From The American Lawyer authored by Viva Chen:
“It pains me to say this, but men and women are different—very different—in how they approach negotiation.
And guess what? Men are winning, winning, winning.
That’s the distressing conclusion of a recent study reported in the Harvard Business Review by Leigh Thompson, a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Thompson writes: “Our findings suggest that under normal conditions, men engage in unethical negotiation tactics more than women do, largely because males tend to be more competitive. Women tend to act more empathically, leading to less deceitful behavior on their part.”
Exactly how “unethical” and “deceitful” are men in negotiations? Thompson cites “substantial research” that shows men tend to lie more easily than women, and that they believe lying is acceptable. Moreover, men will use underhanded techniques to gain advantage, “such as looking at confidential reports not intended for them.”
Let’s take a pause here. It’s not that men have a more aggressive style. They cheat!”
