Cross-cultural negotiations

Straipsnyje teoriniu ir praktiniu aspektu nagrinėjami tarpkultūrinių derybų klausimai. Dabar, kai pasaulis gyvuoja globalizacijos sąlygomis, Lietuvos organizacijų vadovai vis dažniau bendradarbiauja ir veda derybas su kitų šalių organizacijų vadovais. Todėl ši tema yra aktuali ir savalaikė. Straipsnyje pateikiama Lietuvos smulkių ir vidutinių įmonių vadovų derybinė patirtis tarpkultūrinėje aplinkoje.Every cross-cultural business negotiation is a different world and there are no common rules telling how much time, in what tone or style etc. it should be performed. However, it is possible to prepare for it and take part in it properly. Market conditions, first of all, allow every individual to choose, but as not everyone is able to choose reasonably and deliberately, the problem of choosing arise, which is relevant also in the work of Lithuanian leaders, especially when expanding separate segments of their managing abilities. Experience shows that individuals showing initiative and taking responsibility for their choices are able to make the best choices (Pruskus, 2005). In this way the leaders choose which managing abilities they should improve in the context of globalization. Often a leader can notice that at present, in developing managing abilities, the cross-cultural recognition and abilities of cross-cultural negotiations are very important. The global world is stimulating leaders of Lithuanian organizations to look for new markets abroad and to cooperate with leaders from other countries. The fact that Lithuania joined the European Union was another favorable condition motivating negotiations with European countries and helping companies to enter into foreign markets. That is why the topic of negotiations and cross-cultural negotiations is becoming more and more important, and is the subject of many discussions. A lot of seminars and trainings about negotiations are organized for leaders but still most of them say that they feel the lack of competence in international negotiations. This fact was proved by this research; the results of the research are presented in the article. Every person perceives everything that he sees, hears and touches very differently. Cultural environment of every individual in a way “colours” his own understanding of the world. Sometimes one can notice that during international negotiations the partner from abroad understands differently the same things, sometimes even surprisingly. For example, people from the Western world appreciate individualism of mind and action, while people from the East appreciate conformance and harmony more. An Englishman would be most interested to sign a contract at the beginning of negotiations while a Japanese or Chinese would first of all try to strengthen personal relations. Public praising gives a lot of joy for Americans, but this turns Japanese into confusion. Thus without knowing differences between cultures there is a possibility to understand some things wrong and wrongly react to them, sometimes it can even destroy business relationships. Negotiations are penetrating into almost all relationships between people are they in groups or organizations. Modern organizations are predicated on teams, members of teams must often work with the colleagues to whom they do not have direct power, their direct managers may even be different, and so the abilities to negotiate are becoming very important. Because of globalization cross-cultural negotiation, cross-cultural competence of the leaders and the ability to negotiate has become very important. Nowadays the end of cross-cultural negotiation is very important, very often even the company’s survival and welfare depends on it. The article is analyzing questions of negotiations and cross-cultural negotiations, the experience of Lithuanian leaders of small or medium-sized companies, and offers possible solutions. Why Lithuanian leaders find it difficult to negotiate with leaders from abroad? What should be done in order to avoid difficulties and approvingly agree? These and a lot of similar questions associated with cross-cultural negotiation troubles face many Lithuanian leaders. The methods used for the research was the analysis of academic literature and a questionnaire