The Impact of Emotional Intelligence in a Negotiation Process

Abstract

Negotiation is essential in all aspects of life. Every day, from the moment one gets up until the moment one goes to sleep, we are negotiating. Even when one decides to stay to read the next page of the book, or catch the episode of their favourite series, they are negotiating the pros and cons internally. Negotiation is a part of life, and gives the opportunity to reach to a mutual beneficial to all. It considers everyone's own interests, and assists them in reaching a common conclusion. (Junega, 2015). Effective negotiators must take account of emotions that arise during the process, and the need of those emotions to be understood and addressed. This research aims to understand the impact of emotional intelligence in a negotiation process. Specifically, the mechanisms and elements to address emotional intelligence in a negotiation process, in order to get a desirable outcomes for everybody. This research, through a mixed research methodology: qualitative and quantitative data, investigates the impact of emotional intelligence in negotiation, in a sample taken from 116 participants. The respondents were requested to answer a survey. The findings revealed that one's own, and others' emotions, can influence the path of a negotiation, and that understanding them can offer one an advantage in the process. These results suggest that there is a broad understanding about the effects of emotions in negotiations. However, there is not proof of that understanding always being applied in negotiations.