In Global Negotiations, It’s All About Trust

It’s no secret that negotiations are more fruitful when parties freely share information about their interests and goals. But that requires trust, which may be in short supply at the bargaining table. This appears to be true especially in Asian countries, including India and Japan, and in negotiations involving parties from different cultures. Having extensively researched cross-cultural negotiations—in Jeanne Brett’s case, for 15 years—we’ve developed guidelines that can help optimize outcomes whatever the level of trust. Negotiators should first assess how much they already trust or distrust the other party, and vice versa, and decide which of three levels best describes the relationship: Trust is likely (Level One), possible (Level Two), or not possible (Level Three). Three Levels of Trust 1. When Trust Is Likely Assume trustworthiness Get to know your counterpart personally Try to be likable Behave consistently and predictably Prioritize your interests and give away a little information about them Take your counterpart’s perspective Highlight similarities between the negotiators Engage in reciprocal Q&A Paraphrase your counterpart’s positions Keep agreements tentative until the end 2. When Trust Seems Possible Emphasize overarching goals Focus on the issue, not on the people Look to the future and find a shared vision Identify a common enemy Mix Q&A with making and justifying offers Take a break, suggest another approach, or call in a mediator 3. When Trust Is Not Possible Make offers on several issues at the same time Look for hidden patterns and cues in your counterpart’s offers and responses Think holistically to gain insight into your counterpart’s interests Make reciprocal concessions Introduce data, logic, and objective standards that might help break logjams Express sympathy, apologize, or compliment your counterpart Invoke expertise, authority, and social norms to establish influence Negotiators at Level One or Two may have opportunities to increase trust substantially. For instance, if parties at Level Two emphasize overarching goals or a shared vision, they may be able to shift to Level One strategies. But previous research suggests that distrust is generally deep-seated and hard to shake, leaving Level Three negotiators without many options. In those cases, our research suggests, savvy negotiators can follow the Level Three strategies to infer valuable information about their counterparts’ priorities—allowing them to attain satisfactory agreements even as they detour around trust.

In Global Negotiations, It’s All About Trust

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