Remote & Asynchronous Working

Working remotely and asynchronously means that we work not only across time zones, but across cultures as well.

The question is, what happens when north meets south, or east meets west across the negotiation table? Can they overcome their cultural norms, expectations, and communication differences to develop a contract that is beneficial to all parties? Not being able to address this type of challenge has stalled many a negotiation.

Those who have successfully navigated the turbulence of cultural differences have graced the world with synergistic outcomes. These are the types of outcomes we experience when we engage with the blending of east and west created by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Today we appreciate the design and engineering excellence that comes from the best of these three brands. The efficiency and reduced pricing is a benefit that has been passed on to the Alliance’s consumers throughout the lifetime of their vehicle ownership.

Yet we remain indifferent to the hours that were spent in pursuit of these benefits. How it meant that individuals from different parts of the world had to adjust their working cultures to avoid the potential for confusion in spoken, written, or body language communication, while aiming to achieve a win-win outcome for everyone concerned. Admirers of excellence should take a moment to applaud the alliance’s model of cultural blending and the outcomes it was able to achieve.

You can learn more about how different cultural aspects impact cross border negotiations in Chapter 2 of “Managing IT Suppliers: A Practical Guide to Vendor Management“