Int. Studies of Mgt. & Org., vol. 43, no. 4, Winter 2013–14, pp. 64–89.
© 2014 M.E. Sharpe, Inc. All rights reserved. Permissions: www.copyright.com.
ISSN 0020–8825 (print)/ISSN 1558–0911 (online)
DOI: 10.2753/IMO0020-8825430404
ZHALEH SEMNANI-AZAD AND WENDI L. ADAIR
Watch Your Tone . . . Relational
Paralinguistic Messages in Negotiation
The Case of East and West
Abstract: This study examines how East Asian and North American negotiators
convey relational cues using vocal paralanguage. Drawing upon the involvementaffective
model of relational messages, the authors posit that vocal cues in
negotiation connote level of involvement (passive-active) and affect (positivenegative).
Since cultural norms influence emotional expression, they predict
distinct patterns of vocal paralanguage accompanying relational status in the
East versus the West. The authors manipulated relational approach and examined
vocal paralanguage in a videotaped business negotiation simulation in an
undergraduate academic course at a Canadian university. Their findings confirm
that Canadian negotiators communicate positive perception of counterpart and
active involvement in negotiation through faster speech rate and expressiveness in
voice. Chinese negotiators exhibit self-control by remaining calm and suppressing
emotion in vocal tone. Furthermore, warmth in voice predicts satisfaction with
relationship in negotiation, especially when a negotiator is not actively involved.
Theoretical and practical implications for cross-cultural negotiation and
communication are discussed.
Recently, negotiation researchers have stressed the importance of studying the
relational aspect of negotiations because relationships fulfill the needs of connectedness
embedded in the relational self (Gelfand et al. 2006); relationships
