Abstract

This study explores how personality traits and bargaining styles shape negotiation outcomes within the cultural context of Oman. The study used explanatory research design based on data from 243 professionals across diverse industries in Oman and used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the data.

The findings revealed that personality traits play a central role in negotiation behavior. Pro-self-personalities are more likely to adopt distributive bargaining strategies, leading to win-lose or deadlock outcomes, while prosocial personalities favor integrative bargaining, resulting in win-win or mutually acceptable outcomes. Bargaining styles partially mediate the relationship between personality traits and negotiation outcomes, confirming their critical role in the negotiation process. Communication mode and gender do not significantly moderate these relationships, suggesting that personality traits exert a stronger and more stable influence than contextual factors.

The study contributes to negotiation literature by validating established theories within the Omani context and highlighting the dominance of personality over situational variables. Practically, the findings offer valuable guidance for organizations in Oman, emphasizing the importance of personality-based training, role allocation, and talent management to improve negotiation effectiveness and foster sustainable professional relationships.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.