Integrative negotiation among agents situated in organizations

This paper addresses the problem of negotiation in a complex organizational context. An integrative negotiation mechanism is introduced, which enables agents to dynamically select a negotiation attitude based on the degree of external directedness. Experimental work explores the question of whether it always improves the organization's social welfare to have an agent be completely externally directed when negotiating and making choices. Results show that there are situations in which it is better for the organization if agents are partially externally directed in their negotiations with other agents rather than completely externally directed. The paper discusses the driving factors behind this unexpected result