The ‘delay-of-game’ Effect: the Self-imposed Costs of Impatient Responses to Negotiation Slowdowns

This paper studies the impact of negotiation slowdowns; i.e., unwanted delays; on negotiation processes and outcomes. We begin by introducing the construct of a negotiator's pacing preferences, which we suggest reflects the negotiator's hopes and desires regarding the pace at which the interaction will be resolved. Second, we introduce our comparative pace model, which proposes that the relevant construct for studying time in dyadic negotiations is the degree to which individual negotiators' pacing preferences are aligned versus misaligned during interaction. Third, we review the results of two laboratory studies examining the delay-of-game effect, which occurs when negotiators over-react behaviorally to unwanted slowdowns; i.e., they sacrifice too much surplus in a negotiation.