Читать книгу Negotiating - David Brown, David Brown - Страница 11

I would define culture as ‘the way we do things around here’. What is meant by ‘around here’? It means wherever in the world you are doing business. To succeed as a negotiator you need to understand where the other party is coming from.

It is very dangerous to generalize on the subject of culture – you could say there are as many cultures as people you deal with. The important thing is to be prepared for others to think and behave differently from you. The usual advice for dealing with the Japanese is to be very, very patient. Yet no culture is entirely predictable, so don’t be surprised when you encounter some Japanese who expect you to hurry up!

case study The Japanese have a very special approach to negotiating. In my experience they are very difficult to read (like good poker players) and frequently need the approval of their colleagues on key issues. I have negotiated with Japanese agents over substantial supplies of aluminium sheet for making freight containers. As negotiators, they are not aggressive, but patient and firm. The specific Japanese approach that I would like to share with you is their tendency to go over the same ground again and again. Once at 6:00pm, I felt we were minutes from agreement. We had been hard at it for three hours. I should have known when they said “can we just check on the specification” that it would take another four hours!

“If you negotiate with Japanese clients, ask questions. When you think you understand, ask more questions”

John L Graham, professor of business, University of California

Nor can you make generalizations about gender differences. When men are negotiating with women, some feel a gentle approach is called for, but many women will object to being patronized in this way. Some women want to prove themselves better than men, and will therefore prove as combative as any man.

Some businesses have reputations for being aggressive in everything they do – in employing people, in buying, and in selling. If you deal with them, your tactics need to be adjusted to suit theirs – with an aggressive first offer for instance. Other companies that you will deal with have an approach that is very much concerned with respecting the rights of their employees or their suppliers. You simply have to know who you are dealing with!

Your negotiating partner’s behaviour may be very different to your own, so be prepared to allow for this.