Communication Media and Interpersonal History: Their Effects on Negotiation

Employing media richness theory and social information processing theory, a model is developed and tested to understand the impact of communication media and bargainers’ interpersonal history on negotiation processes and outcomes. In a laboratory experiment, common multi-media combinations and the interpersonal histories of subjects were manipulated to examine their effects on task performance and on socio-relational perceptions of the process, communication environment, and outcomes. The results provide consistent support for media richness and social information processing theories and the research model. Richer media are perceived to facilitate increased levels of socio-relational cue support. Established dyads perceived the communication environment as more supportive of cues which engender cooperation regardless of the medium used for negotiation. They also experienced more conflict over the state of the relationship and less over the issues themselves than did zero-history dyads. However, the nature of the interaction depends on the richness of the particular communication setting.

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