I just stumbled on a wonderfully concise explanation of how cultural differences affect negotiation and relationships. I am posting it here in the hope that anyone that has actually stumbled on this Blog up to this point, will find it useful.
I have written here before about the power of culture, and the problems it causes. You can read that here, if you want:
http://carlscheider.blogspot.com/2011/01/culture-and-developing-nations.html
It might help to understand the full import of this article, which nicely summarizes the major cultural differences at work in the few societies I have been privileged to visit, and then relates it to negotiation.
http://law.hamline.edu/files/18-Gold--Negotiating_Cultural_Baggage_FINAL_May09.pdf
If you are dealing with people from different cultures, you should be aware of these fundamentally different ways that people communicate and think about what matters in life. If you are trying to negotiate some cooperative result with them, then you REALLY need to understand this.
Briefly stated, those of us from an individualistic culture tend to think about things quite a bit differently than people from a more collective or group perspective. We tend to apply rules more universally, whereas others treat exceptions as normal. We tend to think rationally about problems, whereas others are more focused on emotions. We tend to focus on the bottom line, on economic benefit, whereas others are more focused on relationships. We apportion blame, we confront, while others are more indirect or "polite" in their responses, and more "devious" in other ways. We tend to provide highly detailed proposals, whereas others engage in an interactive question and answer approach to gain information and agreement. We tend to see position and authority as not such a big deal, whereas others regard social position as THE primary force in life.
If you found any of that prior paragraph confusing, you really NEED to read this document!
After a wonderful introduction to these major cultural differences, the article goes on to explain how the "Win as much as you can" game can be used to bring those differences out for a group of people, I have used this game many times - but I never grasped the full implications. You might find that interesting as well.
If you need more on any of these, please let me know. AND - - tell me what you think of this reference!
