The Big Five and Their Bidirectional Impact When Beginning to Bargain
There exists ample research dedicated to the effect of personality characteristics on negotiation behavior. We conducted a series of studies examining the effect of Big Five personality dimensions on the very beginning of negotiation – the initiation of negotiation. Results show a positive effect of extraversion and a negative effect of neuroticism on the initiation of negotiation in competitive contexts. A bidirectional effect was found for agreeableness. Whereas in a competitive context it had a negative impact, it positively influenced the initiation of negotiation in a cooperative setting. The effects of Big Five on the initiation of negotiation were stronger and more consistent when the initiation of negotiation was measured as general tendency rather than as behavioral state variable