First, modern western negotiation theory and its social and cultural background
In western developed countries, more and more people directly or indirectly step into the field of negotiation, and business negotiators in Britain and the United States account for more than 5% of the population. Negotiation has been paid more and more attention in modern western management education. Universities, enterprises and scientific research institutions in developed countries and regions such as the United States, Britain, Germany, France and Japan, as well as some developing countries, regard negotiation as an important course to train talents in modern politics, economy, management, diplomacy, politics, law and education. Some countries have also established national negotiation associations. The principles and methods of negotiation theory produced under the fierce competition in the west and specific social conditions are becoming more and more perfect and systematic, which increasingly shows its guiding role in negotiation practice.
The representative theories mainly include Neil Lunberg's negotiation needs theory, which was systematically put forward in his books How to read a person like a book and Connor and the Art of Negotiation. John Winkler's bargaining power theory is represented by result bargaining. Fisher, Yuri, Leifa and others * * * agreed to the proposed principled negotiation); Methods; Carlos' Negotiation Game, from the perspective of Americans, mainly studies the use of strategies in negotiation; And so on, among which the principle negotiation method is known as the epitome of western negotiation theory. The main content of the principle negotiation method consists of four parts: first, it always emphasizes that people and problems must be dealt with separately when touching substantive issues; Second, it is advocated that the focus of negotiations should be interests, not positions, so we must always grasp the interests of all parties in the negotiations and try our best to overcome the dispute over positions; Third, before deciding how to implement the plan, we should first imagine all possible options. Negotiators should arrange a specific period of time to conceive various possible solutions, creatively try to avoid or weaken conflicts in the interests of all parties, and provide opportunities for other negotiators to actively put forward some constructive suggestions to solve problems; Fourth, adhere to objective standards. Negotiators should introduce objective standards with scientific advantages as much as possible. Objective standards are authoritative and not easy to be criticized. Moreover, using objective standards instead of subjective judgment to solve problems, communication and communication will be smoother. Through the introduction and application of objective standards, agreement can be reached gradually, which is conducive to improving negotiation efficiency and reducing unnecessary disputes. Throughout the research and practice of western negotiation, we pay special attention to the influence of different social systems, cultural concepts, traditions and habits on negotiation activities, especially on eastern culture. This is worthy of our serious study and attention.
Second, the influence of cultural differences and cultural conflicts between China and the West on negotiation activities.
The advantages of foreign-related business negotiations first come from our understanding of our opponents. On this basis, we can give full play to our strengths and restrict our opponents' strengths. To do a good job in negotiation, apart from the personal temperament and psychological factors of negotiators, the negotiation habits formed under the influence of different cultural concepts and national systems and the negotiation styles embodied by these habits will have a far-reaching impact on the success or failure of negotiation activities and even the communication methods and relations between countries. Therefore, a correct understanding of things will have a far-reaching impact.
(A) the embodiment of cultural conflicts between China and the West in the negotiations
Different cultural characteristics are often concentrated in the national character of a country. The so-called national character refers to the characteristics of a country and a nation that are different from other nations based on the same cultural concepts, value judgments and behavior patterns. The formation of national character is based on its unique cultural foundation. Due to the differences in cultural traditions and concepts between China and the West, in the process of negotiation, opinions on issues are often prone to opposition or misunderstanding. A very prominent phenomenon in China's national character is that he attaches great importance to face or decency. At the negotiating table, if you want to choose between dignity and interests, China people often choose dignity; Westerners, on the other hand, value interests. They will not hesitate to choose interests between dignity and face. It is so important for China people to win glory for their own face, so that some western negotiators warned in their works that they must pay attention to the use of China's national character when negotiating with China. Obviously, only by correctly understanding and properly grasping the differences between China and the West can we effectively help us correct them in time.
In the field of international negotiation, the cultural differences between China and the West are mainly reflected in the following two aspects:
First, the thinking differences in understanding objective things. As one of the four ancient civilizations, China is often proud of its long history and culture, which makes the people of China rich in strong national feelings, heroic spirit and strong patriotism, which has played a positive role in the progress and development of the nation. However, due to its long history and splendid culture, it is often easy to produce a proud prejudice, form a face, and add a heavy burden to itself. Even standing still, this face psychology even permeates almost all fields. Bill Scott, a British negotiator, made a special analysis of this in his book On Negotiation. China people attach great importance to face, he said. If we want to force China people to make concessions in the negotiations, we must be careful not to let them lose face in concessions. Similarly, if we retreat from the original tough stance, we don't have to support them hard, which is extremely important for us.
