PhD Defence Henrike Heunis | Strategic Adaptability in Negotiation

Strategic Adaptability in Negotiation

Henrike Heunis is a PhD student in the Department of Entrepreneurship & Technology Management. (Co)Promotors are prof.dr. E. Giebels and dr.ir. N.J. Pulles from the Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences and dr. A.G. Sigurðardóttir from Reykjavik University.

Negotiation is a cornerstone of organizational performance. Managers negotiate budgets and timelines, procurement professionals negotiate supplier contracts, and teams negotiate roles and priorities. Across these contexts, negotiation shapes not only economic outcomes but also relationships, reputation, and trust. Despite thorough preparation, negotiators enter discussions with incomplete information about the other party’s goals, priorities, or constraints, and need to interpret behaviors, test assumptions, and integrate new information as it emerges. Because negotiations are inherently uncertain and dynamic, effective negotiation depends on strategic adaptability, the shift between cooperative (i.e., integrative) and competitive (i.e., distributive) strategies in response to informational cues such as new insights, opponent behavior, or deadlocks.

This dissertation advances the understanding of strategic adaptability by integrating conceptual, empirical, and pedagogical perspectives across four studies. It draws on more than 2000 hours of transcribed negotiation simulations, comprising over 21,000 speaking turns and more than 6,000 identified strategy adaptations. The dissertation relies on both primary data, collected for this dissertation, and secondary data, which offers an opportunity to validate and extend the emerging framework using independent data sources. Three studies contribute to theory building and behavioral process analysis, explaining how negotiators adapt their strategic orientation in response to informational cues. In addition, a fourth study focuses on developing a training intervention to enhance adaptive negotiation behavior. Together, these studies offer a comprehensive understanding of how adaptability can be observed, understood, and developed in negotiation practice.