Page 435 - Cultures and Organizations

400 IMPLICATIONS

societies, in particular from the United States. In international negotia-
tions, different players may hold different values and objectives. 18
National cultures will affect negotiation processes in several ways:

■ Power distance will affect the degree of centralization of the control
and decision-making structure and the importance of the status of the
negotiators.
■ Collectivism will affect the need for stable relationships between
(opposing) negotiators. In a collectivist culture replacement of a per-
son means that a new relationship will have to be built, which takes
time. Mediators (go-betweens) are key in maintaining a viable pat-
tern of relationships that allows progress.
■ Masculinity will affect the need for ego-boosting behavior and the
sympathy for the strong on the part of negotiators and their supe-

riors, as well as the tendency to resolve conflicts by a show of force.

Feminine cultures are more likely to resolve conflicts by compromise
and to strive for consensus.
■ Uncertainty avoidance will affect the (in)tolerance of ambiguity and
(dis)trust in opponents who show unfamiliar behaviors, as well as the
need for structure and ritual in the negotiation procedures.
■ Long-term orientation will affect the perseverance to achieve desired
ends even at the cost of sacrifi ces.
■ Indulgence will affect the atmosphere of the negotiations and the
strictness of protocols.

Effective intercultural negotiations demand an insight into the range
of cultural values to be expected among partners from other countries, in
comparison with the negotiator’s own culturally determined values. They
also demand language and communication skills to guarantee that the

messages sent to the other party or parties will be understood in the way

they were meant by the sender. They finally demand organization skills for
planning and arranging meetings and facilities, involving mediators and
interpreters, and handling external communications.
Experienced diplomats have usually acquired a professional savoir faire
that enables them to negotiate successfully with other diplomats regard-
ing issues on which they are empowered to decide themselves. The prob-
lem, however, is that in issues of real importance diplomats are usually
directed by politicians who have the power but not the diplomatic savoir