Are men hyper-competitive?
It seems that men achieve better outcomes in negotiations partly because they are more ready to engage in unethical tactics and act deceitfully.
In order better to mitigate the risks stemming from the likelihood of unethical behaviour, it is good to know more about the causes and circumstances in which it may take place. If social influence is the main trigger, companies could really do something about it so as to avoid the possible consequences of questionable negotiating practices.
Origins of male competitiveness
Reproductive necessities in the early days of human history may explain the differences. As pregnancy is very demanding in terms of time and energy, women had to be more selective; men, on the other hand, could theoretically impregnate many women. Therefore, women did not need to be as competitive as men.
Men can be manipulated into negotiating unethically. All that is required are conditions which would awaken basic biological instincts. In gender-mixed negotiations, the level of unethical behaviour by men should be lower.
A survey conducted by the INSEAD business school involved 138 adults. The evolutionary origins of unethical behaviour during negotiations were examined. Apart from dummy questions, respondents were asked about their interest in romantic or sexual activities and also how often they deployed unethical negotiating tactics.
Men with a greater interest in sex were most likely to deploy manipulative means. In contrast, men with a lower libido answered the same as women. Thus gender differences in themselves probably are not the whole answer to this particular issue.
-jk-