Professor Tuncel Receives Three Grants from a National Organization

Professor Ece Tuncel

Ece Tuncel, a professor of Organizational Behavior in the George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology, received three grants for three projects from Negotiation and Team Resources. Tuncel is the principal investigator for one of the projects and co-principal investigator for the two other projects.

“I am excited for the support and recognition of the value of these projects,” Tuncel said. “Funding is limited for my field of interest, so being awarded grants can be highly competitive. The fact that three of my projects earned grant funding speaks to the value of all three projects.”

Tuncel received $10,000 for the project “’Nudging’ for Sustainability in Supplier-Retail Negotiations” in which she is the principal investigator. Suppliers and retailer negotiations present challenges due to the conflicting interests and incentives of the parties. In the sustainability domain, retailers increasingly expect their suppliers to make sustainability investments to enhance the positive environmental and social impact of their supply-chain processes. However, suppliers may be reluctant because these investments increase their costs and reduce their short-term flexibility, with uncertain future payoffs. This project examines how decision environment characteristics, such as nudges, could be utilized by retailers to promote cooperation on sustainability issues with suppliers, and bolster sustainable investing. This project was originally supported by a Webster University faculty research grant, which allowed Tuncel to collect preliminary data to apply for this larger grant. 

Tuncel also serves as co-principal investigator for the projects “AI Negotiation Evaluation Trial: Measuring Learning in AI-Enabled Negotiation Training,” which examines learning in AI-enabled negotiation training, and “What Happens After Backlash? An Examination of the Long-Term Consequences of Backlash,” which explores how backlash affects women’s career trajectory. The AI in negotiation research received a $25,000 grant, and the Backlash research received a $9,000 grant.

Negotiation and Team Resources is a leading non-profit organization that facilitates research and teaching in the areas of negotiation, conflict resolution, dispute resolution and teams.

Earlier this year Tuncel made news when she published an article titled “When Women Ask, Does Curiosity Help?” in a special issue of the journal Social Sciences. The special edition focuses on understanding gender and fostering positive social change in the 21st Century. The article delves into the intricate dynamics of gender, negotiation and the impact of displayed curiosity in workplace interactions. It explores how women face a backlash in negotiations and how they often moderate their behavior to align with social “norms” to avoid negative perceptions. The study highlights the significance of displayed curiosity in restoring social perceptions during negotiations. The findings reveal that curiosity displays can enhance social bonds and interpersonal connections, representing a nuanced aspect of negotiation strategy that has the potential to mitigate biases and improve outcomes in workplace interactions.