Negotiation is an integral part of business. When we want something that someone else has, e.g. product, service, or even their business, we engage in negotiations to hammer out a deal that is in our best interest to achieve the desired end. Sometimes we can accomplish this; sometimes we fail and the deal falls through. Negotiation is an art form; our text refers to it as being similar to “a dance where partners in the dance influence each other (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014, p. 71). My example is not international-culture example – it is an example of a clash of cultures from within our own country, pitting Texas against California.

In 2007, I was working for Weatherford Oil Country, a small subsidiary of Weatherford International. At the time, oil prices were high and business was booming. All of the us, the employees, were confident in our job security. Shortly thereafter, the oil market started to slump – a seriously steep slump. Suddenly, the confidence and high morale that were once palpable within the assembly plant were replaced by uncertainty and fear. Even managers feared for their jobs – they tended to be the first to go in some cases.

During the upswing, the company had been developing some promising new technology. The product developed was a new type of ‘jaw’ for tubing tongs, making the tong’s use safer and quicker. This new product caught the eye of National Oilwell Varco, a large oilfield services company. We soon began hearing rumors of a buy-out. NOV wanted to buy us from Weatherford. At the time, we were all excited, thinking that this move might shield us from the oil market downturn. My manager even jokingly slapped an NOV decal on his Weatherford hard hat (which he quickly removed when the General Manager walked through the plant). There was optimism in the air again.

Each day, we would ask about the progress of the negotiations from an employee ‘in the know.’ Things were looking up for us. Moran, Abramson, & Moran (2014) explain that in Western cultures negotiations are broken up into smaller, easier to work through portions. As these small portions were wrapped up in a positive manner, excitement grew. Then came the axe.

Everyone waited to hear the word from our manager that the deal was set and we were now NOV Oil Country. Unfortunately, negotiations were abruptly ended by the NOV team though they were so near to a deal. It seems that our negotiating team, headed by our GM, was dead-set on ruining the negotiations by not budging on what was reported as a ridiculous price for the company (considering the assets and revenue of Oil Country). NOV’s negotiators evidently decided that Weatherford was asking too much and backed out at the 11^th hour. We were all deflated. We pinned our hopes and our jobs on this deal, and it seemed like our managers sabotaged a great opportunity. With the possibility of a buy-out gone and our hopes dashed, the fear crept back into the shop. Soon after, the layoffs began…

Afterwards, a handful of employees remained and did so until this most recent oil downturn. Now, the entire company has left the Ventura shop and moved to God knows where. If only Weatherford’s negotiators had a better understanding of their Texas counterparts, this story may have had a completely different ending. This incident cemented, in my mind, the importance of negotiations – well-thought out negotiations. It is vital to understand your counterparts and this is even more important when dealing with international business. Otherwise, your company could end up as another Oil Country.

References:

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (Ninth ed.). New York: Routledge. 

Oil Country Product Catalog: http://worldpetroleumsupply.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Weatherford.pdf

Image retrieved from http://www.mediationpractice.ie/negotiation

Relationships can be challenging. I’m not talking husband, girlfriend specific relationships, although those are difficult in their own sense. I’m talking about all the other relationships we have in our lives, like friends, co-workers, colleagues, etc. One of my New Year Resolutions was “It’s a two-way street” I had found that I was putting in a lot more effort into some of my relationships than the other party and I wanted it to be a little more reciprocal. Moran, Abramson, & Moran (2014) state that “all humans are capable of approaching interaction with others using either self-interest or altruist strategies. All humans have a tendency to prefer either the one of the other depending on their personal experience in achieving the desired outcome of effective relationships”. (p. 62) So what does that mean and how does it apply to my relationships or more importantly my New Years Resolution?

