Reflection on Intercultural Communication and Negotiation Skills as Experienced During the Negotiation Simulation
Effective communication and outstanding negotiation competencies are central to establishing sustainable corporate relationships. Factors such as poor understanding of concepts, disagreements, and conflicts are common problems that have thwarted the effectiveness of most businesses in various degrees. Developing exceptional competencies on communication and negotiation skills forms an essential foundation towards settling differences among people, and reaching a compromise and agreements for the benefit of all parties involved. As part of developing these skills, we embarked on a simulation through which each participant was to learn some real-world concepts on communication and negotiation. In the simulation, two companies; Sato Motor Company (SMC) and Innovations in Shipping Industries (ISSI), are negotiating in an effort to transport cars from Japan to the US. Our team represented ISSI as SMC was represented by a rival team. Various negotiation skills and theories were critical in addressing the pressures, tensions, and differences that developed during the negotiation processes.
Reflection on Critical Incidents
There were critical incidences that the team players encountered during the negotiation processes. The first incidence that we experienced was during the definition of the ground rules. It did not take long to notice that the cross-cultural aspects, especially the customs, of the two teams were greatly divergent, making it difficult to get to a central point. The negotiations began with the exchange of business cards. During the first day of the meeting, our team, and especially myself, felt puzzled, uncomfortable, and, to some extent, irritated by the unfamiliar customs that the SMC team players exhibited (SMC is headquartered in Tokyo Japan while ISSI has its headquarters in New York, US). Given their customs, the SMC team were initially much strict on the considerations that would be considered acceptable during the negotiation process. With much neutrality when it comes to culture, our team was much flexible. With continued communications and interactions, we became, we became acquainted with each other and adjusted our terms of the agreement.
The second incidence was…
Lessons Learned as an Intercultural Negotiator and Team Player