Americans tend to analyze negotiation in terms of power and leverage, and they do so openly. Questions like “What leverage do we have?” and “What are their alternatives?” are considered normal preparation, not unseemly calculation. Americans work to improve their leverage before negotiating—developing alternatives, building coalitions, gathering information. They identify counterparty leverage and adjust strategy accordingly.
This explicit attention to power dynamics may seem calculating, but Americans view it as simply taking negotiation seriously. When negotiating with Americans, understand that they are likely analyzing your leverage and theirs. They will use leverage advantages when they have them and will respect when you do the same. Ignoring power dynamics while Americans attend to them puts you at a disadvantage. United States Negotiation
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