Trust congruence among integrative negotiators as a predictor of joint‐behavioral outcomes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe why trust congruence is important to negotiation, illustrate potential types of trust congruence in negotiating dyads, and link those types of congruence to joint-behavioral outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Studies pertinent to negotiators’ trust in one another are reviewed, and based on prior theoretical and empirical work, propositions are developed to posit how different types of trust congruence or incongruence can predict joint-behavioral outcomes in an integrative negotiation context. Findings – This analysis offers a potentially valuable framework for deepening the understanding of how trust affects interpersonal relationships and the negotiations that occur within them. Originality/value – This paper extends prior work on trust that has linked unilateral trust in one’s negotiating partner to behavioral outcomes by considering how a bilateral measure of trust (trust congruence) will affect these outcomes.