Individualism-collectivism and accountability in intergroup negotiations

This research incorporates the theory of individualism-collectivism into research on accountability in intergroup negotiations. Given that accountability is fundamentally a norm enforcement mechanism and that norms and standards for behavior vary for individualists and collectivists (H. R. Markus & S. Kitayama, 1991; H. C. Triandis, 1995) it was predicted that accountability would differentially affect individualists and collectivists in intergroup negotiations. In support of this, results from a laboratory study (with Caucasians and Asian Americans) and from a judgment study tin the United States and Estonia) found that collectivism moderated the effects of accountability on negotiators' psychological states, behaviors, and outcomes. In contrast to previous research, the results illustrate that accountability does not necessarily produce competitive behavior, but rather produces the behavior most normative for individuals in their sociocultural experience.