Negotiation in Romania

By Sabina Leonte, BA, 2nd Year Negotiation can be defined as a dialogue between two or more people, intended to reach a common point, or to gain advantages from the dialogue in order to create an agreement concerning certain actions, bargaining different issues to satisfy the interests of the participants involved in the negotiation process. The aim of the negotiation is to get to a compromise. Due to cultural, environmental differences, negotiation differs from country to country. Some countries take time to clear out and to debate, but in other countries, the discussion is straight to the point and lengthy arguments can be considered stubbornness. In Romanias culture, people rely very much on building strong relationships in order to proceed to business. Usually Romanians do business with people they know and like and before you start the negotiation it is better to be sure that the other persons are comfortable with you, for the negotiation to go smoothly. In addition, choosing an intermediary place to meet will make the initial contact easier and more pleasant. Romanian culture is group oriented but most of the business meetings are held on a oneto-one basis that is why it is important to make the appointment at least with two weeks in advanced and to provide the person you are going to meet specific information about yourself and your positions and responsibilities. In what concerns the relationship people- companies, this does not necessarily exists. If you do business with a company, do not expect us, Romanians to trust the other people from the company or vice versa. Thus, throughout the negotiation period and after you get to an agreement with a certain person, it is important to maintain the relationship or even to improve it. Communication is very important in a negotiation; the foreign languages known by Romanians are mainly English and French. Elderly people, or at least most of them, do not manage speaking these languages, which would require a translator. Another thing to keep in mind is body language. Romanians open gradually and being too direct from the beginning might suggest the fact that the other party is being rude. For Romanians, negotiation is a link in the problem-solving process. Sometimes, business people might focus on the short- term benefits of a negotiation, but it also relies on the long- term relationships and on a win- win situation. The process itself may take time due to relationship building, information gathering and bargaining. Bargaining is a characteristic of Romanias culture; as a result, negotiators are tough and perseverant and sometimes can be difficult to obtain concession from them. Additionally, they may use deceiving techniques such as telling lies or projecting fake non-verbal messages in order to receive better concessions. It is important to identify these facts to better prepare yourself.1 As a result, negotiation is influenced very much by the cultural characteristics of the country, in this case Romania. When negotiating Romanians rely on emotional or pressure techniques, good manners and avoid aggressive behavior because it is not relevant for the negotiation process. Thus, it is crucial to know at least some features of the other party in order to create at the beginning a relationship which can lead to the business relationship after negotiations and contracts.

Negotiating International Business - The Negotiators Reference Guide to 50 Countries Around the World by Lothar Katz.