Why do business negotiations often go wrong, although English is a widely and well spoken business language? Successful communication depends not only on the level of language; it is predetermined by the cultural knowledge, values and norms. Only when going abroad or meeting other cultures, people may step out of their selfreference criteria and are able to become aware of their own as well as the other’s culture. Everything that used to be normal with regarding to behaviour, attitude and values, and therefore someone was unaware of in their own culture, suddenly becomes strangely embedded in a newly occurring situation.
In spite of a huge amount of literature available about cross-cultural communication, there is little useful information, which is applicable to practical and specific situations like Irish-German negotiations. Especially, it is very difficult to acquire empirical data from negotiation processes as the influences of a third person have a considerable effect on the other communication partners’ actions and thus the value of the process is degraded.
The usage of cultural dimensions from Hofstede, Trompenaars and Hall are widely quoted and used for putting cultures into categories. In the meantime, these dimensions lack examples regarding the behaviour of cultures in certain situations. Mostly, they fail to explain the reasons for cultural behaviour, which refer to the underlying values, norms and beliefs. In addition to some of these dimensions, I will make use of communication styles and social custom in order to describe likely situation where tension between Irish and German negotiations can arise. But what is more, I will try to explain the reasons for these incidents. These explanations should give the reader a further understanding of both cultures’ values. As I am a Germannative speaker, there may be a little bias in the explanations regarding the German cultural values.
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
2 CULTURE
2.1 Defining culture
2.1.1 A general Definition
2.1.2 Geographic and linguistic areas
2.1.3 Intellectual styles
2.2 Developing a cultural consciousness
2.2.1 The collective mind
2.2.2 Cultural identity
2.2.2 The need for understanding diversity
2.3 Culturally Determined Behaviour
2.3.1 Applying Schein’s Iceberg Model to management
2.3.2 Applying Hofstede’s dimensions to management
2.3.3 Applying Duelfer’s layer model to management
3 CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION
3.1 Perception
3.1.1 Selection of information
3.1.2 Interdependence between experiences and expectations
3.1.3 Stereotypes and prejudices
3.2 The “third” culture
3.2.1 Creating a “third” culture
3.2.2 Misinterpretations
3.2.3 Avoiding misunderstandings
4 IRISH-GERMAN NEGOTIATION
4.1 Communication styles
4.1.1 Time
4.1.2 Directness vs. Indirectness
4.2 Social customs
4.2.1 Relationships
4.2.2 Greetings and Addressing
4.2.3 Humour
4.3 Cultural dimensions
4.3.1 Low-context vs. high-context cultures
4.3.2 Universalism vs. Particularism
4.3.3 Uncertainty Avoidance
5 CONCLUSION
Objectives and Key Themes
This dissertation aims to raise cultural awareness by analyzing the dynamics of Irish-German business negotiations. The core research centers on how cultural values, communication styles, and social customs influence negotiation outcomes, exploring the challenges of misinterpretation when different cultural backgrounds interact.
- Cultural awareness and identity formation in professional settings.
- Impact of communication styles (Direct vs. Indirect) on negotiation success.
- The influence of cultural dimensions (Hofstede, Trompenaars, Hall) on management behavior.
- Overcoming barriers to understanding through the creation of a "third" culture.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1.2 Directness vs. Indirectness
A communicative breakdown often results from differences in exchanging information: direct and indirect ways of communicating have to be considered. Germans will tolerate more directness than is usual in Ireland. With their direct behaviour, they do not intend to be impolite, but often follow conventional norms of their country. Leaving out the soft facts like humour and small talk, direct communication can have lots of advantages: people get directly down to the core of a problem and are able to solve it very quickly. Why should they beat around the bush?
Since it would likely lead to confusion and disadvantages. Their directness and frankness is noticeable at work and appreciated by friends. If this underlying value is not known, it can easily cause tension during negotiations and meetings with the casual, friendly and sometimes unstructured style of Irish mangers (Reihlen 2003).
Irish managers tend to be more indirect which relates back to their high-context culture. As Gillian Martin found out, that in Irish-Irish discussions “the parties are often more likely to manoeuvre around an issue rather than confronting it head-on and to reassert their willingness to cooperate rather than providing a direct answer.” (Martin 2002: 46) Behaving vicariously can also turn out to be advantageous because it keeps harmony among people. Being indirect helps to avoid or solve conflicts (Brake and Walter 1994). At work, in intercultural negotiations or in team working, where people are confronted with a high level of pressure, agreement is very important for achieving results.
Summary of Chapters
1 INTRODUCTION: Outlines the necessity of cultural awareness in business and the difficulty of acquiring empirical data on specific Irish-German negotiations.
2 CULTURE: Discusses the theoretical definitions of culture, the development of cultural consciousness through the "collective mind," and the application of various management models (Schein, Hofstede, Duelfer).
3 CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION: Analyzes how perception, experiences, and expectations shape interaction, and how a "third" culture is created between diverse parties.
4 IRISH-GERMAN NEGOTIATION: Explores specific practical differences between Irish and German business styles, including time management, communication directness, social customs, and cultural dimensions.
5 CONCLUSION: Synthesizes the findings and emphasizes the role of meta-communication and tolerance in avoiding negotiation failure.
Keywords
Cross-cultural negotiation, Ireland, Germany, cultural identity, collective mind, communication styles, directness, indirectness, cultural dimensions, Schein's Iceberg Model, Hofstede, uncertainty avoidance, social customs, business etiquette, third culture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this dissertation?
The work focuses on understanding the underlying cultural values and communication norms that influence business negotiations specifically between Ireland and Germany.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
It covers cultural theory, cross-cultural communication, communication styles (direct vs. indirect), social customs, and various cultural dimensions that affect professional management and negotiation.
What is the primary objective of the research?
The main objective is to provide a guideline for negotiators to increase their cultural self-awareness and help them navigate potential tensions during Irish-German business interactions.
Which scientific methodology is used?
The study relies on a theoretical analysis of existing cultural models and management theories, supplemented by academic literature to explain specific behavioral incidents between the two cultures.
What is treated in the main body of the work?
The main body examines cultural models (Schein, Hofstede, Duelfer), the mechanics of human perception and stereotypes, and applies these frameworks to practical scenarios like time management and contract negotiations in Ireland and Germany.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include Cross-cultural negotiation, cultural identity, collective mind, communication styles, and uncertainty avoidance.
How does the "third" culture influence negotiations?
It describes a dynamic new subculture that emerges when two different cultural groups interact; acknowledging this state helps parties move beyond their original, rigid cultural expectations to reach a mutual agreement.
Why is the concept of time management critical in this context?
Time management is critical because Germans typically view punctuality as the basis for efficiency and order to minimize uncertainty, whereas the Irish generally view time more neutrally and tolerate flexibility, which can lead to stress or misunderstandings.
- Quote paper
- Sandra Urban (Author), 2004, Cross-cultural Negotiation: Ireland-Germany, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/35606
