It can apply to corporations, regions, families or countries. Knowing that can help prevent a faux pas, help create smoother interactions, and show you're trying to build rapport. At the same time, having information about a person's culture can be misleading and downright wrong when applied to any given individual. Use the information to increase understanding, to test assumptions, and to increase empathy. Monitor Perceptions of Power and Respect.
Individuals often perceive each other through the lens of power.
Continual awareness of this can help break through the walls that perceptions of power can create in negotiations. Distrust and suspicion of motives often go together with the perceptions of power, so having sensitivity can help improve communication and build better relationships. Let me lay out how we might approach this problem. First I want to make sure I get everyone's substantive input. Being more transparent and more explicit about goals, agenda and motives can help prevent misunderstanding and suspicion.