ASPECTS OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT APPLIED IN ...

Annals of the University “Constantin Brâncuşi”of Tg-Jiu, No. 1/2008, Volume 2,
ISSN: 1842-4856
CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF BUSINESS
NEGOCIATION PROCESSES
Lector univ.dr. Florin Lucian Isac
Universitatea Aurel Vlaicu din Arad
Facultatea de Ştiinţe Economice
Résumé: L’exposé présente l’impact de la culture sur le déroulement et l’administration des processus de négociation
en affaires.Lorsqu’il existe des intentions de conclure une affaire entre des sociétés appartenant à des cultures
differentes, les managers doivent connaitre profondément les coutumes et les comportements spécifiques à la culture du
potentiel partenaire.
Introduction
Negotiation is a process in which two or more entities come together to discuss common and
conflicting interests to reach an agreement of mutual benefit.(1) In international business
negotiations, the differences in the negotiation process from culture to culture include language,
negotiation styles, approaches to problem solving, cultural conditioning, implicit assumptions,
gestures and facial expressions, the role of ceremony and formality(2).
For international negotiations individuals involved must be aware of the multicultural facets in the
process. The negotiator must understand cultural space of his counterpart. I believe that negotiation
is a skill and it can be improved. Glenn Fisher(3) addresses five considerations for analyzing crosscultural
negotiations:
- the players and the situation;
- style and decision –making;
- national character;
- cross-cultural noise;
- interpreters and translators.
Each consideration presents questions that should be answered before deciding to enter in
international negotiation.
The players and the situation
Fisher asserts that there is a cultural dimension in the way negotiators view the negotiation process.
Form, hospitality and protocol are important to the success of international negotiations. Difficulties
sometimes arise because there is a difference in what negotiators expect of a negotiation’s social
setting. The negotiator should discover what the foreign negotiator expects and then provide a
tension-free environment that encourages cooperation and problem-solving. There also may be a
national style in choosing negotiators and in selecting negotiating teams. Negotiators can anticipate
a counterpart’s behavior by researching biographical data and analyzing the negotiator’s
organizational and institutional role. In the case of negotiating teams, it is useful to discover how
corporate culture affects internal dynamics.
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