Intercultural Negotiation between US, Canada, and Japan - Literature review Example

Intercultural negotiation between Western country (US or Canada) and Japan By Intercultural negotiation between Western country (US or Canada) and Japan Introduction Culture is a broad field in human socialization that entails aspects like; religion, values, beliefs and social organization of an ethical group or organization. Culture guides the behavioral performance of any human being because there are principles in various cultures that should be adhered to. People of the same culture will easily interact since they understand the originality of their belief. Over the years, intercultural has been a challenge because of the different personal views of people from various groups. The traditions in western countries are different from other countries. For example, cultural practices in US are different from those that are practiced in Japan. The Americans show a significantdiscrepancy between the races, unlike the Japanese who are homogenous and are friendly to all. Once there is discrimination between the races, then it becomes challenging to negotiate with the western countries for uniformity and healthy communication in the working environment. Every culture should be respected and valued equally so as to accept the diversity of people working in an organization. Even though we have many different cultural practices, the major groups of culture will always be men and women(Brislin, 2008). Therefore, culture should not be confused with gender. Culture governs the ideologies of people. It determines how people think and interpret the social lives at our workplace. Over the years, racism has been a significant challenge in US because the country believes that it is superior to all other countries. This feeling of superiority is what has made most Americans to look down at other employees who are from Japan or other countries. Also, negotiations for the intercultural negotiations have continually being a challenge because of the aspect of discrimination. This research assignment will be focusing on intercultural negotiation between western country, US or Canada and Japan. Relationships are important and influential in a working environment. This is because people need to have healthy communications regardless of the different cultural background. Also, the workers should have a strong relationship since they work together towards achieving a common goal of the organization.Over the years, it has been a contest for thelarger multinational organization to maintain a good communication flow during work(Katz, 2011). This is because of the immigration of people from different countries due to work and job opportunities. Whether one is from Africa, America, Canada or Japan, Christian or Islam, there is a necessity to establish good relationships at the workplace. Every culture should be respected and appreciated by all workers in an organization. Literature review Cross-cultural communication is a barrier in many multinational organizations in the world. Workers should educate themselves about other cultural practices from different ethnic groups. Cultural sensitivity is essential when dealing with people from various cultural backgrounds. For instance, in a healthcare facility employees have learned how to handle patients from varying cultural beliefs through respecting their beliefs, values and attitudes(Martin & Nakayama, 2013). Lack of intercultural negotiation between residents of western countries and Japan has brought forth conflicts in the workplace.Conflicts will come up as a result of cultural blindness, the overlooking of other peoples’ beliefs and rendering them as vague. Every will want their cultural practices to be respected and valued. That is why researchers are highly recommending that employees in multinational organizations should be highly cultural sensitive. Intercultural negotiations can be a complex strategy, especially where racism is deeply rooted like in US. There is a great disparity between the Western cultures and the Japanese culture. This difference has a high correlation of the management of businesses and the approaches of different issues that arise. Some studies show that some developed countries have initially addressed the issues on their organizations like Malekzadeh and Nahvandi(Primecz, Romani, & Sackmann, 2011). This is because the intercultural negotiations helped in reducing conflicts and emotional stress among the workers. The Western countries had taken long before they began the intercultural negotiations. But they are at the forefront in negotiating so as to strengthen the relationships between the employees. China as a country is still lagging behind in the intercultural negotiations. They are yet to embrace these cultural practices to improve the communication in the business environment. From the previous studies of researchers, it can be concluded that the presence of cultural differences and barriers is a leading factor towards making unhealthyrelationships(Wright, Sparks, & OHair, 2013). The communication barrier in any organization can lead to a decreased performance of the employees because they will be working in anunfriendly environment. Employees from the mother country have been seen to be enjoying privileges because they are politically correct. Many cases have been reported by people from different countries that have stopped working in US organizations due to the discrimination on the basis of race(Martin & Nakayama, 2013). A business organization should support thegrowth of all the workers on equal grounds without discrimination. Even though various negotiators for theintercultural mission have faced challenges in addressing the issue. Case study for Japan and US Japan and US are developed countries that have attracted business people from all over the world. Most of the organizations are multinational since they have employed workers from different nationalities. In the past, it was so difficult to get a job in these countries. But with the increasing dynamism and change in the business environment, various originalities are getting employment(Primecz, Romani, & Sackmann, 2011). The US and Canada countries give less importance of the nonverbal communication as compared to Japan. This is because the nonverbal communication tends to be ineffective especially when communicating with people from thedifferent cultural background. But a standardized nonverbal communication in Japan has helped in improving the communication and relationships between employees. In the Western countries, there have been conflicting ideologies on both the verbal and nonverbal communication. For example, in Japan there is a quote that says, “Talking is silver, but silence is gold.” This saying supports silence because when one talks, the situation might worsen. In contrast, the western culture interprets silence as bad manners, and people should talk more and have several conversations in an office(Wright, Sparks, & OHair, 2013). Due to the vast difference between the Japan and US cultural practices, there