ABSTRACT
If negotiations are happening for the first time, the negotiating period is the time when business relationships are formed and decisions are made about whether to work together toward some goal. If the negotiating partners have worked together in the past, relationships will be rekindled during the negotiating period and new projects targeted for attention. This chapter analyzes the cross-cultural negotiation process, because by heightening our awareness of some of the potential pitfalls, people may become more effective international negotiators. Whereas some works have taken a country-by-country approach to international negotiating, the chapter focuses on certain general principles of cross-cultural negotiating that can be applied to most, if not all, situations. Timing may not be everything, but in global negotiations it certainly can make a difference between success and failure. A basic part of preparing for negotiations is self-knowledge. Developing good listening skills offers insight into underlying positions.
