Catenaccio_negoziati internazionali

8/7/2019 Catenaccio_negoziati internazionali

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L·uso dell·inglese nei negoziatiinternazionali e nella gestione di gruppi di

lavoro

Paola Catenaccio



The rise of intercultural communication

Increasing internationalisation and globalisation of business

² Growth in international negotiations;

² Company-internal issues

Diversity is both without and within



R ise of English as a Lingua Franca

¶Neutral· language used to communicate in the realm of

business?

Or a code which hides ² rather than erase ² differences?

Problems with

² Native speakers?

² Non-native speakers?

² What areas are particularly problematic?



Problems with the code

Errors? « or

Deviations from the norm?

² What is the difference between an ¶error· and a ¶deviation from

the norm·?

² What causes more problems?



Types of deviations from the norm

² Inability to convey plain meaning1. for instance, you are setting up a new company and don·t know

how to talk about ¶avviamento·, or goodwill;

2. Your counterpart says a word you don·t recognise

² Inability to convey attitudes

1. you fail to convey your position on something (positive, negative,cautious«)

2. You can·t understand your interlocutor·s position1. Example: Japanese negotiator: ́ I think the deal may be difficult to achieveµ2. Finnish negotiator: ́ What can we do to facilitate the process?µ

² Inability to say something in a culturally acceptable manner

1. You don·t know how to introduce yourself

2. You don·t understand why your Chinese counterpart conmtinuesextolling the virtues of his companies

² Inability to repair (both self-repair and other-repair)

² ´Dissonanceµ: diverging interpretations of the same situation



Culture and communication



Definitions of culture

Hofstede: software of the mind

Hall: layers of culture (outer/middle/inner)

Culture is

² Learnt

² Collective

² Often at its most powerful when it is the least visible



Communication model



Cultural dimensions

Individualism/collectivism

Masculinity/femininity

High/low power distance

High/low uncertainty avoidance (Hofstede)



Additional dimensions

Universalism/particularism

Ascription/achievement

Neutral/emotional

Specific/diffuse

Monochronic/polychronic Role of the environment

(Trompenaars / Hampden-Turner)

Turn-taking style

High/low context cultures (Hall)



Impact on negotiation

Differing concepts of negotiation

Selection of negotiatiors?

Attention to protocol? Formality / informality?

Decision-making?

Outcome? (Weiss / Stripp)



A few more key concepts

Turn taking

The way turn-taking works in conversation, and therole of silence, differ between cultures. In some it isacceptable, and even desirable, to interrupt, whereasin some others it is normal to wait for your partner tofinish speaking before making your point. In somecultures, a period of silence between contributions isaccepted as the norm.



Anglo-Saxon A ----- ----- -----

B ----- ----- -----

(speaker normally starts talking at transition-relevant points)

Latin

A ----- ----- ----- -----

B --------- -------- -------- (there tends to be a certain amount of overlapping)

Oriental

A ---- ----- ----- -----

B ----- ----- ----

(silent pauses between turns are common)



High-context vs low-context cultures

¶A high-context communication or message is one in which most ofthe information is either in the physical context or internalized inthe person, while very little is in the coded, explicit, transmittedpart of the message. A low-context communication is just theopposite, i.e. the mass of information is vested in the explicit code·(Hall 1976)

Cf. also Weiss and Stripp·s ´communication complexityµ



Directness, indirectness and face

Some cultures are more direct than others in expressing

opinions, wishes and orders.

This aspect of communication is linked to POLITENESS

STRATEGIES.

In some cultures, it is particularly important not to LOSEFACE, i.e. being criticized or challenged in front of other

people etc.