Have you ever had the friend who only calls you when they need or want something from you? Or that colleague who only swings by your desk when they need a favor from you? Moran et al. (2014) describe this type of relationship as self-interested. Its using their power or influence, in the relationship, to get the other to do what they want but its at the expense of the other party someway shape or form. (p. 63) Over the years I have adapted the “never say no” to work approach. Overtime, certain colleagues learned this and would approach me with requests or favors, knowing I would hardly, if ever, say no. Overtime, I became very clear to me that these colleagues would rarely ever return the favor if I needed something from them. They were often too busy or it wasn’t their job.  This eventually wore on me and over the holiday season I had an epiphany; it dawned on me that my relationship with these individuals was very self-interested on their part. So, I decided to make a change my approach in relationships and try to only be involve in reciprocal or altruism type relationships.

“Altruism is a strategy for helping a weaker other by proving what he/she needs in order to build a cooperative relationship where the other will help in return if or when needed”. (Moran et al., 2014 p. 63) What person wants to always be in a one-sided relationship? If you are the one doing all the work or always making the sacrifice well its really not a relationship, is it? Going back to my work example, I do have a number of co-workers who because I have helped them out would drop what they are doing and help me out if I asked. Overtime, we have proven to each other that we are dependable, trustworthy and can rely on each other in times of need.

Being out for your-self is a hard way to live. The relationships one will have will only be superficial and surface level deep. If your only intention is to get what you want out of it, you are going to find yourself burning through a lot of good potential relationships, that if you would have only taken the time to invest in more than just yourself could potentially get you to where you need and want to go. One of the toughest parts of a relationship is the beginning. People do not always know if you are being sincere or not. Relationships take time and effort, trust needs to be developed. But once you have trust the you will have unlimited support.

Moran, Robert, Abramson, Neil, & Moran, Sarah. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. Oxford: Routledge.

Taken at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room | Seattle, Washington

Inclusive… That’s what some call it. I was a little nervous going in; I didn’t know what to expect. I was in line to use the unisex bathroom for the first time. As I stood in line, I thought to myself, what’s it going to be like, and why is this lady in a Starbucks uniform standing around yelling at everyone to hurry up and “get off your cell phones, your’re just in the bathroom” like a high school hall monitor? As I turned around the corner each stall had floor to ceiling doors, and a sink for all to use. I was worried what the stalls would be like; there’s such a stereotype for males to be a bit messy in the restrooms… After bumping into the gentlemen who was washing his hands at the sink I politely and nervously said, “excuse me”. After my experience I thought, this is good; this is okay. Maybe we are one step closer to inclusion in the workplace too…

Inclusiveness in the workplace should be like a unisex bathroom. We all come together in one general area to handle our business, and have polite interactions with each other, with no judgement – I would have never thought I would compare the office to a public restroom, but it works. It has been the norm for culture to separate men from women. The duties of a man and woman are separated in the workplace too. “Stereotypes go unnoticed by both men and women, as they are so deeply rooted within a culture.” (Moran, Abramson, Moran, 2014) We are seeing gender equality in different areas of society, but still the workplace needs help. “Workplace gender equality is achieved when people are able to access and enjoy the same rewards, resources and opportunities regardless of gender.” (M., 2013)

When will it all end? When will inclusiveness become the norm for not just public restrooms? Maya Angelou once said, “It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”

References:

“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”

―Steve Jobs―
A simple concept, yet, many people do not get it.

In 2011, I was working as a Director of Food & Beverage for a golf club in Indian Wells California. My then boss; an old school hard-headed General Manager was one of these people.

Jurgen was a micromanager whose arrogance was so big, he could not see the tremendous amount of talent among his team, We had an exceptionally talented Chef, a great Golf Pro and one of the best Grounds Superintendents in the Coachella Valley just to mention a few.

Jurgen controlled every part of the business taking away every bit of accountability and initiative from us. All decisions included one perspective only; his. As a result, he destroyed the morale of the staff and almost bankrupted the Club.

On June of that year, The Board of Directors decided to let him go and offered me the position. I was thrilled and afraid at the same time; the Club had lost an average of 13 members per year during the 10 years of Jurgen’s tenure; we went from 250 golf members to only 119.

