Effects of computer-mediated communication on group negotiation: an empirical study

A laboratory experiment was conducted to test the impact of communication medium (computer mediated versus face-to-face) on the performance of three-person groups with an integrative negotiation task. Negotiation process variables this study investigated were: conflict management behavior, judgment accuracy and negotiation time. Negotiation outcome variables considered were joint profit and satisfaction. Results showed that computer-mediated groups used more distributive approach, perceived other group members' priorities less accurately and took more time to reach a group agreement than did groups that used the face-to-face communication medium. It was also found that computer-mediated groups achieved lower joint profit and showed less satisfaction with the communication medium than did face-to-face groups.