Asian v. American Negotiating Styles

The personal style of the negotiators in the Far East is a mixed style but is primarily nonverbal, although verbal and listening attributes do play a part. In the article by Martin, Herbig, Howard, and Borstoff (1999), the authors describe the Japanese negotiation style. They explain that "The Japanese often use little verbal activity, nod frequently, use silence, and even close their eyes while others are speaking" (Martin, Herbig, Howard, & Borstoff, 1999, p. 66). Except for the final attribute of closing their eyes, these manifestations are all strictly nonverbal ones. Closing the eyes is, in fact, a nonverbal communication of sorts, but it signifies that the negotiators are listening intently to what is being said, so in that sense it also includes listening. The Japanese are careful not to display emotion, as this is considered bad form and can precipitate a loss of face (Martin, Herbig, Howard, & Borstoff, 1999, p. 66).

The article by Paik and Tung (1999, p. 103) discusses how various factors in the negotiation process communicate non verbally to the negotiators. For example, in the Japanese and Chinese negotiation environments, Far Eastern companies always bring large teams with them to sit in on the negotiations. When the American company brings in only a small team(usually to reduce conflicts and save the money it would cost to bring in more individuals(the Far Eastern negotiators can become offended. This is a nonverbal signal to them that th

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