Research Paper on:
Role of Trust in Negotiations

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
something through negotiation. What the gurus fail to mention sometimes, however, is the importance of building trust in the negotiating process. Very simply, when it comes to negotiating, both parties  need to have trust in one another to come to an amicable conclusion. The first thing that might help in this endeavor  is actually defining the concept of trust, which is an intangible feeling (Kramer, 1999). Trust, overall, is primarily a psychological state, involving the "undertaking of a risky course of action  on the confident expectation that all persons involved . . . will act competently and dutifully" (Kramer, 1999, p. 569). Trust can also be defined as expectations that people have  of one another (Kramer, 1999). Another definition of trust is confidence that another partys or persons goodwill (Zaheer, McEvily and Perrone, 1998).  So what, exactly, does trust have to do with the art of negotiation, which primarily involves two parties working toward a solution that makes the most sense? Very simply, trust,  with its expectation and confidence, helps minimize hostility and builds confidence that the outcome of a negotiation will be beneficial to all parties. In addition, trust in a negotiation process  helps ensure that agreements are reached more quickly and easily, as both parties are more able and willing to compromise and agree, as trust and goodwill has already been building  into the process (Zaheer, McEvily and Perrone, 1998). Trust that exists in negotiations also means that both parties are willing to share more information - as well as their feelings  - about what is being negotiated (Zaheer, McEvily and Perrone, 1998). In addition, when unforeseen challenges arrive during the negotiating process, a high level of trust in the process means