Conflict and Negociations

Culture-Based Negotiation Styles

In national or cultural approach to negotiation, generalizations are frequently drawn. Any generalization holds true or not depending on many contextual factors including:

time, setting, situation, stakes, history between the parties, nature of the issue, interpersonal dynamics and mood.

Content:

- Time Orientations

- Space Orientations

- Power Distance

- Masculinity-Femininity

- Cross-Cultural Negotiations

Time Orientations

- Two different orientations to time exist across the world: monochromic and polychromic

Negotiators from monochromic cultures tend to :

- prefer prompt beginnings and endings,

- schedule breaks,

- deal with one agenda item at a time,

- rely on specific, detailed, and explicit communication,

- prefer to talk in sequence,

- view lateness as devaluing or evidence of lack of respect.

Time Orientations

Negotiators from polychromic cultures tend to:

- start and end meetings at flexible times,

- take breaks when it seems appropriate,

- be comfortable with a high flow of information,

- expect to read each others' thoughts and minds,

- sometimes overlap talk,

- view start times as flexible and not take lateness personally.

Space Orientations

- In Northern European countries, personal space is much larger than in Southern European countries.

- Certain cultures, including Mediterranean, Arab, and Latin American, are more tactile and allow more touching.

- United States: allow cross-gender touching, while same-gender touching is less acceptable.

- Japan: women are frequently seen holding hands, but not men.

- Mediterranean: it is common to see men holding hands or touching in public, but not women.

Space Orientations