LATER IS BETTER: ISSUE AND OUTCOME DELAYS IN DYADIC NEGOTIATIONS.

Recent research has examined how a delay in the realization of the outcome of a negotiation can lead to more efficient agreements (Uptigrove & Okhuysen, 2001). However, most negotiations involve multiple issues, and the impact of delays on individual issues has not been examined. In this paper we explore the impact of outcome delays for specific issues on the overall efficiency of negotiation agreements. In addition, we examine the interaction between issue delays (delays that affect individual issues) and outcome delays (delays that affect the overall negotiation). We present evidence from an experiment which suggests that outcome delays for individual issues can influence negotiators to help them achieve more efficient agreements. In addition, we find an interaction between issue delays and outcome delays, such that the presence of both type of delays help negotiators achieve better agreements than if only one type or none of these delays are present. Finally, we present a discussion of theory and results in addition to suggestions for future research.