Negotiation is defined as “a dialogue intended to resolve disputes, to produce an agreement upon courses of action, to bargain for individual or collective advantage, or to craft outcomes to satisfy various interests. It is the primary method of alternative dispute resolution” (Bluff, 1997). Negotiations take place in administrative divisions, businesses, legal proceedings, international matters in personal circumstances (divorce and separations) and the general day to day life situations.
The instruments of diplomacy and the process of negotiation are perhaps more important than ever, especially, in an era where global warfare is considered by many states to be less accepted as a means of settling conflict. It goes without saying that culture and gender often has an impact on negotiation, as do countless other variables. The question then becomes, what are the distinctive effects of culture and gender on negotiation? This issue comes out both in creating unexpected opportunities for dispute settlement and imposing obstacles to agreement (Gacha, 2002).
Putting this into consideration this paper is going to focus on the role of gender and culture in the negotiation process. The paper will then conclude by giving an insight on how these processes should be embraced in order to achieve the desired results.
In December 2007 a country in East Africa (Kenya) erupted in violence. Election results were the fuel for the violence that followed with two major parties claiming victory in the polls. A lot of people lost their lives in the chaos that followed, seen to be tribal based. The country came to a standstill with no major economic activities taking place, no vehicles on the roads and no institution or organization running. What was evident at this time was the acrid smoke emanating from burning buildings and the sound of guns in the air (Kamau, 2008). The only solution to this was identified to be negotiation, to bring the leaders to a common ground where they were to share powers. Kenya is a highly cultured nation; it was therefore imperative that the negotiators were to be highly diplomatic and should come from an equally cultured background. Another factor in the choice of negotiators was on gender lines to adequately address issues of gender in the negotiation processes (Matende, 2009).
The negotiators who were chosen to undertake this task were Graça Machel wife to Nelson Mandela, John Kufor president of Ghana, Kofi Annan former UN secretary general also from Ghana, a former president of Tanzania and the current president of Tanzania (Baanante, 2010). All these negotiators were chosen from highly cultured African countries. On the other hand gender issues were adequately addressed in the inclusion of a female negotiator. Consequently it is evident that the role of gender and culture in negotiation processes is very important judging by how these negotiators solved the Kenyan issue.
“Gender is not a good predictor of negotiation performance, but ambiguous situations can trigger different behaviors by men and women” (Grahams, 2001). However differences and inequalities can be effectively neutralized. For example Branson (1998) shows that “some degree of ambiguity is present in all negotiations, so there may be situations that trigger gender stereotypes”. “In highly ambiguous, competitive environments, for example, men may be encouraged to maximize their outcomes by ramping up their competitive drive” (Jones, 1989). Additionally women could be motivated by prompts that they are acting on behalf of their colleagues, clients, section, or areas of responsibility.
A lot of aspects influence negotiation success. But still “for exceptionally talented executives, when ambiguity is high, gender plays a critical role. As women enter historically male industries in greater numbers, gender triggers superior performance in the event equalizing opportunities for men and women” (Littlefield, 2008).
Culture on the other hand is a wide conception, “it describes basic things in human mentality and behavior such as language, tradition, ideology, approaches and style. Negotiation, in turn, is a part of human activity connected with problem solving which is oriented towards peaceful means of dispute resolution” (Zartman, 1993). Negotiation in this situation is taken to be a demonstration of culture since it exemplifies specific guidelines which bend towards enlightened ways of settling disagreements.
It is imperative to note that associations gender varies greatly across cultures. Elements considered masculine in one culture might be considered feminine in another. Negotiators therefore may find it useful to consider the way gender roles play out in the cultural contexts of their negotiating partners” (Gacha, 2002). Consequently as shown in this paper the cultural and gender role is useful and necessary in negotiations. As a result associations should embrace the training and education in this field to equip negotiators with the necessary skills and experience on cultural and gender negotiations.
References
- Baanante, E. (2010). Negotiators of the 2007 Kenyan poll chaos. Nairobi: East African Publishers.
- Bluff, K. (1997). Negotiations. International journal on negotiations 24 (2), 62-69.
- Branson, D. (1998). Negotiation performance. Journal on negotiation performances 32 (1), 14-22.
- Gacha, A. (2002). The role for culture and gender in international negotiation. New York NY: Oxford University Press.
- Grahams, J. (2001). Gender and negotiation performance. International journal on gender and negotiations 52 (4), 165-187
- Jones, L. (1989). Gender roles and competitiveness in negotiations. Journal on competitiveness and gender roles in negotiations 32 (2), 21-53
- Kamau, M. (2008). Post election violence in Kenya. Nairobi: East African Publishers.
- Littlefield, R. (2008). Aspects influencing negotiation accomplishment. New York NY: Oxford University Press.
- Matende, R. (2009). Gender roles in negotiation. Nairobi: East African Publishers.
- Zartman, W. (1993) Culture and Negotiation. California: SAGE Publications.