Friends and colleagues advised me no to take the job, particularly because as to be expected, Jurgen never prepared me to become a GM, even though I was number two for eight years and becoming a GM would be the most natural move. So, I did not know much about golf or turf and my marketing and financial knowledge was very limited.

After a couple of sleepless nights I took the job. I knew that by “including the various diverse perspectives and characteristics” of my fellow Manager/Directors we were going to turn the Club around. After all, all I had to do was to let them do what they did best, and give them credit for it.

We immediately started holding weekly meetings where decisions were made in a collaborative way. We all were very capable individuals in our own areas and every one brought something to the table. As stated in the text, “inclusion is the process of incorporating all of those differences” (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014) by understanding that every one in that room had a unique set of skills, and that the only possible way for the Club to succeed was by incorporating all of those skills, everyone became an essential piece of the puzzle.

Because of the power of inclusion, in only twenty four months we were able to undo years of membership loss. In my third year as a General Manager, we had the best year since the Club’s inception (33 years).

As stated by the Authors, “incorporating diversity not only is a basic human rights issue, but it also can improve organizational functioning through encouraging creative problem solving and reaching new markets” (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014).

Moran, Robert, Abramson, Neil, & Moran, Sarah. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. Oxford: Routledge.

Throughout the years, many companies of different industries have faced serious backlash and PR nightmares after releasing marketing campaigns or advertisements that are seen as insensitive by multiple communities. Many people believe these company disasters could’ve easily been avoided by having a more inclusive and diverse marketing and/or advertising team in place. While it’s evident that companies never strive to make these “mistakes” in the first place, it is also evident that these could’ve been avoided in the first place. Surface level diversity is something companies take into account when marketing a specific product, but sometimes they don’t take into account deep level diversity, which includes cultural differences, that do make a difference in how you want to market a product.

An example of this could be seen with the recent fiasco clothing company H&M faced. H&M was accused of making a child wear a hoodie that could be interpreted as having a racist slogan. The hoodie said “coolest monkey in the jungle”, which given the context of the child’s race, many interpreted as showing a negative and outdated stereotype. This sparked a huge controversy in which celebrities spoke out in disappointment, rappers G-Eazy and The Weeknd ended their campaigns with the store, and people rioted and destroyed several H&M stores in South Africa. In reaction to this controversy, H&M appointed a new “global leader for diversity and inclusiveness.” While I’m sure most don’t condone the violent tendencies that were sparked by the unfortunate choice of words, it could also be inferred that if perhaps H&M had had a diversity leader before all this took place, it perhaps wouldn’t have been approved.

Another example of an infamous controversial ad by a mega company could be seen by Pepsi’s commercial with Kendall Jenner that was criticized for trivializing Black Lives Matter. The ad showed a Black Lives Matter protest, and Kendall Jenner handing off a Pepsi to the police officer, essentially ending the tensions between the protesters and officers. This ad was criticized by many for being tone-deaf and missing the mark completely with the issues regarding police brutality. This could be seen as another example of brands missing out on the voices of people of color, who perhaps could’ve provided a different perspective.

Studies show that the advertising industry faces diversity disparities, and many people of color reported that they believed many of their coworkers did not value their opinion. However, it is evident how important having a diverse work force and team are for a company to continue being successful and get a positive message across with their products.

References:

Fumo, N. (2018, January 19). H&M Hires Diversity Manager In Wake Of Racist Hoodie Fiasco. Retrieved January 29, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolafumo/2018/01/18/hm-diversity-manager-hire/#141f32eb5337

Victor, D. (2017, April 05). Pepsi Pulls Ad Accused of Trivializing Black Lives Matter. Retrieved January 29, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/business/kendall-jenner-pepsi-ad.html

E. (2017, November 02). New Adobe Study Highlights Diversity Issues in the Advertising Industry. Retrieved January 29, 2018, from http://www.adweek.com/agencies/new-adobe-study-highlights-diversity-issues-in-the-advertising-industry/

Initially, when the conversation of diversity arose in the business culture, not many knew what to do or what the importance of the program would do for their business. But today, diversity is in every conversation from big brands to little brands. It is important. Diversity has a variety of meanings with characteristics but the simplest way to look at it is that it “generally refers to the ways that people in organizations differ” (Pennsylvania State University, 2018).

