Negotiating joint venture deals
In the US, several experiments were conducted with over 100 MBA students, who acted out a scenario involving joint venture negotiations.
The first experiment compared people who negotiated over a meal in a restaurant with another group of people who negotiated in a conference room with no food provided. The second experiment compared negotiating in a conference room with a shared meal or, again, without food. The results showed that in both cases eating together generated roughly 10% more profit than not sharing a meal.
Was this due merely to engagement in a shared activity, namely eating together? Was it about eating or would, say, solving a problem together similarly lead to more successful negotiation outcomes? In another experiment, people negotiated while completing a jigsaw puzzle together. Here there was no increase in profit or levels of trust when compared to groups which did not engage in a collaborative task.
Impact of eating together
According to an article on the website of the INSEAD business school, researchers believe there is a biological explanation for improved results when negotiators eat together. Such an activity increases glucose levels, which translates into better self-control and decreased aggression. This has a positive effect on negotiation outcomes. Furthermore, individuals eating together engage in mimicking movements that induce positive feelings about the other party. Both parties are also more social. These explanations, however, rely on increased cooperation being the reason for better outcomes. This need not always be the case.
-jk-