Indian negotiation style

Abstract

Characterising the style of negotiation, depending upon the nationality and cultural practices is important for developing an effective negotiating template in the increasingly interconnected world. A desire to understand cultural underpinnings of negotiating behaviour has led to the emergence of many models in US, Japanese, Chinese and Arabian settings. The present article dwells on the cultural specific tendencies in negotiation in the Indian context. The article explains the Indian uniqueness of negotiating experience in the framework of Hofstede's (2003, 2010) findings on elements of national culture. Discussion based on historical narratives and culture-specific experiences leans towards concluding that there is a clearly visible Indian style of negotiation that is very contextual and perception of factors like power asymmetry, masculinity/femininity, individualism/collectivism and uncertainty avoidance interact with situational factors to determine the Indians' behaviour during negotiation.