All of us are aware that cultural differences are significant and that they affect how we interact with others in business and in leisure activities. But what is culture exactly, and how does it impact on negotiation, in particular?
This course is part of the Negotiation, Mediation and Conflict Resolution Specialization
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About this Course
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ESSEC Business School
For over a century, ESSEC has been developing a state-of-the-art educational program that gives the individual pride of place in its learning model, promoting the values of freedom, openness, innovation and responsibility. Preparing future managers to reconcile personal interests with collective responsibility, giving consideration to the common good in their decision-making, and weighing economic challenges against the social costs are some of the objectives ESSEC has set for itself. Its ultimate goal? To create a global world that has meaning for us all.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Culture & Negotiation
Here we will guide you to a deeper understanding of cultures by looking at the way they differ along a small number of common dimensions - approaches to risk, to authority, to the individual, to time, etc. We will help you to avoid simplifications - clichés, stereotypes and labels - that are unhelpful and can even be harmful.
The impact of culture on the process dimension of negotiation
In this module we focus your attention on different aspects of communication, both verbal and non-verbal, and show you how cultural differences are important to them. We show you how constructive dialogue in cross-cultural negotiation depends on understanding many differences in behaviour - from variations in etiquette and politeness to the way emotions are expressed, or are hidden.
The impact of culture on the people dimension of negotiation
This module is concerned with maintaining an equilibrium in how much importance we give to culture, to context and to personality during cross-cultural negotiation. It provides you practical advice on how to keep a sensible balance between those elements and also examines different adaptation strategies that you can follow, depending on your familiarity with the other negotiator’s culture.
Specific examples
In the final module particular national and regional negotiating styles are examined - French, Chinese, US and Middle Eastern - so as to highlight some of the most pertinent contrasts for international negotiators. In addition multilateral and multicultural negotiation settings are examined - by focusing on European Union institutions, and on the recent COP 21 climate negotiations in Paris, we look at the importance of processes in cross-cultural negotiation success. All of this will help you analyze and explore your own negotiation culture.
Reviews
- 5 stars76.01%
- 4 stars20.34%
- 3 stars2.78%
- 1 star0.85%
TOP REVIEWS FROM INTERNATIONAL AND CROSS-CULTURAL NEGOTIATION
Really useful and an eye-opener to other cultures and how to best adapt to different scenarios.
This course gives a really detailed overview in how far cultures differ in their negotiation behaviour. It also mentions useful approaches in how to deal with these differences.
Loved it. Very insightful, without giving too much information, simply some guidelines and tools to help you when going into an international negotiation. Thanks for this!
Well-structured course, relevant knowledges could be easily assimilated, very useful insights on cross-cultural negotiation specificities.
About the Negotiation, Mediation and Conflict Resolution Specialization
This specialization is intended for managers - from business, public administration, international organizations or NGOs - who want to go beyond intuition and acquire proven tools to help them achieve greater success in negotiation.

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