Therefore, in order to negotiate successfully, both sides must first understand each other's cultural differences. Whoever takes the time to understand the negotiation methods that the other party will use to adjust their style of doing things is more likely to become a successful negotiator. Therefore, in cross-cultural negotiation, in addition to basic negotiation skills, it is also very important to understand the differences between cultures in order to make appropriate adjustments to their own negotiation methods.
Two. Negotiation and culture
The definition of negotiation, its modern significance lies in that there are different cultures because of different cultures. Different people have different views on what kind of negotiation to complete. Before he goes to the negotiating table, the difference in the meaning or purpose of negotiation will also affect the negotiation, because how a person defines the negotiation process is also determined by his culture. Under the influence of different cultures, some people just regard negotiation as an opportunity to bargain, some people regard negotiation as an opportunity to establish a permanent cooperative relationship, not just to meet occasionally, and others regard negotiation as an opportunity to show their eloquence and debate. Others don't regard negotiation as a process at all. For example, Americans and Europeans regard negotiation as a process of competition, while China and Japanese regard negotiation as a process of cooperation and efforts.
Compared with single cultural environment, cross-cultural environment has more challenges. Cross-cultural negotiation means that the parties involved in the negotiation come from different cultures and have different ways of thinking, feeling and behavior. The whole negotiation process is usually complicated, because some cultural norms may affect the effective communication between the two sides.
Third, some cultural factors in business negotiations.
Language not only refers to oral language, but also includes nonverbal actions and behaviors, which can help you uncover hidden culture. In the negotiation process, interpersonal communication in spoken, non-spoken and situational context is the key part of the negotiation process. Perfect communication can reduce the generation gap between negotiators and promote mutual understanding. The three key points of time, place and body language provide a starting point for negotiators to obtain basic information when doing business abroad.
time
There are two different time orientations in the world: one-way and two-way. One-way time is linear and continuous, and only one point is concerned at a time. This way is the most common in the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Scandinavia and other countries influenced by European culture. Japanese also prefer this continuous time mode. Two-way time means that there are several activities at the same time in a certain period of time. An interactive activity completed in this way will be more flexible and important than any other timetable. This method is most common in countries influenced by Mediterranean and Latin cultures, including France, Italy, Greece and Mexico, as well as some countries influenced by Eastern European and African cultures.
space
Different cultures have different spatial orientations. This orientation is related to the scope of action, the division of private areas and public areas, comfortable personal distance, comfort or disgust caused by physical contact, and where and how to contact the expectations of others. For example, an American etiquette manual wrote in its advice on private space: "When you meet someone, don't stand too close." This uncomfortable intimate relationship can be annoying, so please keep a certain physical distance, otherwise, the other party will stay away. It is beneficial to keep at least two feet away from others. "
According to the changes of gender, age, grade, social class and environmental background, the distance varies greatly. These differences vary with different groups, but these factors must be considered in the negotiation process.
body language
Body language is also a kind of language, which can help you determine the true meaning of what the other person is saying, and can also help you express your thoughts. Like or dislike, nervousness or relaxation, and judgment of the debate situation can be revealed by a large number of signs, such as blushing, facial muscle contraction, giggling, smirking and silence. No matter where the negotiation takes place, negotiators must pay attention to and observe each other. When sitting, if the other person likes what you say or listens attentively, the body will lean forward slightly. If they are not interested in your information, they will sit in a chair with their arms crossed. Nervous emotions will be revealed through your nonverbal behavior, and the flashing eyes will also reflect your guilt and fear.
Four dimensions of four cultures
Without a basic understanding of cultural differences, any analysis of culture is incomplete. Some people think that the differences between different cultures can be explained by four dimensions of culture.
Individualism and collectivism
In individualistic culture, a person's behavior is mainly manifested as self-centeredness calmly. Individuals can raise objections, state their ideas and be willing to accept public doubts. Success or failure is borne by individuals and will not bring shame to other members of the group. In individualistic culture, people often put contact before tasks and attach great importance to independence. In these cultures, people only care about themselves and regard individual needs as more important than groups, communities or society. Individualist culture tends to solve problems with linear logic without considering open conflicts.
Individualists hope that negotiators on the other side can make unilateral decisions.
Collectivism negotiators believe that if most negotiators reach an agreement, some details can be omitted. Compared with individualistic groups, collectivist groups care more about each other's needs and attach more importance to teams than individuals. In the negotiation, when the individualists only consider their own position and ideas, the collectivists will feel very annoyed.
Rights difference
The difference of rights refers to the degree to which members of society with unequal power can accept this difference of power. In areas with great power differences, senior and junior members usually depend on their social status, gender, race, age, education, natural power, personal achievements, family background or other factors. In areas with small power differences, members are more equal, and they pay more attention to their own achievements than their natural status. Generally speaking, the greater the gap between the rich and the poor, the greater the power gap. Countries with great differences in strength include Arabia, Malaysia, Philippines, Mexico, Indonesia and India. Negotiators in these countries are more in favor of well-defined organizational structure, clear power and the right to use privileges. Countries with small differences in strength include the United States, Austria, Denmark, Israel, New Zealand, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Britain and Germany. Negotiators in these countries prefer democratic structure, organizational hierarchy with less hierarchical differences, and the right to enjoy power and use privileges is limited to certain situations and certain legitimate purposes.
