Matthew A. Hudnall
Negotiations and Communications
Part One
Article Review
Amberton University
Negotiation Skills MGT5193.E1
Dr. Timothy Staley
Fall 2010
All communication is cultural, suggests the article by Liangguang Huang. Professionals at every skill level are asked to communicate with a number of different cultures in today’s business world. The virtual business world continues to grow and reach parts of the globe that otherwise would have remained untouched.
From the time we are born and become aware of the world around us we learn both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. Chinese companies now do business with
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Knowing with whom you are dealing with is half of the battle. Showing respect and a genuine regard for another’s culture is the first step in reducing a negotiating blunder.
In an increasingly globalized workplace, the ability to communicate effectively across cultures is important. The quality of communication experienced by individuals plays a significant role in the outcomes of intercultural interactions, such as cross-border negotiations.
The article points out issues that are important and obvious. I think people tend to get caught up in their day-to-day lives and forget that not everyone does things the same way as “we” do. Perspective has a lot to do with this. I, for one, have had the opportunity to travel the world and meet many different people. I have fought in a war, been to numerous countries, and spent time with people of different cultures. What this article fails to mention is that some of the issues in negotiating with different cultures is happening right under our noses in the United States. I have witnessed what can happen, for example, when a person from Florida tries to communicate with someone from the North East.
The key variables that affect effective negotiation and communication are the same across the board, however, whether you are trying to communicate across the Atlantic or across the Mason Dixon Line. Something as simple as a hand shake can be taken the wrong way depending on the culture.
On the other hand, the American could be confused when his partner tries to bring in a third-party to resolve a seemingly insignificant dispute. Understanding that these differences are cultural distinctions rather than character flaws would help things go more smoothly.
Usually when two cultures meet, they do not usually agree with each other and the result of that do not usually end up well, which can lead to misunderstandings, preconceptions and denials.
Communication involves more than exchanging words between people. Gestures, postures, facial expressions and even eye contacts are important during communication. Both verbal and nonverbal cues are important during communication and can help a person understand the speaker or listener’s emotions, attitudes or status. Understanding the existence of various cultures is necessary since different cultures have varying ways of communication (Lustig & Koester, 2012). Therefore, a communication style that is perceived as bad by a culture may be good in another culture. Besides, characteristics that may be essential for a particular culture may be quite irrelevant for another. In line with this dissimilarity, individuals need to adapt carefully and understand communication preferences and desires among cultures.
In this negotiation, we learned that it is important to research your opponent, to understand their culture, not only of their country or backgrounds, but also their company culture. When we are able to understand our opponent’s way of thinking about business and doing business we can then understand how to approach a negotiation situation with them. In this exercise, we learned that it is difficult for us to adjust when it involves breaking or acting in a way opposite of what we are accustomed to. We also learned that although my classmates live in the same country as we do, their upbringings may have similarities to their origin country and will therefore help them to communicate and adjust to that country’s norms and standards. We were surprised how we were able to stay in character although it was hard and it was surprising how people responded when they were unaware of your intentions and strategies. If we had to do this exercise again, what we can do is do more research on our opponents so that we would have an idea of what to expect in the negotiation table.
If we understand the complexities of the cultures around us, we can better relate to the people engaged in the other cultures. It also allows us to better understand why others are acting the way they are. At the hospital I work at, we are taught about how others use the word “yes.” For instance, I might ask if they understand the paperwork they are signing and they will respond with “yes.” However, to them the “yes” might not be an agreement with the understanding the paperwork but they are using “yes” to be respectful. One then must clarify whether they truly understand
On the other hand, Chinese worker are centered on relationship. Chinese focus on relationship with others and live in the world of trust. Chinese trust people around them in their work place. Often, Chinese did not require signing contract in every agreement unlike American where all agreement must be in contract. By trusting others credibility, it helps create a friendly working environment and promotes intimate relationship among the workers. However, their main weakness is their business culture, where they are quiet and reserved which will reduce their credibility when dealing with American. They weakness also made them a weak immediate decision maker. As for interpersonal problem, Chinese are very concern about the good relationship, and hold it as their top priorities. Chinese would not do any agreement or trade that could harm their relationship with others. Lastly, Chinese are very polite and indirect. They try as hard to prevent the relationship from
Cross-cultural communication involves an understanding of how people from different cultures speak, communicate, and perceive the world around them. This type of communication has become fundamental to companies as well as entrepreneurs looking to grow their business, in addition to being fundamental as the workplace has become more diverse. In this line is important to highligh the concept of high- and low-context culture.
Negotiation is the process of making amicable decisions between individuals or groups. In this assignment, I will discuss a negotiation that did not result in the best possible solution for all parties. This negotiation was related to my work experience where I was a realtor who was representing a buyer in negotiation of the property’s price, mortgage loan rate and terms. I am a real estate licensee and also a member of National Association of Realtors. I have been practicing my license for seven years now. Seven years of experiences in real estate industry
“Stella Ting-Toomey’s face negotiation theory helps explain cultural differences in responses to conflict (Griffin, 2009). People do not respond to conflict in the same manner. Reponses vary according to culture, goals, desires, and self-image. According to Fullerton, “a communication professor at California State University, Ting-Toomey assumes that people of every culture are always negotiating face. Face is “the projected image of one’s self in a relational situation, the way that we want others to see us and treat us” (Griffin, 2009). Simply, the Golden Rule, “do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”
Negotiation occurs on a regular basis in a daily life and individuals negotiate in business occasions or outside of the workplace. Having superior negotiation skills is conductive to the success in personal life and career development. This essay will indicate that my natural preferences for different influencing tactics, comparisons between theory and practice, and a personal action plan to improve negotiation skills based on the role-play activity in my class.
Today, we live in a culturally diverse society due to globalization. As our world grows, expands and become increasingly more interconnected, the need for effective interpersonal communication among differing cultures has become apparent. When people from different cultures interact with one another there is intercultural communication because different cultures create different interpretation and expectations about what is seen as competent behaviors that will enable the construction of shared meanings.
However, beneath the iceberg, we have value, beliefs, norms and assumptions. These are all important factors of the negotiator that a negotiator who is unfamiliar with the culture would not be aware of if they simply showed up to the negotiation without first conducting research (Thompson, 2014).
Communication – verbal and otherwise – remains an important dimension of international management, and there are different communication styles, how communication is processed and interpreted, and how culture and language influence communication and miscommunication (Luthans & Doh, 2012).
Negotiation is all about a strategy. The end result is usually to end a problem that someone is having, whether it is personally or
Cross-cultural communication is the process of exchanging meaningful and unambiguous information across cultural boundaries, in a way that preserves mutual respect and minimizes antagonism, that is, it looks at how people from differing cultural backgrounds endeavour to communicate. The study of cross-cultural communication was originally found within businesses and the government both seeking to expand globally. Communication is interactive, so an important influence on its effectiveness is our relationship with others. All communication is cultural -- it draws on ways we have learned to speak and give nonverbal messages. We do not always