CROSS-CULTURAL NEGOTIATION
	

	When in Rome, improvise!

	That's one of the approaches to cross-cultural negotiation
suggested by Stephen E. Weiss in the Winter '94 issue of Sloan
Management Review.  Weiss says people doing business with others
from diverse backgrounds too often rely either on lists of "do's and
don'ts," or on the adage about doing as the Romans do.  But do-or-
don't lists aren't comprehensive, and unless you really know how the
Romans do it, your version of the local style may be awkward or
even offensive.

	The strategy that's right in a given situation depends largely on
how well you and your counterpart understand each other's culture.
Consider the following range of approaches, which are based on how
familiar you are with the culture of your counterpart.

	1.  USE A GO-BETWEEN.  If you have little experience in dealing
with your counterpart's culture, a local businessperson, attorney,
translator, or other adviser might be an invaluable aid in
negotiations.  Assistance may range from advising you to actually
handling the negotiations, or, if the other party agrees, to mediating
both sides' participation.  What you give up in control of the process
by relying upon a go-between in unfamiliar territory, you're likely to
gain in progress--but you must take care to hire someone both
parties can trust.

	2.  GET THEM TO DO IT YOUR WAY.  If your negotiating
partners are comfortable with the American style of doing business,
counterparts know you respect them and their culture, and
appreciate the extra effort required for them to "act American."
Otherwise, you risk coming off as either naive or arrogant--and
neither impression is likely to benefit the business at hand.

	3.  PARTIALLY ADAPT TO THEIR WAY.  If you're somewhat
familiar with the other party's culture, you might make a few
deliberate changes in your negotiating behavior.  For example, in
Japan, you might pay more attention to protocol, and provide
considerably more information upfront about your organization and
position than you would at home.  But you wouldn't embrace the
Japanese style entirely--you would still speak English, for example.

	If you're deliberate but polite about making adaptations, the
other party may be willing and able to make similar arrangements of

	4.  DO IT THEIR WAY ALL THE WAY.  If you're very
comfortable with the counterpart's culture, you might consider
letting their customs dominate entirely.  Weiss recommends this "do
as the Romans do" strategy only for those who are fluent in the
counterpart's language, have spent considerable time (at least two
years) living in the other's culture, and have had success in
negotiating in this culture before.  If you can't check off each of those
requirements, consider a different approach--instead of blending in,
you're likely to get pureed.

	5.  IMPROVISE A UNIQUE APPROACH.  When both parties are
familiar with each other's culture, you may be able to create a style
unique to the negotiation at hand.  The high level of mutual
familiarity frees you both up from concerns about doing it "by the
book," and lets you consider how the issues at hand might best be
resolved by a variety of processes.

	The key to using all of these strategies is being open with the
other party about what you're doing.  Taking time to select the
negotiating process that meets both sides' needs is an invaluable first
step towards a mutually satisfying conclusion.

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