Organizations that invest in diversity programs have seen a slow but steady increase in their workforce performance. Research has shown that companies that invest in diversity programs are more “innovative, smarter, and retain more of their staff”(Thakrar, 2017). While more and more organizations are expanding their global presence, they have to understand the cultures around the business but more importantly the cultures of the individuals they employ.

This is why most organizations have begun or continue to develop diversity and inclusion programs that encompass everyone. Inclusion and diversity programs that encompasses everything that makes up the characteristics of diversity “into one workplace is the moral and legal imperative” of the organization (Dishman, 2015). Global organizations and its leaders recognize this and have worked hard to make sure they work with their employees to understand and embrace their cultural perspectives. These programs have proven to get the workforce to buy into the culture of the organization and feel that they are valued and respected.

Diversity used to be a small concern in leadership. Organizations did enough to make the pass but as organizations are expanding into global territory they have to encompass diversity in their brand and culture. As they have to be familiar with the cultures of their communities, the culture of their customers, and the culture of their workforce. We know that great global leaders has a defined culture for their organization, and how that creates an empowering environment. But digging deeper, we realize that it is truly because of diversity that the culture of the organization can be so rich. Diversity and inclusion programs are continuing to be refined as organizations respond to the cultures of their workforce. But the fact that they are being refined and organizations continue to make them possible show their relevance.

References

Dishman, L. (2015, May 20). Millennials Have A Different Definition Of Diversity And Inclusion. Retrieved January 27, 2018, from https://www.fastcompany.com/3046358/millennials-have-a-different-definition-of-diversity-and-inclusion

Pennsylvania State University (2018). Leadership in Global Context — OLED 410. Lesson 3: Diversity, Penn State World Campus, The Pennsylvania State University.

Thakrar, M. (2017, September 19). How To Lead The Push For Diversity In The Workplace. Retrieved January 28, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/06/09/how-to-lead-the-push-for-diversity-in-the-workplace/#67acdd8d415b

Everyone has their differences and that is something that makes us unique. I have always found in it interesting the amount of different cultures that we have throughout the world. At any time you travel, even to another part of your own country, there are differences you can scout out right away. Something that comes up a lot now especially in the United States is diversity. I recently had the chance to get up close and personal with diversity and the barriers there can be with communication.

As something I have always loved to do, soccer, there are times you must connect with people from all over the world. Soccer is the most diverse sport that is played all over the world. Diversity is something you learn quick and can teach you effective communication skills and leadership skills in soccer. Communication is a circular interaction that involves a sender and a receiver of a message (Managing Cultural Differences, pg 38). It is a daily thing for most everyone and with technology it increases. With this learning communication can is important for people to break down barriers in diversity.

In soccer throughout the years I have met all types of people. At times communication can be a challenge and playing as a team can be more of a challenge without proper communicating. How can you be a good team without communicating properly? My coach would hold stations where we told each other about each other and things we liked, disliked, and even words that we could use on the field we would both understand. It is interesting to see the progress a diverse team can make with breaking certain barriers. Listening, understanding, and then responding are important steps in the process. Active listening is what any leader should be doing at all times. Active listening requires that the listener does comprehend what the speaker is saying and repeats back what is being said to confirm (Managing Cultural Differences, pg 40).

This goes hand in hand with global leadership, how can a leader be prosperous if they are not familiar with diversity and the barriers of communication it can cause. Just like my soccer coach, he needed to be able to learn himself and get down the barriers before he can lead a team. A global leader needs to be able to understand diversity, experience it, and then communicate based on his findings. With this he himself be successful as well as his team.

Moran, Robert, Abramson, Neil, & Moran, Sarah. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. Oxford: Routledge.