Culture and Conflict and Negotiation Strategy

Abstract

Abstract This chapter summarizes research and theory documenting cultural differences in the use of strategy in deal making and conflict management negotiations. Negotiation is the process by which parties with conflicting goals try to reach agreement. Negotiation strategy is the goal-directed behavior that people use when negotiating (Weingart et al., 1990). The strategy of sharing information is not effective in generating joint gains in non-Western cultures because of low trust. Negotiators can use multi-issue offers to generate insight into the counterpart’s priorities and joint gains, but doing so may require second-order processing of information from the offers. Cultural differences in how people express emotion and communicate may generate misunderstanding and conflict escalation. A major opportunity for future research is to use the emerging science of artificial intelligence (AI) and negotiation to understand strategic adjustment in intercultural negotiations.