Negotiating: The Top Ten Ways That Culture Can Affect Your Negotiation

When Enron was still - and only - a pipeline company, it lost a major contract in India because local authorities felt that it was pushing negotiations too fast. In fact, the loss of the contract underlines the important role that cultural differences play in international negotiation. For one country's negotiators, time is money; for another's, the slower the negotiations, the better and more trust in the other side. This author's advice will help negotiators bridge the cultural differences in international negotiation. When it comes to negotiating with businesspeople around the world, knowing your opposite's culture is as important as understanding his or her goals.