individuals do not always interact in clearly identifiable antisocial ways, it is important for negotiators to be able to distinguish between what is difficult and functional and what is difficult and dysfunctional (Markon, Krueger, and Watson 2005).

Original Publication Citation

"Dealing with Dysfunction: Negotiating with Difficult Individuals", Negotiation Journal, Edition Summer, Harvard, Cambridge, MA, Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, 2020

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2020

Publisher

Negotiation Journal

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Marketing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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Marketing Commons

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