Another interesting phenomenon is that although some people in China are proud, they are absolutely not allowed to say that they have given them face in public, otherwise they will feel uncomfortable. Lucius W. Pai, an American, pointed out in his book "Negotiation Style": You can get a lot from helping China people get face. At any time, losing face may cause losses. Westerners still see our face concept very thoroughly. Whether you can overcome your own prejudice in the negotiation field and even in all fields is an important issue whether you can catch up with the advanced world level and become a world power again. Although the national character of western countries is also very different, it does have certain * * *. Here, taking Americans as an example, the national character of Americans is probably the most typical in the West. The national characteristics of Americans are closely related to their economic achievements and historical traditions. They advocate struggle and independent action, their personalities are exposed, and they are full of confidence and enthusiasm. These characteristics of Americans can be seen everywhere in social activities. They are very good at using various means to cooperate with diplomatic negotiations in international affairs, so as to gain benefits. Because Americans have this characteristic, they are extremely indifferent to superficial and ceremonial things, but they are very sensitive to substantive issues and have a good impression on frank negotiators, which is very different from China's negotiation style.
Second, the differences between ethics and legal concepts. There are great differences between China and the West in regulating people's behavior and handling disputes. This difference is mainly manifested in the following two aspects:
1, China cultural habits avoid legal considerations and focus on ethical considerations; On the other hand, most westerners consider problems from a legal point of view. In China, the concept of ethical supremacy has always occupied an important position in people's minds. Once a dispute occurs, the first thing that comes to mind is how to win the support of the surrounding public opinion, which is considered by Chinese people to have extremely special connotation and significance. Therefore, China people are not used to many problems that should be solved by law. Instead, they are used to playing the role of moral norms through organizations and public opinion. Westerners, on the other hand, are used to handling disputes by legal means, rather than relying on the role of conscience and morality. Many individuals and companies in the west have hired legal advisers and lawyers, and when disputes arise, lawyers will come forward to deal with them. Some disputes that China people think must be solved through complex interpersonal networks may not be so in the eyes of westerners.
2. The egalitarian tendency of China people is based on the concept of social hierarchy, which is bred by thousands of years of feudal culture and plays a special role in all fields of social life. Among them, the idea of official standard is very prominent, which makes some people worship officials and despise systems and laws. I'm used to trading with the official backstage. Bai, an American scholar, wrote with emotion in the book: Many American businessmen and businessmen we have contacted told us that they understand that among China people, it is only necessary to make a verbal agreement, nod or shake hands to determine the possibility of reaching an agreement or its entry into force. Enumerating these differences only emphasizes that cultural differences between China and the West have a profound and complex impact on communication and negotiation. We must be profound and complex.
Third, our countermeasures.
Judging from the cultural differences between China and the West, we can never assume that the moon in foreign countries is rounder than that in China. Objectively speaking, Chinese and western cultures have their own advantages and disadvantages. The purpose of our study of cultural differences and conflicts between China and the West is to better understand ourselves and others, so that our foreign-related negotiations can truly make full use of our strengths and avoid weaknesses. The author believes that from the above understanding, we should pay special attention to the following issues in foreign-related negotiations.
(1) Principles first or details first. According to the cultural characteristics of China, in negotiations, we usually pay attention to principles first, and then to details; On the contrary, in the west, they pay more attention to discussing details first and avoid discussing principles. This difference often leads to difficulties in communication between China and the West. China people like to reach an agreement on the general principles of bilateral relations before dealing with the troublesome details, and arrange specific issues for future negotiations. In most cases, this mentality will make us bargain in the future. Be in a favorable position. Westerners don't adapt to this way of negotiation in China, and the result of negotiation is often more favorable to China people. Westerners usually think that details are the essence of problems, so they are more willing to use their brains in details, while the discussion of principles is more relaxed. Many facts show that the principle of talking first will inevitably restrict the discussion of details later. For example, China established diplomatic relations with the United States, Hongkong returned to China, and Macau returned to China. Quot Taiwan Province Province is an inalienable part of the people of China. Under this principle, the tone of detail negotiation has been established in advance, which has become a framework to control the scope of negotiation and won the advantage of detail negotiation. It is the successful application of this negotiation strategy in China that has made the above-mentioned diplomatic negotiations a complete success and won the universal praise and good reputation of the international community.
(2) Is it a collective or an individual? It should be said that both China and the West attach importance to both the collective and the individual in the negotiation process. But in comparison, westerners emphasize collective power and individual responsibility, that is, decentralization. China people emphasize collective responsibility and individual power, that is, centralization. This difference leads to two phenomena in negotiation occasions: Westerners appear as one or two people on the surface, while they are on China's side, where everyone negotiates and one person makes the final decision. It is conceivable that it would be great if the person who finally makes the decision is an expert, but? Quot If the decision-maker is an amateur, the risks and results of the negotiation are hard to predict. Therefore, we should scientifically and properly handle the relationship between collective and individual, centralization and decentralization in negotiations, so as to always be in a more active position in negotiations with westerners.
In short, due to the cultural differences between China and the West, their negotiation styles at the negotiating table show great differences. Sometimes the difficulties at the negotiating table are even caused by differences in negotiating styles. Therefore, understanding the differences between Chinese and western negotiation styles will help us find constructive communication channels, find out the real reasons that lead to misunderstanding or opposition, and effectively use some advantages of our negotiation styles to overcome some disadvantages, actively control the negotiation process, and grasp the direction and progress of the negotiation.