Addressing Bias in Cross-Cultural Negotiations

Cultural awareness isn’t a ‘soft skill’—it’s the difference between a win and a loss in negotiations. I’ve seen top leaders close multimillion-dollar deals and lose them, all because they misunderstood cultural dynamics. I learned this lesson early in my career. Early in my negotiations, I assumed the rules of business were universal. But that assumption cost me time, deals, and valuable relationships. Here’s the thing: Culture impacts everything in a negotiation: - decision-making, - trust-building, and - even timing. Let me give you a few examples from my own experience: 1. Know the "silent signals": In one negotiation with a Japanese client, I learned that silence doesn’t mean disagreement. In fact, it’s a sign of deep thought. It was easy to misread, but recognizing this cultural trait helped me avoid rushing and respect their decision-making pace. 2. Understand authority dynamics: Working with a Middle Eastern team, I found that decisions often come from the top, but they require the approval of key family members or advisors. I adjusted my strategy, engaging with the right people at the right time, which changed the outcome of the deal. 3. Punctuality & respect: I once showed up five minutes early for a meeting with a South American partner. I quickly learned that arriving early was considered aggressive. In that culture, relationships are built on patience. I recalibrated, arriving at the exact time, and it made all the difference. These are the kinds of cultural insights you can only gain through experience. And they can’t be ignored if you want to negotiate at the highest level. When you understand the subtle, but significant, differences in how people from different cultures approach business, you’re no longer reacting to situations. You’re strategizing based on deep cultural awareness. This is what I teach my clients: How to integrate cultural awareness directly into their negotiation tactics to turn every encounter into a successful one. Want to elevate your negotiation strategy? Let’s talk and stop your next deal from falling apart. --------------------------------------- Hi, I’m Scott Harrison and I help executive and leaders master negotiation & communication in high-pressure, high-stakes situations.  - ICF Coach and EQ-i Practitioner - 24 yrs | 19 countries | 150+ clients   - Negotiation | Conflict resolution | Closing deals 📩 DM me or book a discovery call (link in the Featured section)

Honouring before Honesty (151) About 10 years ago, I was asked to facilitate a hui between agencies and iwi to work through an impasse. One well-meaning public servant said: “We just want an honest conversation.” Then berated the iwi for their lack of engagement. The iwi responded: “Okay but only if you’re prepared to have an honouring conversation.” The public servant looked confused. Iwi were bemused. This kind of rhetoric to iwi, to Māori isn’t rare. Because “honest” often means convenient truths for those with power not shared truths grounded in equal standing. Honouring a conversation is different. It recognises we don’t arrive with the same footing, we come from different reference points. One side holds the policy levers, the funding, the platform. The other carries mana, and the weight of intergenerational displacement not just historic harm, but harm still embedded in today’s systems. Power imbalance makes honesty hard. Honouring begins with humility. It asks: How do we uphold each other’s mana, when one party dominates and the other is displaced? Take this example: A mainstream service criticises a Māori NGO and calls for the Crown to intervene. The commissioner, biased toward the mainstream, penalises the Māori NGO seeing only the here and now, without recognising the inequitable funding models between the two. Alternatively, a Māori provider raises concerns about a hospital specialist service respectfully and directly and seeks an engagement hui to work through barriers to access. They’re labelled “difficult” or “non-collaborative” by the same commissioner because the underlying expectation is that the Māori provider should simply conform. In meetings shaped by power, we must call out privilege and bias not out of fear, but out of strategy. We need to hold the space: to keep people engaged without colluding in narratives that diminish the marginalised. That tension is real but learning to name it, without closing the door on change, is the task. As public servants, we need to avoid becoming reductive conveniently avoiding the historical context that cloaks our prejudice. Too often, priorities are shaped by platforms of privilege deepening the marginalisation of those least heard. These issues aren’t neat. They’re shaped by institutional racism, policy structures, and unspoken bias. You can’t reduce the problem to a single decision, timeframe, or actor. We don’t arrive as neutral individuals. We carry both responsibility and legacy of the Crown. That role demands more than honesty. It demands honouring. If we want conversations that lead to real change, we must create conditions where Māori and other historically excluded communities can speak truth without fear of consequence. This means being ready to hear, hold, and honour truth especially when it’s uncomfortable. Because if we can’t honour the conversation, we were never ready for an honest one to begin with.