Avoid uncertainty
The idea of avoiding uncertainty is related to cultural uncertainty and ambiguity, and how people adapt to this change. Generally speaking, the countries with the most obvious ambiguity and uncertainty include Muslim countries and traditional African countries. These countries attach great importance to obeying orders, try to avoid risks, and are used to adopting traditional rules and maintaining traditional etiquette. Trust often exists only between family and close friends. It may be difficult for foreign negotiators to build trust with members of these cultures. The United States, northern Europe and Singapore are considered to have strong tolerance for this uncertainty. Members influenced by this culture tend to accept risks and are good at solving problems. Their organizational structure is single and they can tolerate the ambiguity of negotiations. In these cultures, it is easier for foreign negotiators to build trust with their negotiating partners.
Tendencies of rigidity and flexibility
The so-called "rigid and soft tendency" is used to describe the degree of respect a culture has for "self-confidence, firmness" or "family life and social interpersonal relationships". This word also refers to the social orientation of male and female roles. In countries such as Japan and Latin America, people advocate self-confidence and strength, and pay attention to tasks and achievements. In these countries, there is a deep-rooted concept of "gender role difference" and the idea of "living for work". Countries with higher status of women include Scandinavia, Thailand and Portugal. People pay attention to cooperation, family life, social relations and caring for others. They prefer the idea of "working for a living". Of course, it is important to remember that communication with people of different sexes is different in different cultural backgrounds. What is considered male in one culture may be considered female in another culture. Negotiators may find it sometimes useful to consider the cultural background of the other party when negotiating how to define gender roles.
Verb (abbreviation for verb) negotiation mode
It must be emphasized here that no method is correct for all negotiations. There is only the difference between effective and rarely effective, and these methods also change with the change of environmental factors. As negotiators, we must know that the other side may have different views on the same thing, and they may not want to make negative judgments, but prefer to further develop the negotiations. Through the research and investigation of most scholars, it is clear that the actual negotiation varies from culture to culture, and culture will affect the "negotiation mode"-in the negotiation process, people affected by different cultures will have different negotiation modes.
For example, American negotiators tend to be self-centered and think that they and others are self-disciplined, independent and self-determined. But this does not mean that there is no room for discussion with them, but that they like to see themselves as an independent individual rather than a member of society, which also shows that they are more capable of working independently. American negotiators often take a competitive approach in the negotiation process. For example, when preparing for the negotiations, they were in a state of mutual consultation, but when the negotiations really started, they put forward some unrealistic suggestions.
Therefore, American negotiators often adopt an objective behavior, and "business is business" is their motto. In addition, American negotiators are always eager for success and are not interested in establishing relationships. In addition, American negotiators like to openly oppose each other's views in negotiations, and they feel that it is normal to have conflicts with each other because of this.
Negotiators in China are considering a long-term partnership. Unlike American negotiators, they are in no hurry to reach an agreement. Generally speaking, "warm-up" is a process of starting slowly, and then discussing some tentative suggestions. Like the Japanese negotiators mentioned above, Chinese negotiators do not want to cause open contradictions and conflicts for any reason, and they will try their best to "save face" for both sides.
Things are constantly changing, and different countries and cultures have different negotiation methods. International business culture tends to the western privileged negotiation mode, just like doing other things, focusing on problem solving and direct communication. Because western norms and eastern values are balanced, when the local tradition is balanced with the way of the region or country, the actual negotiation will be consistent with the international development trend. Culture will affect people's perceptions, and the negotiation mode embodied by these perceptions is the key factor in the negotiation process. Understanding these cultural differences can help negotiators better understand their opponents' negotiation methods and eliminate the generation gap caused by cultural differences. Your position and corporate culture, like national culture, determine your negotiation style and attitude in the negotiation process. If possible, negotiators should pay attention to at least two important aspects. First, just like national culture, negotiators also need to consider each other's professional culture. In the research and analysis of cultural factors in negotiation, experts point out that negotiators from different cultural regions but with similar professional or professional backgrounds will try to bridge the cross-cultural gap through their professional culture.
Six summaries
At present, people have done a lot of research in the field of negotiation, so fortunately, a lot of valuable information about this can make us better negotiators. Perhaps with the emergence of some other methods, we must learn how to keep the negotiation through constant exploration. Maybe we have our own unique personal style. However, research shows that there are always some negotiation methods that are more effective than others. Compared with the failed international negotiation model, the successful negotiation model seems to support negotiation in some cultural aspects and try to give up others. Perhaps the most important thing for us now is to admit this research fact.
As members of society, negotiators are easily misled by some cultural prejudices. The only way to eliminate this prejudice is to form one's own awareness of cultural system, rather than to understand how others do it. Negotiators can change their behavior to adapt to the environment and enjoy the benefits of interaction by understanding their opponents' culture and sensitivity to culture. The better the communication, the more frequent it is, the greater the amount of information that * * * enjoys or extracts, and the more sufficient the accumulated trust, the more likely it is to form a perfect ending for the negotiators to finally reach an agreement. In order to make the negotiation more effective, negotiators behave like detectives looking for clues to find what their opponents care about and like. They try to avoid the assumption that their partner cares. They are looking for what is most important to their partner, not what should be important. In short, they must be very careful not to let fixed cultural forms determine his or her relationship with local businessmen.