Some of the most fundamental international negotiation skills to develop are negotiation strategies on how to overcome cultural barriers in communication. Despite the bloody conflicts in the Middle East, people of goodwill from both Arab and Western nations earnestly seek to collaborate in diplomatic and business transactions.
An article by Ilai Alon of Tel Aviv University and Jeanne M. Brett of Northwestern University, however, cautions that good intentions alone may not bridge cultural differences. Specifically, they note that conflicting conceptions of time can thwart negotiation.
For centuries, the West has operated on “clock time,” mechanically measuring out minutes and hours. By contrast, “event time” – how long it takes to get from one place to another or to complete a task – is traditionally more important in Middle Eastern cultures. At the most fundamental level, Islamic negotiators may have a more sweeping spiritual sense of time than do secular Westerners. They tend to honor the distant past and have deep faith in a better world to come. Alon and Brett thus recommend that instead of focusing on present alternatives, effective argumentation is “much more likely to rely on precedents, history, metaphor, and models.”
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How to Overcome Cultural Barriers in Communication – Bargaining Rituals at the Negotiation Table in Different Cultures
They also note that Westerners can become impatient as rituals and seemingly idle conversation with negotiators from Middle Eastern cultures drag out the process. From the other side of the table, however, such interactions are essential to building trust in negotiations.
General cultural tendencies do not necessarily apply to specific individuals, of course, but it’s wise to recognize that your counterparts may see time very differently than you do.
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How have you overcome communication barriers in negotiation? Share your story in the comments.
Originally published 2012.
I find the ”time” distinction very interesting , it is important to know about this subtle cultural difference.
I assume that an event doesn’t have a clear ending at a particular ”time” for some and western countries have this time limitation …
Just completed an session where parties were from the Virgin Islands and the same observation . An ADR case of District Court, the time needed was just not available.
Thanks for the good information.