Taking Action to Reduce Waste: Quantifying Impacts of Model Use in a Multiorganizational Sustainability Negotiation
Name
NCMR_12074_Final.pdf
Size
240.83 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
e56eaa783122766a4f0edebd1a469ba7
Author(s)
Czaika, Ellen Gail
Selin, Noelle E
Date Issued
July 2016
Journal
Negotiation and Conflict Management Research
Publisher
Wiley Blackwell
Citation
Czaika, Ellen, and Noelle E. Selin. “Taking Action to Reduce Waste: Quantifying Impacts of Model Use in a Multiorganizational Sustainability Negotiation.” Negotiation and Conflict Management Research 9.3 (2016): 237–255.
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
We use a role-play simulation to examine how using quantitative models influences the process and outcome of sustainability negotiations. Our experimental approach involved 74 teams of five parties negotiating the details of a pilot test to compost and/or recycle used paper coffee cups. Approximately half of these negotiation teams were given a quantitative model—a life cycle assessment (LCA). We measured both negotiation process and outcome variables, in particular identifying favorable agreements—the mutually exclusive set of agreements that either minimized carbon dioxide emissions or maximized the parties’ collective earned value. We found that most teams used a quantitative model; nearly half of those cocreated their own while negotiating. In our sample, teams that used a model, even those cocreating the model while negotiating, reached agreement more quickly than teams not using a model. Teams that cocreated the LCA reached a higher number of favorable agreements. We observed two dominant manners of model use: using the model to test alternatives while developing an agreement and verifying that a tentative agreement would sufficiently reduce carbon dioxide emissions. We conclude that using a quantitative model during a sustainability negotiation can help to increase the chances of obtaining a favorable agreement without lengthening the negotiation duration.
MIT Department
MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1111/ncmr.12074