Order the following from the most direct to the mostindirect

1. Would you be so kind as to open the window?2. It·s hot in here

3. Please open the window

4. Open the window

5. Could you possibly open the window?

6. I was wondering if you could open the window.7. Would you like to open the window?

8. Don·t you think it·s a little hot in here?

9. (4,3,6,5,1,2,8)



Make the following statements more indirect

You must do this by Monday

Your report contained a lot of mistakes

Give me two beers (at the bar)

You forgot the sales figures



1. A British businessman in Saudi Arabia is keen to secure animportant deal. He has a tight schedule, and can·t afford to wasteany time. His frustration increases because he has to wait for agesto get an appointment with his Saudi partner. Meetings neverstart on time, and when they do, there are frequentinterruptions, with people coming in to get papers signed. TheSaudi partners even takes phone calls when his visitor is in theroom.

2. Monochronic/polychronic



2. A British employee of a German state institute attached to agovernment ministry was frustrated at the time it took fordecisions to be made. To speed things up, he faxed documentsdirectly to his counterpart at the ministry. When the head ofdepartment of the institute found this out, he was extremelyannoyed, and demanded that he should see every fax before it

was sent to the ministry. High/low power distance



3. An American manager working in Japan is particularlyimpressed by the performance of one member of histeam. At the next team meeting he praises this personin front of the group. The rest of the Japanese teamlook uneasy.

4. Individualism/collectivism

5. Individualism/communitarianism



4. You are riding in a car driven by a close friend. He hits apedestrian. You know he is going at least 35 miles per hour in an

area in the city where the speed limit is 20 miles per hour. There

are no witnesses. His lawyer says that if you are prepared to

testify under oath the he was only driving at that speed, it may

save him from serious consequences.5. Universalism/particularism



5. After taking over a British investment bank, German bankers inthe corporate financial department were surprised to find that theirBritish partners were earning considerably more than them, andthat the team was frequently changing, since senior staff werebeing recruited, or ¶poached·, by rival banks. By contrast, most ofthe German team had been in the same bank since the beginning of

their careers, and would not consider a change to a rival bank, evenif they were offered more money.

High/low uncertainty avoidance



6. ´As a young Dutch engineer I once applied for a juniormanagement job with an American engineering companywhich had recently settled in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking

part of Belgium. I felt well qualified: with a degree from thesenior technical university of the country, good grades, arecord of active participation in student associations, andthree years· experience as an engineer with a well-known,although somewhat sleepy, Dutch company. I had written ashort letter indicating my interest and providing some dataon my career to date. I was invited to apply in person, and

after a long train ride I was soon facing the American plantmanager. I behaved politely and modestly, as I knew anapplicant should, and waited for the other man to ask theusual questions which would enable him to find out howqualified I was. To my surprise, he asked me very few of thequestions I thought we should be discussing. Instead, hewanted me to give him some very detailed facts about my

experience in tool design using English words I did notunderstand, and the relevance of which escaped me. Thosewere the things I could learn within a week once I workedthere. After half an hour of uncomfortablemisunderstandings, he said ¶Sorry ² we need a first classman·. And I was out on the street!µ

Masculinity/femininity



7. The US marketing manager of a major car producerwas finding it increasingly difficult to work in Japan.IN meetings, the Japanese colleagues hardly ever saidanything. When they were asked if they agreed to hissuggestions they always said ¶yes·, but they didn·t do

anything to follow up the ideas. The only time theyopened up was in a bar in the evening, but that wasgetting stressful, as they seemed to expect him to goout with them on a regular basis.

8. Communication complexity;

9. Specific vs diffuse

10. formality vs informality



8. A Belgian manager working in Thailand is unhappy that hissecretary regularly arrives at work at least 30 minutes, andsometimes as much as one hour, late. He knows that the traffic inBangkok is bad, but this is getting ridiculous. One morning, whenshe arrives late again, he explodes in front of the others in thebusy office. He then takes her aside and tells her that if she can·tget to work on time she may risk losing her job. She responds byhanding in her resignation.

