Q & A Table of Contents
Are There Statistics Indicating How Often People From Different
Countries Disagree?
From: Margarita Bremen, Germany
Question: I am an MBA student currently researching the statistic data on the average of the costs that the company is incurred when the negotiations failed because of the misunderstanding between two different cultures. if possible when the Americans and the French negotiate. Could you also provide me statistical data on the number of those who fail to close the negotiations because of other cross cultural differences.
Response: Thanks for your question. I have no idea if there are any statistics relating to the issues you raised. Frankly I doubt there are even statistics about 'failed' negotiations within companies where there is a single culture, much less between parties from different countries.
Part of the problem is that developing such statistics presents virtually insurmountable problems: for example, in your personal life, how many times have 'negotiations' with family members failed to reach a mutually-agreeable result? Can you blame those 'failures' on differences such as age, gender, education, or the simple fact that, while you wanted to eat at an Italian restaurant your brother or sister preferred Chinese food for example. How can you prove that any particular factor was the most influential on the outcome?
I wish you luck in your research.
| 