is a need for the intercultural negotiations to help minimize this cultural gap. There is aconsiderable interchange of goods and products between these two countries. Hence, this trade will continue growing if the relationship between these two countries is improved and the employees are taught how to be cultural sensitive. Conflicts between states can lead to a decrease in the economic activities. It is a customary act for businessmen from US to shake their hands when they meet. On the contrary, the Japanese businessmen bow in theform of greeting. Secondly, maintaining an eye contact during a conversation in US is a sign of honesty and concentration(Brislin, 2008). Whereas in Japan shows that one is being is rude is suggestive especially when talking to your employee or a superior person. These cultural differences should be explicitly addressed so that both parties can feel comfortable when interacting without causing emotional stress or conflicts. Every party should be willing to learn the other party’s cultural practices and respect them. Cultural diversity is part of our lives, and for effective communications and relationships people should learn how to negotiate effectively. The following are some of the recommendations towards achieving a successful intercultural negotiation. Recommendations The preliminary stage of planning an intercultural negotiation should involve knowing the individual culture. The negotiators must learn and understand their cultural practices so as to know how to begin the conversation and how to carry it along till the end. One should be comfortable to talk about their culture and make the other party have a clear understanding of the practices. The negotiator should be able to explain why various methods are present in the culture and why others are not practiced(Katz, 2011). For example if on is from US should know their cultural practices before initiating a negotiation, thesame case should be with the Japanese. Secondly, understand the other party’s cultural practices. Understanding another person’s cultural practices is a step to acknowledge what they believe in. Conflicts will arise where there are cultural blindness and ignorance. Cultural sensitivity is a significant factor towards improving personal relations in the workplace. Appreciating what other people believe in is essential, and it is highly supported in the communication theories. The Japanese and the Western culture should be learned and respected. Regardless of the originality of an individual, respect should be the building blocks of the workers’ relationships. There is no cultural practice that is less important than the other(Martin & Nakayama, 2013). All of them are equally important and essential. Leaders in the workplace should avoid making decisions basing on the ethnic groups, religion, and beliefs. This is because it will ignore the views of a particular cultural group, and this will destroy the relationships among the employees. Read through literature so as to familiarize with the other people’s cultural beliefs. This will help the negotiator in being relevant to the discussion. Even though you read all available literature on the cultural diversity, do not show that you know more than the owners. Take time and listen to others first before a judgment can be made. During the negotiation, ask upright questions that do not hurt the other party’s beliefs because this may make the people angry and refuse to negotiate(Primecz, Romani, & Sackmann, 2011). Most negotiation platforms fail because of lack of appreciation and using the wrong communication skills. During the western and Japan negation, there should be no rush in making a conclusion. All the alternatives should be screened, and the best solution should be drawn that will favor strong relationships between the two parties. Taking one side during the negotiation may not make the process to be efficient. That is why many negation efforts between these countries have failed in the past. The real issues of intercultural should be explicitly addressed without ignoring some. When some aspects are ignored, it brings about a gap that will be a source of conflict between the Japanese and the US citizens(Katz, 2011). The leaders who take part in the negotiation should set a good example of showing the significance of unity between different cultural groups. Not only in these two nationalities, but also other countriesshould embrace and appreciate the diversity in culture. The intercultural negotiations should aim at achieving a common ground and should not prove why one’s culture is more important than the other. Cultural differences should not be a source of competition, rather it should be a platform where people interact and form healthy relationships. Relationships between people are essential, and it determines how peaceful an organization can be in a business environment(Brislin, 2008). The communication challenges become easy when people understand each cultural practice and respect the beliefs. For example, in Fijian culture, it is wrong to touch their hair because they believe it is only the chief who is allowed to do that. The Fijians usually have curly hair that is tempting to touch but the touching makes them comfortable. Therefore, one should learn not to touch their hair and respect their culture. Conclusion Intercultural negation between the western countries and the Japan is beneficial. These countries are economically stable, and they have business transactions between them. Having the difference in cultural beliefs, the cultural awareness should be initiated. This will help both groups to appreciate and respect their differences. Through the valuing of other people’s cultural practices, strong relationships will be created and maintained. Transaction of businesses between these two countries will be strengthened, and the multinational organizations will begin to improve their performance. Diversity in culture should not be the platform to cause divisions among people rather it should help in building strong relations in the working environment. In business, people should work together towards achieving a common without discrimination. It becomes easy to achieve organizational goals when people work together with unity. Conflicts that are brought about by diversity in culture should be dealt with to ensure a good working condition in the business environment. Reference Brislin, R. W. (2008). Working with cultural differences: dealing effectively with diversity in the workplace. Westport, Conn: Praeger. Katz, G. (2011). Intercultural negotiation: the unique case of Germany and Israel. Norderstedt: Books on Demand. Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2013). Intercultural communication in contexts. New York: McGraw-Hill. Primecz, H., Romani, L., & Sackmann, S. (2011). Cross-cultural management in practice: culture and negotiedted meanings. Chelteham: Edward Elgar. Wright, K. B., Sparks, L., & OHair, D. (2013). Health communication in the 21st century. Chichester, West Sussex; Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Read More