S6 - Negotiating Across Cultures Flashcards
what is culture
three main aspects:
- quality not of individuals, but of the society of which individuals are a part
- aquired (and transmitted) and changes through socialization and acculturation
- each culture is an unique complex of attributes (material / intellectual / organizational) , subsuming every area of social life
defining culture
= sum of beliefs, opinions and activities.
Distinguishing groups of human beings from other groups of human beings and which are learned from childhood through a system of rewards, appraisals, rejections, punishments by the group.
Culture in multicultural society is becoming more complex. We adopt certain traits from different groups / culture.
beliefs
assumptions about the world and how it works
values
assumptions about right and wrong
behaviour
human action
norms
expected or typical behaviour
Basic cultural orientation centers around…
beliefs
values
behaviour
norms
Recognizing cultural differences
Obvious differences = age, language, gender, family status, educational background.
Less obvious differences = social values, roles and status, decision-making customs, concepts of time, concepts of personal space, body language, social behaviour and manners, legal and ethical behaviour, corporate cultural differences.
Communicative dissonance
Communication is at the core of negotiations: language, body language, facial expressions, gestures, habits, symbols, rituals.
those who share communication norms, usually communicate clearly
those who do not, experience noise.
Misinterpretations, misunderstandings, and confusion are worse than an acknowledged lack of understanding.
When people think they can communicate clearly, but still misunderstand each other, that is a real problem.
Failure to appreciate divergence of meaning (same words, different meaning).
misinterpretations / misunderstandings worse when people think they can communicate clearly
Two types of cultures
high and low context.
high context
information dependent on the context
vagueness instead of directness
Most of the information is located somewhere other than the words being spoken
Nonverbal nuances are complementing the meaning of words
Image is essential: face saving in front of the constituencies
Face-to-face conversations are characterized by expressions of courtesy and respect
Time is elastic
indirect / nonverbal / context
low context
Information located fully within the direct communication
All of the information is in the words
Vagueness less applied
Direct language emphasized
Individual freedom from the group
No desire to put relationship ahead of the goal
Time is of of the essence
direct communication / direct language / goal oriented / individualism
high context - prenegotiation
Building relationships with the other side
relationship / trust is important
low context - prenegotiation
Focus is on the issue
issue is more important than relationships
high context - beginning negotiatoin
Face saving (reputation)
Minimizing uncertainties
Parties taking turns in presenting concerns and reciprocating initiatives in kind
Deductive mode of reaching an agreement (from general principles to principles at hand).
low context - beginning negotiation
Opening statements can be risky, and aim at revealing
interests
Inductive mode of reaching an agreement (examining the facts and crafting a conclusion to fit those facts)
inductive
examining facts –> reaching conclusion
high context - middle phase negotiations
Bargaining not always appropriate
Time is not seen as a constraint
low context - middle phase negotiations
Bargaining is the key
Time is of the essence
Urgency to reach an agreement
high context - end of negotiations
Face saving is essential
Deals need to be presented so that they do not damage reputations
reputation is important
low context - end of negotiations
Agreement is the key, face saving is not of primary importance
agreement / goal is most important
Cultural dimensions
Hofstede’s four basic dimensions
- Power distance index (PDI)
- Individualism vs. collectivism (IDV)
- Uncertainty avoidance (UAI)
- Masculinity vs. femininity (MAS)
Two additional dimensions
- Long-term vs. short term orientation (LTO)
- Indulgence vs. restraint (IND)
power distance index (PDI)
reflects the degree to which the culture accepts the unequal distribution of power.
Reflects the degree to which the decisions of the power holders should be challenged or accepted.
Existence and relevance of hierarchies.
accepting of unequal distribution of power
should decisions power holder be accepted / challenged?
individualism vs. collectivism
describes the degree to which a culture relies on the self or on the group.
Individualistic cultures focus on themselves first: people should take care of themselves and decisions are based on what is good for the individual, not for the group.
Collectivist cultures focus on the group: people should show loyalty to the group. The group that a person belongs to are the most important social units
culture relies on self or on group?
uncertainty avoidance
describes the extent to which the culture feels threatened by ambiguous and uncertain situations and tries to avoid them by establishing more structure.
Cultures with a low UAI score tend to have a high tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguous and for the people who are considered socially deviant.
Cultures with a high UAOI score prefer to avoid uncertainty and try to ensure security through an extensive sets of rules and regulations
does culture feel threatened by ambiguous / uncertain situations?
