Purpose

Multi-party systems (MPS) comprise interdependent stakeholders (teams, organizations) that engage in complex interactions and negotiations. Building on the approach/inhibition theory of power, the self-enhancement strategy and on social interdependence theory, this study aims to understand the mediating role of attributions (i.e. perception of who/what is responsible for a certain outcome) in the relation between perceptions of the stakeholders’ power (i.e. self-perceptions of power, power ascribed to others and others’ perception of one’s own power) and their perceptions of intergroup climate and future collaborative intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 30 groups (113 participants) that took part in five multi-party simulations concerning the negotiation of funds allocation among six stakeholders. The authors have evaluated attributions, intergroup climate and future collaborative intentions using questionnaires and different facets of systemic power were derived from a round-robin procedure.

Findings

Mixed models and multi-level mediation analyses were carried out, and the results show that self-attributed power and power attributed by others predict internal attributions, while power attributed to others predicts external attributions. Moreover, attributions mediate the relationship between perceived power and future collaborative intention, as well as between power and perceptions of intergroup climate.

Practical implications

Managing the multi-party systems is a complex endeavor, and the results point toward ways in which power dynamics in multi-party systems can be addressed.

Originality/value

To the best of authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first empirical attempts to explore the association between the perceptions of power and attributions in multi-party systems engaged in negotiation tasks.

中文翻译：

---

多方谈判中的权力归属

目的

多方系统（MPS）由相互依赖的利益相关者（团队，组织）组成，他们参与复杂的交互和协商。基于权力的方法/抑制理论，自我增强策略和社会相互依存理论，本研究旨在了解归因（即，对谁/某事负责某项结果的感知）在感知之间关系中的中介作用。利益相关者的权力（即对权力的自我感知，归属于他人的权力以及他人对自己的权力的感知）以及他们对群体间气候和未来合作意图的感知。

设计/方法/方法

从30个小组（113个参与者）收集了数据，这些小组参加了有关六个利益相关方之间的资金分配谈判的五次多方模拟。作者使用调查表评估了归因，群体间的气候和未来的合作意向，而系统能力的不同方面则来自循环法。

发现

进行了混合模型和多层次调解分析，结果表明，自我分配的权力和他人的权力预测了内部归属，而他人的权力预测了外部归属。此外，归因介导了感知力量与未来合作意向之间以及力量与群体间气候感知之间的关系。

实际影响

管理多方系统是一项复杂的工作，其结果指向解决多方系统中动力动态的方法。

创意/价值

据作者所知，本研究是探索参与谈判任务的多方系统中权力观念与归因之间关系的第一批经验尝试。