🌍 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 Walking into a negotiation unprepared is never an option. Investing time in understanding your 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 is key—especially in international settings, where 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Have you ever realized too late that you misread a foreign partner’s expectations or communication style? To avoid this, here are 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 to guide your global negotiations: 1️⃣ 𝐇𝐨𝐟𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐞’𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐩 ✔ 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 – How much are hierarchies accepted? ✔ 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐯𝐬. 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐦 – Is the focus on the individual or the group? ✔ 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 – How much risk is tolerated? ✔ 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐯𝐬. 𝐅𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 – Competitive mindset vs. harmony. ✔ 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐯𝐬. 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭-𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – Future planning vs. immediate results. 👉 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: Helps you anticipate how hierarchies, deadlines, and risk are perceived. 2️⃣ 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐚𝐫𝐬’ 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥: 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐯𝐬. 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 ✔ 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐯𝐬. 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 – Strict rules vs. relationship-driven decisions. ✔ 𝐍𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐬. 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 – Rational vs. emotionally expressive cultures. 👉 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: In some cultures, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬. 3️⃣ 𝐋𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ✔ 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 (𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲, 𝐔𝐒) – Structured, time-conscious. ✔ 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 (𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲, 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚) – Flexible, people-oriented. ✔ 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 (𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧, 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚) – Indirect, harmony-focused. 👉 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: Helps manage expectations on 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. 4️⃣ 𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐁𝐄 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭: 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 ✔ Examines 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐬 across regions. ✔ Highlights how 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐚, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 are perceived. 👉 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: Crucial for leading 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲. 🔎 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 📌 𝐇𝐨𝐟𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐞 – Cultural map. 📌 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐚𝐫𝐬 – Trust vs. rules. 📌 𝐋𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬 – Communication styles. 📌 𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐁𝐄 – Leadership expectations. No single model is enough—𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 helps prevent misunderstandings, build trust, and negotiate more effectively. 💬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲? 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬.

Here’s the secret: the best negotiators don’t just prepare arguments. They prepare against bias. Because the moment you walk into a room, you’re not a blank slate. You may be “the youngest.” “The woman.” “The foreigner.” “The one with the accent.” Most people aren’t out to hurt you. But the brain is wired for speed, not accuracy. So it reaches for shortcuts and stereotypes are the cheapest shortcut of all. A Brazilian friend once told me why she always arrived early to meetings: “I’m Brazilian. People expect me to be late. I want to prove them wrong.” That’s not courtesy. That’s strategy. Think of it like stepping onto a stage where the spotlight is already tilted against you. If you don’t adjust it yourself, the audience never sees you clearly. So, adjust it: - Arrive early. - Make small talk. - Ask a thoughtful question. - Share something real. Once people know you, their brain no longer needs the shortcut. You’re no longer “the stereotype.” You’re you. And in negotiation, that clarity is more powerful than the sharpest argument. What’s one stereotype you’ve strategically proven wrong?

𝟭𝟮 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 1️⃣ Do Your Cultural Homework Study the counterpart’s norms around authority, communication, and risk. Use tools like GlobeSmart or the World Values Survey to understand hierarchy, trust, and risk attitudes. 2️⃣ Adapt Your Communication Style Directness (e.g., Germany, U.S.) vs. indirectness (e.g., Japan, UAE) matters. Erin Meyer’s 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙥 shows why matching low- or high-context styles is critical. 3️⃣ Respect Different Concepts of Time Fons Trompenaars’ work highlights sequential (punctual) vs. synchronous (flexible) time. Expect slower pace in Latin America compared to Switzerland. 4️⃣ Build Trust First — Deal Later Relationship-first cultures (e.g., China, Brazil) prioritize rapport. In task-first cultures (e.g., U.S., Germany), efficiency is key. 5️⃣ Understand Hierarchy Sensitivities In high power-distance cultures (e.g., Korea, Saudi Arabia), defer to senior leaders. In low power-distance ones (e.g., Denmark, Australia), more informality is expected. 6️⃣ Be Authentically Flexible Andy Molinsky's 𝙂𝙡𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙡 𝘿𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 teaches adapting humor, formality, and assertiveness without losing authenticity. 7️⃣ Interpret "No" Carefully In cultures like Japan and Thailand, "no" may come as vague responses. Read nonverbal cues and indirect speech carefully. 8️⃣ Handle Conflict Differently Tight cultures (e.g., Singapore) value harmony, while loose cultures (e.g., New Zealand) tolerate open disagreement. 9️⃣ Clarify and Confirm Agreements Explicitly High-context cultures may leave agreements open-ended. Politely over-clarify to avoid misunderstandings without offending. 1️⃣0️⃣ Adjust Emotional Expressiveness Emotional styles vary widely. Italians or Brazilians may show passion openly; Koreans or Finns may seem reserved. Don’t misread emotions. 1️⃣1️⃣ Leverage Local Allies Work with cultural brokers or local teams who understand both sides to bridge hidden gaps. 1️⃣2️⃣ Focus on Long-Term Relationships In many cultures, who you are matters more than what you negotiate. Build lasting trust beyond the deal. Ready to navigate cross-cultural negotiations with confidence? Work with a 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗖𝗢 to bridge cultural gaps, build lasting trust, and close more global deals: https://lnkd.in/dXGNsqEX