Cultural dimensions in communication and negotiations

Straipsnyje analizuojamos tarpkultūrinės komunikacijos smulkaus verslo įmonės pavyzdžiu. Atlikto kultūrinio tyrimo rezultatai rodo, kad kultūrinės dimensijos atlieka svarbų vaidmenį komunikacijos ir derybų procesuose. Taip pat analizuojami derybų stilių lemiantys atskirų kultūrų kultūriniai veiksniai ir darbuotojų kultūriniai ypatumai.Modern dynamic business environments, which seeks to maintain competitiveness and strengthen position in products or services market, in many countries organizations tend to economical interdependency. Almost all for-profit companies’ owners in Lithuania, top, mid and purchase managers have to inevitably cooperate and negotiate with suppliers or manufacturers from other counties. In other words, for business growth it is vital to maintain connection with people of different culture. Cross cultural communication and negotiation between members of different culture often is accompanied with various threats due to cultural differences and low cross cultural competence of members. This could also be because it is impossible to create a share understanding of the environment with two or more culturally different parties participating. Culture may be different in various aspects: language, behaviour, values, attitude, beliefs, traditions, so trying to guess other culture spokesman according to oneself rarely pays off. That’s why participants of cross cultural communication meet serious challenges occurring with clarification of message initial meaning and correct way of decoding the message. Process of international transaction formation is accompanied by invisible barriers which are inspired by negotiation styles, verbal and non-verbal language and behaviour, but most often there is ethnocentrical understanding and interpretations. In such case cross cultural communication process is affected and hardened and as a result many cross cultural business deals are insoluble just as they start. This is important cross cultural communication and negotiation problem which should be discussed in various organizations and in international level.Research object – cross cultural communication and negotiations. Research aim – to carry out scientific literature and a case study about cross cultural communication and negotiation analysis, while setting differences and similarities between different cultures and to present recommendations for cross cultural communication and negotiation to improve. Research methods: scientific and teaching literature analysis, observation and survey. The article dealt with the study of intercultural communication and negotiations carried out in six different countries, firms practicing in retail and wholesale trade. This study further characterized as inter-cultural and comparative in nature, you want to compare specific items, identify problem areas for which there are difficulties in intercultural communication and negotiations, particularly with respect to individual cultures – in this case, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Holland, China and Lithuania characteristics. To sum up all of the negotiating style factors, verbal and nonverbal language in different cultures suggest that significant differences emerged between the parties. In its approach to risk-taking, informality, emotionality, body language, eye contact very strong split in Italy, stating his hot temperament. Dutchman can be described as serious, reserved, formal, direct communication supporters, pasveriančius risk, adaptive business people. Meanwhile, the Czechs during the warm, loving long term relationship partners often refuse to risk loving and emotional expression, but always wants to win, describing the mutual negotiations. The Chinese also stood out, in some respects. They often use the same style of negotiation is likely to sign long-term contract, but before that indirect communication through trying to "analyze" future partner. In addition, although the closest of all the perception of personal space, but simply to avoid eye contact, not wanting to feel uncomfortable. It is also characterized by their appearance and closer to the emotions of formal negotiation style. During the Lithuanian small business staff features, probably due to the fact that almost all the employees are family, they are usually applied by an informal style, try to influence the opponent to win against him, to help the average through the emotions of a particular unit to the agreement