9. directness/indirectness



Face-saving strategies (Verluyten)

1. Blur the sender: don·t criticize the person directly, butdo so through a friend or colleague;

2. Blur the receiver: don·t pick on the individual:

mention the problem in front of the whole group

3. Blur the message: talk about a hypothetical case, orask indirect questions



9. Researchers looking into intercultural communicationasked an Italian and Japanese businessmen to find out

particular information from each other. The Italian

said ¶he seemed like a nice enough guy, but he never

really said anything·; the Japanese said ¶ he was veryfriendly, but he never gave me a chance to speak.·

10. Turn-taking



Other issues

1. A British expatriate living in Germany complains about beingstared at in the underground train. ¶They stare at me straight inthe face as if I have come from another planet·, he said.

2. A US manager reports problems with Japanese staff. ¶I asked themhow the project was going, and of course, not much had beendone. I was suspicious when they didn·t even look me in the eye·,he said.

3. Eye contact (oculistics)



A European manager who came to work in the US subsidiary of aninsurance company was pleased to find that he had an excellentsecretary. After she had completed yet another piece of work longbefore the deadline, he went up to her, tapped her on the shoulder,and said, ¶Pat, thanks again. It really is such a help that you arehere.· Her response was to complain to the manager·s boss.

Touch (haptics)



Julio, an Argentinian student who is keen to improve his English, isattending a course in Business English. He often stays behind afterthe class to ask the British lecturer some questions. When Julioapproaches, the lecturer looks uneasy and begins to move away.Julio wonders whether the lecturer doesn·t like him, if he is askingtoo many questions, or whether students are not supposed to ask

questions after class. Body distance (proxemics)



Brainstorming

When you are negotiating, you use language to «² Ask questions

² Make suggestions

² Express agreement/disagreement «

² Give orders/instructions

² FORM FUNCTION!



K eeping the information flow going

From direct to indirect

Compare:

² We reject your offer

² I am afraid at this point we would be unable to accept your offer

² We must come to a decision

² We should probably try and make a final decision now



Softening strategies

Modals: w ould, could, may, might² This is a problem > This would be a problem

² Of course, there·s a disadvantage to this > Of course, there

could be a disadvantage to this

Q ualifiers: slight, a bit, rather, a few etc.

² There may be a delay > There may be a slight delay

² We·re disappointed with the solution adopted > We·re rather

disappointed with the solution adopted



Softening strategies (ctd)

R ephrased negatives 1: not very, totally, completely + positive adjective

² We·re unhappy with this arrangement > we·re not very happy

with this arrangement

² I·m unconvinced > I·m not totally convinced

R ephrased negatives 2: unable, not able, not in a

position to

² We can·t go any higher than 10% > We·re unable to go any higher

than 10%

² We won·t accept anything less > We·re not in a position to

accept anything less




Negative question forms: shouldn·t we«?, wouldn·tyou«? etc.² We should be working together on this > shouldn·t we be working

together on this?

² You·d be taking an enormous risk > Wouldn·t you be taking an

enormous risk?

Comparatives: -er, more, less² We·re looking for something cheap > We·re looking for

something cheaper

² Would you be prepared to consider this? > Would you be moreprepared to consider this?




Softeners: unfortunately, I·m afraid, to be honest, w ithres pect etc.² This doesn·t meet our needs > Unfortunately, this doesn·t meet

our needs

² You don·t quite understand > With respect, you don·t quite

understand

R estrictive phrases: at the moment, at this stage, so far , etc.

² That·s our position > That·s our position at the moment

² I don·t think we can go any further > I don·t think we can go anyfurther at this stage




The passive: it w as under stood, it w as assumed you etc.² You said you were ready to sign > It was understood you were

ready to sign

² We thought you had accepted these terms > It was assumed you

had accepted these terms

The-ing form: w ere aiming, had been hoping

² We aimed to reach agreement today > We were aiming at

reaching agreement today

² We had hoped to see some movement on price > we had beenhoping to see some movement on price



Simulation 1: informal, team-internalconsultation

Think of any kind of negotiation that you may beinvolved in at work with colleagues, with your boss, or

with another company. What is your objective in the

negotiation? Assuming that you will not get everything

you want, what is your best realistic alternative? Whatis the level at which you could realistic settle? Act out

the conversation.



