In the modern world, many people are trying to find an answer to the question of finding ideal negotiation strategies. It applies to both businessmen and politicians since all diplomatic issues are resolved through negotiations. One may notice that globalization, travel, and international business development led to cross-cultural negotiations becoming more and more important.
It is well known that both internal and external factors can influence negotiations. Internal are the personal qualities of the negotiator, for example, character, nationality, and culture. External factors are those that are difficult to influence by an individual, for example, relations between countries at the moment (if the presidents of the countries themselves do not conduct the negotiations). I believe it would be interesting to consider the influence of interlocutors’ culture and nationality on the negotiations.
In order to understand what is more important (culture or nationality) and what influences the negotiations more, it is necessary to determine what exactly they influence. Many people believe that the process of preparing for cross-cultural negotiations is simple. Surely, it is not the truth, as international negotiations involve a number of additional difficulties. Although, it applies to those countries that have significant historical and cultural differences.
For example, in geographically far apart territories, such difficulties as language barriers, differences in cultural visions, and communication traditions occur. For instance, in Japan, the first negotiations usually provide the establishment of initial contact for further relations. However, in the United States, one can negotiate the case and discuss the terms of the deal at the first meeting. Thereby, the influence of culture on international communication is significant.
Talking about the implications that I may determine of doing business in cross-cultural and multicultural environments, I distinguish several features. First, one should remember that the art of negotiation is not an innate talent; it can be developed and trained. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly develop and replenish knowledge about the strategies and techniques of effective negotiations.
They include such implications as active listening, reading the body language of the interlocutor, and counter argumentation. In the aspect of cross-cultural negotiations, one should also develop the ability to find and analyze information about the traditions of different peoples. It is applicable for both firms and individuals because the same international (intercultural) ethics laws apply at these two levels.
As a result, I can conclude that the statement that nationality has a greater influence on negotiation behavior than culture is partly true. It is important to understand that if the parties were able to agree, the negotiations could be considered successful. Indeed, nationality is of great importance, but the cultural characteristics of the interlocutor are even more critical. This is because cultural characteristics include statements, opinions, and sentences that can be offensive in some cultures, so it is vital to take them into account.
Moreover, a person can become a professional negotiator if one knows all the cultural features of the other side. It confirms my opinion, as it argues the importance of delving into the cultural aspect. As a result, a more accurate conclusion may be the fact that during the negotiations, nationality has significant influence, but to a greater extent, culture.