To Flirt or Not to Flirt? Sexual Power at the Bargaining Table

We begin by exploring the lay belief that women can use flirtation to their advantage in professional contexts and contrast it with trained negotiators’ negative views on flirtation. We then examine the impact of flirtation on negotiators’ impression formation. We explore whether a flirtatious style...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Negotiation journal 2008-10, Vol.24 (4), p.483-493
Main Authors: Kray, Laura J., Locke, Connson C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bargaining
flirtation
Gender
Impact analysis
Labor negotiations
likability
negotiation
Power
Sex
Sexual behavior
Studies
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Summary:We begin by exploring the lay belief that women can use flirtation to their advantage in professional contexts and contrast it with trained negotiators’ negative views on flirtation. We then examine the impact of flirtation on negotiators’ impression formation. We explore whether a flirtatious style aids women in the trade‐off they often face between perceived likability and perceived competence. We discover both an upside and a downside to flirting at the bargaining table. Although flirtation appears to be positively related to women's likability, negotiators who flirted were judged to be less authentic than those who refrained from exercising their sexual power.
ISSN:0748-4526
1571-9979
DOI:10.1111/j.1571-9979.2008.00199.x