ABSTRACT
A good negotiator learns to design the negotiation before starting the actual negotiation meetings. Before means “long before” because time is necessary to consider, learn, and redesign. This dimension (top down/bottom up) captures whether negotiators build agreement by negotiating specifics, such as product characteristics, price, and terms of delivery, or whether they start from general principles and then proceed to specific items. Before the negotiations, plan starting with the big picture (top down) and again starting with the details (bottom up). Adapt flexibly to the approach the other side uses. Culture is deeply connected to, even defined by, people’s expectations of each other. With experience, a negotiator from one cultural background can learn the expectations of another cultural group. With that knowledge, the negotiator can adjust behaviour to come closer to the expectations of the other side.
