TECHNICAL PAPERS
Aug 6, 2010

How Do Personality Traits Affect Construction Dispute Negotiation? Study of Big Five Personality Model

Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 137, Issue 3

Abstract

This paper provides some leads as to how personality traits affect negotiating behaviors and negotiation outcomes in a construction dispute negotiation. To achieve this, a questionnaire survey was conducted. The Big Five Personality Model was used to measure the personality traits of construction negotiators. Factors of negotiating behaviors and negotiation outcomes were developed. By interrelating these three elements, moderated multiple regression (MMR) was used to examine how personality traits affect the relationships between negotiating behaviors and negotiation outcomes. The results suggest that 16 MMR models are of significant moderating effects on these relationships. Among them, the top five MMR models with relatively strong moderating effects are identified. These models reveal that the personality traits of extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness can significantly moderate the relationships of negotiating behaviors and negotiation outcomes. In addition, their moderating effects are plotted to examine their natures. Effective zones of extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness are identified to show precisely how these personality traits can effectively facilitate positive negotiation outcomes. These results provide construction organizations with indicators to which type of personality traits can help improve negotiation outcomes and optimize the overall performance of construction dispute negotiations.

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Acknowledgments

The writers would like to acknowledge the efforts of the editor and reviewers who reviewed the manuscript. This study was fully supported by a grant from City University of Hong Kong (Project No. UNSPECIFIED7200105).

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Go to Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 137Issue 3March 2011
Pages: 169 - 178

History

Received: May 7, 2008
Accepted: Aug 4, 2010
Published online: Aug 6, 2010
Published in print: Mar 1, 2011

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Tak Wing Yiu [email protected]
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Engineering, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Univ. of Auckland, Private Bag 92019 Auckland Mail Center, Auckland 1142, New Zealand (corresponding author). E-mail: [email protected]
Hung Kei Lee
Project Student, Dept. of Building and Construction, City Univ. of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Ave., Kowloon, Hong Kong.

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