Collectivism and Negotiation Behavior: Experimental Evidence from Customer–Supplier Interactions in Costa Rica and France

Negotiation outcomes are often influenced by cultural norms, yet most research has emphasized national-level dimensions, overlooking individual variation and behavioral complexity. This study addresses that gap by examining how the individualism–collectivism cultural dimension affects negotiation behavior and results in customer–supplier interactions. The objective is to investigate whether individual-level cultural orientation can predict integrative or competitive negotiation styles and to assess how these styles impact perceived satisfaction and monetary outcomes. The study uses an experimental design involving participants from Costa Rica and France. Negotiation behavior is analyzed through a six-profile behavioral continuum that accounts for both price concessions and the types of tactics used. The experiment also incorporates self-reported cultural orientations, allowing for individual-level cultural analysis. The results indicate that higher levels of integrative behavior are positively associated with both satisfaction and monetary outcomes. Mixed negotiation pairs (one integrative, one competitive) show significantly lower group satisfaction, while fully integrative pairs achieve the highest. Importantly, individual-level collectivism predicts integrative behavior more accurately than national culture, particularly among Costa Rican participants. These findings highlight the importance of considering culture at the individual level and provide methodological and practical contributions by applying Kelley’s (Kelley 1966) framework to negotiation research and informing cross-cultural business practices.