Mt302 Unit 7 Assignment

Running head: Culture Based Negotiation Styles

Unit 6: Assignment

MT302 – Organizational Behavior

Negotiation

Before any negotiations, it is important to understand certain aspects about the person(s) being negotiated with; where they are from, what is their cultural background both business and personal, do they only speak one language, and also important what perceptions may they have. Equally, perceptions that we may have need to be set aside as well, because it will almost certainly make for bad business and failing negotiations. Each culture represents different views, so studying who you are about to do business with is extremely important. There are many steps to take when negotiating with other countries and cultures, but first and foremost, learn your opponent and the background that comes with them. These next few steps are what I would take in negotiating with teams or individuals from another culture.

Teams, Groups & Power

Even though in America it is not uncommon for one single person to deal with negotiations then turn the information onto a person is a higher position for the final say, that is not always the case in other cultures. A lot of cultures focus on negotiations as a group and the entire group makes the decisions, not a single individual. If a meeting is being held with Japan, it is a culture that is very group conscious. If one person arrives to negotiate with that group that will be looked upon as unprofessional or illprepared simply because there is now “group” to support and advise each other during the negotiation (Askkanasy, Wilderom, Peterson. 2001). The key point is that in this instance, knowing the culture, Japan, ahead of time lets you prepare for negotiating with them by building a small group to negotiate with. Not all cultures as the same, so learning how others negotiate is the first step. Power is an important aspect to understand as well. Knowing how organizational power is structured within the culture...