Structuring and Integrating 50 Years of Research on Multi-Person Negotiations – The MTR Database

There is much research on multi-person negotiations, including negotiations between multiple parties, negotiations between large parties, or negotiations conducted by representatives on behalf of one or several constituency members. Despite the breadth of this research, it has developed in separate subfields, hindering progress and cross-fertilization. We present a database of 50 years of empirical research on multi-person negotiations, structured along three dimensions that distinguish multi-person from dyadic negotiations: (a) they include Multiple parties; and/or (b) at least one party may have more than one member, making it a Team; and/or (c) at least one party may negotiate through Representatives. Using two cases of research questions on multi-person negotiations, we exemplify how our database may help to i) identify gaps in the literature -unexplored but relevant areas in multi-person negotiation research- and ii) highlight how studies of the different forms of multi-person negotiations can learn from and inspire each other. We thereby provide a research agenda to inspire future scholars to capitalize on unique features of different forms of multi-person negotiations. We conclude with reviewing a large part of the database in a third case example.