Preparing the ground

Communication skills: agreeing objectives, strategiesand roles

Culture and tactics: task versus person-orientation

Language knowledge: welcomes, introductions

Negotiating practice: preparation² Pre-meeting: organising a meeting; setting objectives; deciding

on a strategy

² Opening a meeting: making opening introductions



Agreeing objectives and strategies (pre-meeting)

Our aim is « What we are going for is «

We should try to secure «

We cannot settle for anything lessthan «

We should not give in on this point

« We must be prepared to «

Ideally we should try «

More realistically we can expect «

This is our preferred option «

Our second best option would beto «

This is the worst-case scenario

How do you feel about this? What is your opinion on this?

What do you think?

Do you think it·s feasable?

What do you expect theircounterprosal will be?

«



R etrospectively «

Now try and think of the simulation you acted outearlier.

Is there anything that you would do different?



Opening statement

A clear opening statement means that all participants nthe negotiation understand the background, current

situation and main interests of each party. Each side

should make an opening statement before the discussion

can progress. You should begin with a short summary ofyour company if it·s new to the other party, then clearly

state your general and specific interests.



Opening a meeting

« was founded in «

« was set up in «

« we manufacture «

« we produce «

« we supply «

« we provide this service «

We·re interested in

Our key interest is

We·d like to «

It is vital that we

We really need to

It·s very important to us that



Setting the agenda

Communication skills: structuring the process

Culture and tactics: organic versus systematic processes

Language knowledge: sequencing and linking

Negotiating practice: controlling a negotiation



Starting at the beginning

At the beginning of any negotation, one of the mostimportant things is for both parties to agree on the

overall procedure and objectives. This is essential so

that both parties have a clear idea of the agenda and

that nothing will be forgotten or omitted.



Opening the negotiation

I think we should start now

I·d like to establish our common objectives, if that·s all

right

Perhaps you could offer your ideas on this.

Could you agree on the order of things?

It might be useful for us to summarise our needs

Would it be possible to start with the first point?



Tips

After stating your idea for the procedure, check to see if the otherparty agrees;

After stating your objectives, ask if the other party agrees to them

Create a climate of agreement by first stating, then checking, then

agreeing on procedures and objectives.

Getting agreement after each point will ensure that the negotiation

goes forward, not backwards!



During this negotiation stage

You will need to use sequence forms to move on.

If you agree, we would like to talk about « first, andthen «

We could probably start from « and then move on to «

Besides this, we should also pay attention to «

May I suggest we «



Simulation

You are discussing a contract for the supply of maintenance servicesfor a company·s computers.

Team A: company

Team B: maintenance providers

Agree on the procedure and agenda

What will you need to discuss? Make a list of points and make sure

all of them are touched upon at he beginning of the meeting!



I am in charge of / responsible for the commercial

As I said earlier (*before)

To provide someone with something

If we are given very broad operative freedom«

*normally speaking under normal circumstances « under the

circumstances I don·t think we can guarantee«



bring / take; come / go

I will need to be given a tour of the site; I·ll take you on

a tour of the site

I·ll *come / go with you



We have agreed to provide a quote within two weeks. I amconcerned that this may put us at a disadvantage with othercompetitors. May I ask you whether you would be prepared to «.

Provisionally we can agree on «

Am I asking for too much if I insist on having the survey before theend of the week?

Remember / remind² Please remember

² May I remind you that

It is a painstaking process

The *heaviest most difficult / hardest thing to do

St t l i



Structural issues

V. good summing-up strategies

Let me check if I understood your needs correctly «

May I ask you a couple of questions, just to make sure

I·ve got all the points?

Let me sum up the main points to make sure we agree

on everything so far

I suggest we meet next week

St t



Structure

Very good ¶checking· strategies (If I understood youcorrectly, what your need is «);

V. good clarification strategies (let me just clarify this

issue; just to make sure I understand the key issues)

Very good feed-forward strategies:

² Let·s decide on a schedule «

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