International and Cross-Cultural Negotiation

Lewicki, Barry & Saunders (2007)

Factors that make International Negotiation Different

Environmental context
Political and legal pluralism International economics Foreign governments and bureaucracies Instability Ideology Culture External Stakeholders

Factors that make International Negotiation Different

Immediate Context
Relative bargaining power (not just investment) Levels of conflict Relationships between negotiators Desired Outcomes Immediate Stakeholders

Culture and Negotiation

Cultural attribution error: tendency to overlook situational factors in favor of cultural explanations. Culture as shared values.

Dimensions of Cultures
Hofstede studied 50 cultures and found four main dimensions to explain differences:
Individualism/collectivism Power distance Career success/Quality of life Uncertainty avoidance

Culture as Dialectic
Cultures contain dimensions or tensions called dialectics
Like relational dialectics (autonomy/connectedness) Suggests we treat cultures as complex rather than monolithic

Ten Ways the Culture Can Influence Negotiation

Definition of negotiation
Contract vs. relationship

Negotiation opportunity
Distributive vs. Integrative

Selection of negotiators
Experts vs. Trusted Associates

Protocol
Informal vs. Formal

Ten Ways the Culture Can Influence Negotiation

Communication
Direct vs. indirect

Time Sensitivity
High vs. low

Risk Propensity
High vs. low

Groups vs. Individuals

Collectivism vs. individualism

Ten Ways the Culture Can Influence Negotiation

Nature of agreements
Specific vs. general

Emotionalism
High vs. low

Culturally Responsive Negotiation Strategies

Negotiators should not make large modifications to their negotiation approach:
Often causes more problems than it solves. Research suggests that moderate adaptation might be best.

Rubin & Sander (1991) suggest that during preparation negotiators should assess:
Their own biases, strengths and weaknesses The other negotiator as an individual The other negotiators cultural context.