Cross-Cultural Negotiations

Nothing is to be had for nothing.

Epictetus
The Art of Negotiating
Its hard enough in your own country, dealing
with colleagues who think like you, process
information as you do, share a common set of
values and speak the same language.
People from different cultures use different
negotiating styles and approaches:
communications, strategies and protocols.
Interaction of two sides pursuing one goal
through divergent methods.
Two basic approaches:
win-win
win-lose


Differences in Decision Making
Centralized power: decisions can be made
quickly and often by a single individual.
Decentralized power: decisions are made by
consensus and can take longer.


Contracts and Cultural Variables
Translation can be imprecise and the whole
sense or structure of a deal can be altered by
use or substitution of a single word in a
written document;
Documents and contracts should be provided
in both languages.