Introduction
Negotiation is a method of conflict resolution. It is a problem-solving process in which two or more parties attempt to resolve their disagreement or conflict in a manner, and through a process, that is mutually agreeable. Where as the general concept of negotiation is easy enough to understand, in practice it can be an extremely difficult proposition.
Negotiation is further complicated when the parties find themselves negotiating across dissimilar cultures. “Culture is a powerful factor in shaping how people think, communicate and behave. It therefore affects how they negotiate” .Our presentation investigates the impact of culture on negotiations. It begins by defining culture, to include a discussion on how culture is imbedded in an individual through their mental models and values. It then breaks out the four dimensions of culture identified by Geert Hofstede.
A general overview of negotiations follows the culture. It includes a definition of negotiations and discusses the range or continuum of negotiation styles. The section on negotiations closes with an overview of negotiation skills to include the actors and their frames of reference.
The final idea provides a description of how culture impacts negotiations. First, it overlaps four elements of negotiations; actors, structure, strategy, and process with Hofstede’s dimensions of negotiation. Then, a summarization of cultural affects on specific negotiation styles is provided.
Defining Culture
Working Definitions
Olivier Faure attributes the 20th century French writer and politician Herriot, with this definition of culture: it is “what remains when one has forgotten everything” (5:2). Faure’s reason for quoting Herriot is to point out that culture is more a way of an individual’s actions of which they are usually unaware (5:2). Culture is a product that reveals itself in social behaviors