Negotiation In East Asia Is Neither An Art Nor A Science But A Great Adventure – Book Review

Far from being homogenous, East Asia consists of culturally and linguistically diverse people. This means that when it comes to negotiation, there will be a broad spectrum of behaviours and attitudes regarding negotiation strategies, communication patterns as well as relationship-building and decision-making.

Many East Asians are becoming more confident in their own way of doing things while remaining open to the melding of east-west ways. The East Asian Negotiator unpacks this cultural plurality in contemporaneous business setting to present an accurate profile of the typical negotiator you will meet in China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Each country specific chapter discusses its own unique cultural traits, communication patterns and styles of negotiation to reflect the diversity that the region has to offer. In each chapter, the authors will discuss useful theoretical themes such as the broad business environment, culture, communication, use of distributive or integrative strategies, concession-making patterns, use of hardball tactics, role of women, use of intermediary/interpreter and conception of time. Adopting the same themes will enable the readers to have a meaningful comparison across national boundaries.

Witnessing and experiencing East–West interactions and cross-cultural negotiations as part of her legal career, Lee Cheng has deep appreciation for the plurality of negotiation styles in East Asia. Tai Wei’s multidisciplinary area studies’ training decodes some of the cultural symbols and contextual language used in such negotiations. Both authors hope to share their practical experiences and theoretical knowledge with trade professional audiences, business students at colleges, industry practitioners and the general reader to get a granular idea of negotiating styles in East Asia.

The East Asian Negotiator retails for US$98 / £90 (hardcover) and is also available in electronic formats.