Intercultural Negotiations in the Global Environment

by Moshe Cohen

Negotiators from different cultures differ in numerous ways. The very base concept and attitude toward negotiations vary from an extreme win-lose paradigm in some cultures, in which the assumption is that the other parties are out to beat you and that you can only succeed by limiting the gains you allow them, to win-win, collaborative negotiations in which the goal is to find solutions that meet all parties' interests. It is dangerous to assume that the other people on your team have the same basic concept of negotiations. If you are looking for common interests, they are looking to win, and you are unaware of the difference, you will not do well for yourself in the negotiation. There is nothing wrong with either attitude, but you do have to take their interest of winning into account when framing your proposals to them. Chances are that unless a relationship is already established and ongoing, they are more likely to bargain aggressively on the substance and may be quick to go to their alternatives away from the bargaining table. Finding common ground against a backdrop of a difference in the basic concept of negotiations will likely make negotiations more difficult and longer and necessitate careful application of objective standards before any agreements can be considered.