Ethical dilemmas are inescapable components of a negotiation, a social exchange process central to all human interactions. It is thus important to understand what motivates managers to engage in ethically questionable behaviors in business negotiations. Using a sample of 298 students enrolled in executive training programs, this study tries to analyze to what extent individuals differences in personality influence the moral judgment of ethically ambiguous negotiation practices and behavioral intentions in six scenarios representing negotiation situations with ethical dilemmas. Results suggest that both personality traits studied - interpersonal trust and competitiveness - have a significant influence not only on how managers judge the morality of ethically ambiguous negotiation tactics, but also on their behavioral predisposition in specific negotiation scenarios. These findings may significantly contribute to the theoretical understanding of ethical decision making processes in negotiation.
Negotiation; ethics; decision making; trust; competitiveness
