Page 436 - Cultures and Organizations

Intercultural Encounters 401

faire. Politicians often make statements intended for domestic use, which
the diplomats are obliged to explain to foreign negotiation partners. The
amount of discretion left to diplomats is in itself a cultural characteristic
that varies from one society and political system to another. Modern com-
munication possibilities contribute to limiting the discretion of diplomats;
Morier’s English Elchi had a lot of discretionary power by virtue of the
simple fact that communicating with England in those days took at least
three months.
Notwithstanding, there is no doubt that the quality of intercultural
encounters in international negotiations can contribute to avoiding unin-
tended confl ict, if the actors are of the proper hierarchical level for the
decisions at stake. This is why summit conferences are so important—here
are the people who do have the power to negotiate. The hitch is that they
usually rose to their present position because they hold strong convictions
in harmony with the national values of their country, and for this same

reason they have difficulty recognizing that others function according to
different mental programs. A trusted foreign minister or ambassador who
has both the ear of the top leader and diplomatic sensitivity is an invaluable
asset to a country.
Permanent international organizations, such as the various United
Nations agencies, the European Commission, and the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization, have developed their own organizational cultures,
which affect their internal international negotiations. Even more than in
the case of the diplomats’ occupational culture, these organizational cul-
tures reside at the more superficial level of practices, common symbols, and

rituals, rather than of shared values. Exceptions are “missionary” interna-
tional nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), such as the International
Red Cross, Amnesty International, and Greenpeace.
Thus, the behavior of international negotiators is infl uenced by culture

at three levels: national, occupational, and organizational.
Business negotiations differ from political negotiations in that the

actors are more often amateurs in the negotiation field. Specialists can
prepare negotiations, but especially if one partner is from a large-power-
distance culture, persons with appropriate power and status have to be
brought in for the formal agreement. International negotiations have
become a special topic in business education, so it is hoped that future
generations of businesspersons will be better prepared. The following dis-
cussion will argue for the need for corporate diplomats in multinationals.