The effects of urgency to reach agreement on the process and outcome of multi-party natural resource negotiations

Product Type: Journal Article

Year: 2005

Author(s): Lamb, B.L., J.G. Taylor, N. Burkardt, and S.C. Gillette

Suggested Citation:
Lamb, B.L., J.G. Taylor, N. Burkardt, and S.C. Gillette. 2005. The effects of urgency to reach agreement on the process and outcome of multi-party natural resource negotiations. International Journal of Organizational Theory and Behavior 8(3): 372-395.

Abstract

We studied seven hydropower license consultations to examine the role of a sense of urgency to reach agreement. Hydropower licensing consultations were studied because the statutory requirement for consultation encourages negotiation, all such consultations are similar, and a negotiated settlement is not a foregone result. Cases selected for analysis met screening criteria. Structured interviews were conducted with participants after the negotiations had been concluded. Respondent recollections were checked against the documentary record. A sense of urgency to reach agreement was a significant factor in the completion of these negotiations; where there was no shared sense of urgency, purposeful delay adversely affected the negotiations. Although a sense of urgency was experienced by at least one party in each case, only a shared sense of urgency at the end of the process proved significant. Delay did not prevent ultimate agreement but a shared sense of urgency brought speedier agreement and greater satisfaction with the negotiation.