Cross-cultural intelligence moderates between emotional intelligence of the negotiator and the negotiation outcome

This explorative study aims to investigate skills required to increase the negotiation outcome within an intercultural negotiation setting. Negotiators with higher emotional intelligence are expected to achieve a better negotiation outcome, compared to individuals with lower emotional intelligence. Furthermore, it will be investigated if a mix of integrative and distributive negotiation behaviour leads to a positive negotiation outcome and also what roles cultural intelligence, work-, and negotiation experience play within this context. Data were collected during two international negotiation competitions with a survey covering levels of emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence, negotiation behaviour, and experience. These facilitated to gain in-depth insights into the skills of the participants and how these skills influence their negotiation outcome. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to analyse the data. The results indicate that individuals with a higher understanding of cultural intelligence, in combination with higher emotional intelligence, influence the negotiation outcome positively and are, therewith, beneficial skills to possess for a negotiator. Additionally, negotiation experience positively affects the negotiation outcome, irrespective of higher emotional intelligence. It can be concluded that experienced negotiators perform better during a negotiation and, hence, it is valuable to increase the level of experience through training and practical application.