Kathleen M. O'Connor
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- SPN Mentor
I am a social-organizational psychologist who uses experimental methods to study how people perceive and navigate interpersonal situations, particularly those marked by conflict. Most of my research investigates how people negotiate, both in business and other settings. My current projects focus on people’s past bargaining experiences and how these shape their future deals. Studies show that experiences are linked over time. Specifically, frustrating past experiences (e.g., impasses) trigger a "distributive spiral" that undermines negotiators’ ability to find high value deals the next time they negotiate.
A second stream of work continues the theme of accounting for past experiences by investigating whether and how negotiators' reputations matter in future interactions. Results show that negotiators pay attention to their partners' reputations, and use them to guide their choice of tactics. For instance, when a partner is known to be a tough, negotiators expect an aggressive exchange, and adopt a defensive posture, sharing little of the kind of critical information necessary to strike good deals. As a result, pairs of negotiators fare poorly when one side has a reputation for toughness. Contrary to what some might expect, reputations for working collaboratively do not set up negotiators to be exploited. Rather, they encourage partners to reveal their hidden priorities and preferences, allowing both sides to do quite well.
My recent work investigates the development of individual social capital. I apply theories of individual cognition and interpersonal behavior to study the conditions under which people recognize and exploit opportunities for building social capital. I am a member of a team of networks experts from Cornell University whose work is sponsored by the Institute for the Social Sciences.
Primary Interests:
- Aggression, Conflict, Peace
- Communication, Language
- Interpersonal Processes
- Judgment and Decision Making
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Journal Articles:
- Anderson, C. J., & O'Connor, K. M. (2000). System change, learning, and public opinion about the economy. British Journal of Political Science, 30, 147-172.
- Arnold, J. A., & O'Connor, K. M. (1999). Ombudspersons or peers? The effects of third party expertise and recommendations in negotiation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, 776-785.
- Arnold, J. A., & O'Connor, K. M. (2006). How negotiator self-efficacy drives decisions to pursue mediation. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36, 2649-2669.
- O'Connor, K. M. (1997). Groups and solos in context: The effects of accountability on team negotiation. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 72, 384-407.
- O'Connor, K. M., & Adams, A. A. (1999). What novices think about negotiation: A content analysis of scripts. Negotiation Journal, 15, 135-147.
- O'Connor, K. M., & Arnold, J. A. (2001). Distributive spirals: Negotiating impasses and the moderating effect of disputant self-efficacy. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 84, 148-176.
- O'Connor, K. M., Arnold, J. A., & Burris, E. R. (2005). Negotiators' bargaining experiences over time and their effects on future negotiations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 350-362.
- O'Connor, K. M., De Dreu, C. K. W., Barry, B., Schroth, H., Lituchy, T. R., & Bazerman, M. H. (2002). What we want to do versus what we think we should do: An empirical investigation of intrapersonal conflict. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 15, 403-418.
- Sullivan, B. A., O'Connor, K. M., & Burris, E. R. (2006). Negotiator confidence: The impact of self-efficacy on tactics and outcomes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 42, 567-581.
- Tinsley, C. H., O'Connor, K. M., & Sullivan, B. A. (2002). Tough guys finish last: The perils of a distributive reputation. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 88, 621-642.
Courses Taught:
- Decision Making
- Managing and Leading in Organizations
- Negotiation
Kathleen M. O'Connor
Sage Hall
Johnson School of Management
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853
United States of America
- Phone: (607) 255-9102
- Fax: (607) 255-4590
