Do Social Stereotypes Interfere In Business Negotiations

Abstract

Does an oversimplified idea about a person interfere in the business negotiation process? In this article, we addressed that puzzling question through a t-test of N=300 Brazilian business negotiations, aiming to provide scholars with a new perspective on business negotiations. We conducted an experiment dividing ten negotiation training sessions into two groups: m1 and m2, with 150 negotiations each group, totaling 600 participants. An independent-samples T-Test was applied to the collected data. Key findings pointed out a statistical significance on the alternate hypothesis, meaning that stereotypes interfere in the business negotiation process. Finally, the implications of these findings for managerial practice are discussed.