Often negotiators are in such a hurry that they forgo any relationship-building activities, jumping right into negotiations.  In cultures outside the United States, considerable time is spent building the relationship before any discussion of the business at hand.  Such relationship activities may include gatherings in informal settings where it is easier to discuss unrelated topics.  In many countries it is not uncommon to spend considerable time sightseeing and entertaining prior to discussing the potential deal.  Time so spent, rather than being “wasted,” is considered invaluable because it strengthens the understanding of each other’s values, priorities, and interests.  Although often viewed as less important by engineers, relationship building activities can lead to better outcomes than deal-focused approaches.  Once a negotiator feels comfortable with the other party, the dialogue tends to be more free-flowing.  Relationship building can be enhanced by interacting face to face rather than through phone, instant messaging or email.  The less rich the communication media the more difficult it is to establish trust (Wellens, 1989).  This is a challenge in high-tech when many teams are both virtual and global.  To overcome this barrier it is best to travel where necessary to build the relationship in person before using other forms of communication (see section on e-negotiations).  The effective negotiator must be willing to adapt to the location, time zones, etc. of others.

Tags: Negotiations

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