. Negotiating in Europe: Splitting the Many Differences
Cross cultural negotiation is one of many specialized areas within the wider field of cross cultural communications. By taking cross cultural negotiation training, negotiators and sales personnel give themselves an advantage over competitors.
There is an argument that proposes that culture is inconsequential to cross cultural negotiation. It maintains that as long as a proposal is financially attractive it will succeed. However, this is a naïve way of approaching international business.
Let us look at a brief example of how cross cultural negotiation training can benefit the international business person:
In one case, the Italian director of a construction company went to Germany to negotiate for a project .He began the discussion with a presentation of his company that vaunted its long history and its achievement. Though he tried hard on his presentation German Managers were in shock and they walked out the door saying excuse themselves. Why they did like that is, Germans typically do all the necessary background research before walking in the door. However , Italian manager didn’t know German’s Culture before they made negotiation . So German found that boasting .Real negotiating, as far as Italians was concerned, would not start at least for another day.
The example also illustrates the bare differences between the business styles of the northern and southern Europeans. Northern Europeans are emphasize on the technical , the numerical, the tested. On the other hand , Southern Europeans are emphasize on Catholic background and open-air lifestyle ,social context , innovation, flair and also meeting is so longer but decision process may be faster. Cross cultural negotiation training builds its foundations upon understanding etiquettes and approaches to business abroad before focusing on cross cultural differences in negotiation styles and techniques.
Clearly there are many factors that need to be considered when approaching cross cultural negotiation.
There is an argument that proposes that culture is inconsequential to cross cultural negotiation. It maintains that as long as a proposal is financially attractive it will succeed. However, this is a naïve way of approaching international business.
Let us look at a brief example of how cross cultural negotiation training can benefit the international business person:
In one case, the Italian director of a construction company went to Germany to negotiate for a project .He began the discussion with a presentation of his company that vaunted its long history and its achievement. Though he tried hard on his presentation German Managers were in shock and they walked out the door saying excuse themselves. Why they did like that is, Germans typically do all the necessary background research before walking in the door. However , Italian manager didn’t know German’s Culture before they made negotiation . So German found that boasting .Real negotiating, as far as Italians was concerned, would not start at least for another day.
The example also illustrates the bare differences between the business styles of the northern and southern Europeans. Northern Europeans are emphasize on the technical , the numerical, the tested. On the other hand , Southern Europeans are emphasize on Catholic background and open-air lifestyle ,social context , innovation, flair and also meeting is so longer but decision process may be faster. Cross cultural negotiation training builds its foundations upon understanding etiquettes and approaches to business abroad before focusing on cross cultural differences in negotiation styles and techniques.
Clearly there are many factors that need to be considered when approaching cross cultural negotiation.