Rania Harb

International Negotiations

As the world becomes more globalized, this has put increasing pressure on companies and employees to become proficient in conducting business within their culture and more importantly, with other cultures as well. Indeed, cultural differences pose difficult challenges to international negotiations, however, these may present instrumental opportunities for both parties if conducted properly. There are various elements that impact international communication and decision-making such as Hofstede’s dimensions of culture, cultural intelligence, leadership and negotiation. This paper will discuss these characteristics in relation to how an employee should prepare when joining a team of international negotiators. Leadership is an essential ingredient in effective international agreements. Leadership makes a difference by establishing a “relationship of influence in which one actor guides or directs the behavior of others toward a certain goal” (Underdal, 1994). Leadership provides a model to others and removes uncertainty about whether the leader is actually devoted to meaningful action. It is important for any employee entering an international agreement to exercise leadership skills. Some universal skills include having charisma and being autonomous and a team player. It is important to enter a business agreement with some authority to ensure seriousness and portray a vision. Hofstede`s cultural dimensions have been extensively used when dealing with different cultures. In preparation for a negotiation with an international team, an employee must understand how that culture operates on power distance, collectivism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation. An employee negotiating with a team in a country that scores high on power distance should be prepared to acknowledge the leader's power. This means