Towards a paradigm of multiparty negotiation

Abstract

Despite considerable research on multiparty negotiation, no prior attempt has been made to organize and describe knowledge from the various disciplines represented within this field of study. The present article seeks to offer a comprehensive understanding of multiparty negotiation. It establishes a foundation for a multiparty negotiation paradigm by building a coherent multi-disciplinary framework. Development of this framework begins by defining fundamental concepts and identifying essential dynamics that structure the field of multiparty negotiation. This article then describes the building blocks and boundaries of the field. A review of the three most developed multiparty negotiation bodies of literature or domains – international negotiations, public disputes, and organizational and group negotiations – follows. Similarities and differences between the three domains are identified, as are points of theoretical integration. This examination of multiparty negotiation concepts and dynamics, building blocks, boundaries, and domains constitutes a framework that defines multiparty negotiation as a field of practice. The article also establishes a research agenda that will contribute to the development of multiparty negotiation as an area of study.