Article Abstract
Narratives—or stories—are commonly viewed as powerful means to convince others, although it remains unclear how the narrator's use of deception in supplier negotiations influences their effectiveness. Grounded in narrative transportation theory, the authors investigated these dynamics using a vignette-based experiment with 332 business-to-business (B2B) sales professionals (Study 1), followed by post hoc interviews with 33 B2B sales professionals (Study 2), and a second vignette-based experiment with 290 B2B sales professionals (Study 3). The findings suggest that reliability-focused buyer narratives are associated with suppliers' integrity- and ability-based trust in buyers as well as suppliers' willingness to make concessions. Unexpectedly, these positive effects remain robust even when the buyer used deception beforehand—a result that differs from what schema theory would predict. Interviewees indicated that deception and narration are often viewed as independent tactics and that narration has the power to overshadow earlier communication. In addition, several participants described deception as part of the normal “negotiation game,” which might explain its limited impact on subsequent narratives. The findings suggest that receivers should remain vigilant and confirm the factual grounding of any narrative they encounter.
Journal of Supply Chain Management, March 2025
About the researcher
Dr Leopold Ried is a scholar in conflict management and supply chain management, specializing in research, teaching, and coaching of negotiations and procurement. His work primarily explores the behaviors of negotiators and their impact on both commercial and relational outcomes.
Currently, he is investigating how storytelling, warm communication, and the use of AI-bots influence negotiation dynamics. He is particularly interested in the causes and effects of deceptive behaviors. Experiments are his method of choice.
His research has been published in both academic- and practitioner-oriented outlets including the Journal of Operations Management, Production and Operations Management, and Harvard Business Review. He also serves as a reviewer for several academic journals and was honored with the "Outstanding Reviewer" award by the Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management in 2023. He is a regular speaker at international conferences and had the privilege of presenting his research to the United States government in 2024.
He has been teaching across Bachelor’s, specialized Master’s, and MBA programs, covering topics such as negotiations, procurement, project management, the management of socio-economic dilemmas, and research methods. Prior to his academic career, he gained valuable industry experience in Germany, the UK, Chile, and Italy, including roles in Business Development at Fraunhofer and Procurement at ThyssenKrupp.