Methods to analyze negotiation processes

Negotiation processes evolve simultaneously along several dimensions. They have a substantive dimension, which deals with the issues to be resolved in the negotiation, a communication dimension reflecting the different tactics negotiators use to provide information, build a relationship and influence each other, and an emotional dimension, in which negotiators can influence each other even without explicitly communicating their emotions. In the last decades, negotiation researchers have developed several methods to study these different process dimensions individually, which are reviewed in this chapter. Creating an integrated perspective combining two or all three dimensions is an important next step, and the approach for this integration is also presented. Recent advances in information technology, data mining, and artificial intelligence could contribute to a more thorough analysis of negotiation processes to enable new insights in negotiation research, and also as tools that support negotiators by analyzing negotiation processes in real time. These approaches are presented in the concluding part of this chapter.