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Deceitful when insecure: The effect of self‐efficacy beliefs on the use of deception in negotiations

Author

Listed:
  • Filipe Sobral
  • Gustavo Moreira Tavares
  • Liliane Furtado
  • Urszula Lagowska
  • José Andrade Moura Neto

Abstract

This article investigates if and how negotiators' self‐efficacy beliefs affect their use of deception in negotiation. Specifically, we propose that self‐efficacy can be interpreted as a threat to self‐concept, which encourages individuals to temporarily bypass self‐regulatory obstacles by morally disengaging their cognitive moral filters, thereby enabling them to use deception in negotiation. We test our hypotheses in three independent experimental studies involving an interactive negotiation simulation, totalizing 460 participants. We find that negotiators with low self‐efficacy regarding their negotiation abilities are more likely to use deception than those with high self‐efficacy beliefs. Furthermore, we find that moral disengagement mediates the effects of self‐efficacy on deception. Our findings suggest that self‐efficacy plays a key role in shaping negotiators' ethical behaviors and we identify the psychological mechanism underlying this relationship.

Suggested Citation

  • Filipe Sobral & Gustavo Moreira Tavares & Liliane Furtado & Urszula Lagowska & José Andrade Moura Neto, 2023. "Deceitful when insecure: The effect of self‐efficacy beliefs on the use of deception in negotiations," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(1), pages 179-190, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:buseth:v:32:y:2023:i:1:p:179-190
    DOI: 10.1111/beer.12493
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Koning, Lukas & Dijk, Eric van & Beest, Ilja van & Steinel, Wolfgang, 2010. "An Instrumental Account of Deception and Reactions to Deceit in Bargaining," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(1), pages 57-73, January.
    2. Mara Olekalns & Philip Smith, 2009. "Mutually Dependent: Power, Trust, Affect and the Use of Deception in Negotiation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 85(3), pages 347-365, March.
    3. Robert Baron & Hao Zhao & Qing Miao, 2015. "Personal Motives, Moral Disengagement, and Unethical Decisions by Entrepreneurs: Cognitive Mechanisms on the “Slippery Slope”," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 128(1), pages 107-118, April.
    4. Michael P. Haselhuhn & Maurice E. Schweitzer & Laura J. Kray & Jessica A. Kennedy, 2017. "Perceptions of High Integrity Can Persist After Deception: How Implicit Beliefs Moderate Trust Erosion," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(1), pages 215-225, September.
    5. Kevin Tasa & Chris M. Bell, 2017. "Effects of Implicit Negotiation Beliefs and Moral Disengagement on Negotiator Attitudes and Deceptive Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 142(1), pages 169-183, April.
    6. Taya Cohen, 2010. "Moral Emotions and Unethical Bargaining: The Differential Effects of Empathy and Perspective Taking in Deterring Deceitful Negotiation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 94(4), pages 569-579, July.
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