The Global Work Force And Cross Cultural Negotiation

Negotiation is a fundamental form of dispute resolution involving two or more parties (Michelle, M.2003). Negotiations can also take place in order to avoid any future disputes. It can be either an interpersonal or inter-group process. Negotiations can occur at international or corporate level and also at a personal level. Negotiations often involve give and take acknowledging that there is interdependence between the disputants to some extent to achieve the goal. This means that negotiations only arise when the goals cannot be achieved independently (Lewicki and Saunders et al., 1997). Interdependence means the both parties can influence the outcome for the other party and vice versa. The negotiations can be win-lose or win-win in nature.

Retrieved from http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/differences-in-business-culture-between-japan-and-west Viswat, L., & Kobayashi, J. (2012, March 28). Negotiation Styles - Similarities and Differences between American and Japanese University Students. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 1404(28). Retrieved from

Knowledge of other cultures is one of the keys to being successful in business dealings. This paper reports on real experiences in cross-cultural business interactions from three different perspectives. I interviewed three successful businessmen, one who worked with Iranians, one with Chinese, and one with Indians. I interviewed them independently, and my questions covered four different elements: cultural behavior in business negotiations, management as symbol of high power distance in the companies, knowledge of high context or low context culture, and finally knowledge of each of culture to have better business negotiation in future.

Why is it important for you to increase your knowledge and skill in Asian cultures, languages, negotiation styles, and business practices?

2. Discuss the relative use of nonverbal behaviors, such as silent periods, interruptions, facial gazing, and touching, by people from various cultural backgrounds. How does this behavior affect the negotiation process in a cross-cultural context?

Negotiation is an important process of business that takes place when two or more parties agree to exchange goods and services against certain amount. There are some major and minor differences that exist in conducting negotiations. For effective cross-cultural negotiation one gather necessary information, about communication pattern, time orientation, national culture and mindsets. For example in European countries businesses are done on contractual basis where as in south Asian countries it is more dependent on personal terms.

In chess you know the pieces but you can’t see into the other person’s mind. In negotiation you don’t necessarily know the ‘pieces’. You have to discover and develop your own pieces and find ways of uncovering your counterparts’.” The Essentials of Job Negotiations, (2011)

North America’s culture certainly affect international business activities, the same happen among all countries and continents in the world. Culture and tradition have a particular role in person’s critical thinking, communication barriers and behavior. In the business environment negotiation is an important skill in where all parties needs to be pleased, at the end you have to give for you to be able to receive, either is entering into a contract or building a

Addressing cultural conflicts begins by mastering the story behind the problem (Patterson, Grenny, Maxfield, McMillan, & Switzler, 2013). Hauk and Mueller (2015) suggest three variables common to such stories; the cultural leaders, the cultural perspectives, and the incentives that compel each group to engage or disengage in negotiation. Understanding these components offers insights to open potential doors to negotiate an acceptable resolution.

Cultural Differences. Cultural differences affect the perceptions and behaviors of different parties in any international negotiation in different ways. These include the goal of the talks; different cultures view negotiations differently with some negotiators viewing them as an opportunity to get a signed contract between the involved parties. Others view negotiations as a start of a relationship between the two parties. The concept of win-lose or win-win scenarios deeply ingrained in different cultures and might affect the perceptions of the many negotiators. The time factor is also sensitive in negotiations with Europeans consider highly punctual while Latinos are usually late and the Americans are fast at cutting a deal (Craig et al., 1996). By reducing formalities, Americans maximize on time available which could be central to the Japanese. Display of emotions during negotiations varies from one culture to another with the Asians are hiding their feelings while the Latinos show how they feel. The cross-culture attributes and skills needed for successful negotiation International business refers to the performance of direct investment activities and trade across the national borders. Globalization has pushed firms to pursue markets across the national builders. The growing numbers of collaborations and transactions across

This paper is about my negotiation skills and personality of time management. I will analyze the roles of communication, my personality in negotiation, and the contribution and detraction from the negotiation process. Negotiation is a process between two or more parties in hopes of arriving to a mutual agreement. Negotiation requires a common goal and in most cases includes: communication, a relationship, commitment, interest, alternatives, options, and legitimacy, which are also known as the elements of negotiation. Peter Starks says “negotiation is not an event, it is a process” (n.d.).

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).

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.

Communication styles in negotiation are probably one of the most important skills or characteristics one will develop over a lifetime. From the point a human being begins to develop cognitive skills, the process of learning and understanding situations become more apparent. One will learn from a very young age the dynamics and characteristics of communication and its role in negotiation. To better understand the communication process, one must be able to recognize how they communicate, whether it is on an assertive, aggressive, passive, or passive-aggressive level of communication. The manner in which one conveys his/her message is critical, and the many methods in which they do it is

There are 6 distinct stages to the negotiation process and they are all about effective communication. Since people’s culture has a strong bearing on how they communicate, the culture of the negotiating parties impacts how they negotiate and also determines whether they are successful in achieving the goals of their side.