Exploring the Game: Revealing the Contextual Conditions and Strategies of Latent Negotiation

Abstract In business-to-business environments characterized by uncertainty and interdependence, much of what shapes negotiation outcomes occurs beyond the formal table. Building on the concept of latent negotiations, understood as informal interaction episodes in which negotiation-relevant issues are addressed without explicit framing as negotiation, this study examines the contextual and perceptual conditions that enable such dynamics to emerge. Combining expert interviews with a conjoint analysis among negotiation practitioners, the findings show that face-to-face, one-to-one exchanges embedded in ongoing relationships and involving indirect issue framing are perceived as most conducive, whereas written communication and asymmetric constellations are perceived as less conducive. At the same time, the empirical results indicate that latent negotiations can arise in a range of other interactional forms, underscoring the need to remain attentive to contextual cues in everyday exchanges. The study contributes to negotiation research by conceptualizing negotiation as a continuum of interactions shaped by perception, context, and relational framing.