United Kingdom: Let's Make a Deal! - Part 1
From ExecutivePlanet.com
What you should know before negotiating
Whilst younger, junior employees are perfectly capable of conducting negotiations at a distance, it is always desirable to send older, senior representatives to the United Kingdom for face-to-face discussions. This is not to say that British businessmen believe young people are incapable of performing the task, but there is an element of distrust of whizz-kids straight of business school with a gleaming MBA. This is particularly true of the manufacturing and financial sectors where many senior managers and even executives may have relatively few formal educational or professional qualifications but have worked their way up from the bottom. Attitudes are changing gradually but there remains a strong tradition in the UK of learning your trade ‘on the job’ and valuing experience more than certificates. Consequently, older people are often better able to assume the air of dignified authority that is respected in British business culture.
Similarly there are industries, notably manufacturing, in which there are comparatively few women in senior managerial positions even though women make up a higher percentage of the total workforce than in other EU countries. Sex discrimination is, of course, unlawful but many companies - particularly outside London and the major cities - are still be dominated by somewhat unreconstructed older males. In order to command respect and to assure counterparts of her competence, the travelling businesswoman should maintain a professional demeanour, display a detailed knowledge of her field and dress conservatively at all times. Regrettably, some of this advice is also relevant for non-whites.
In keeping with their undemonstrative nature, British businessmen approach their work in a detached way that regards objective facts and solid evidence as the only legitimate forms of persuasion; feelings and personal relationships are usually irrelevant.
Thorough preparation is important: you should bring a plentiful supply of business cards [which are normally exchanged at the end of a meeting] and ensure that you have the proper materials for making effective presentations.
Meetings can sometimes appear rather anarchic with little apparent structure or direction. This is in keeping with Britain's proud democratic tradition that allows everyone his or her say, but it can also be misleading. Whilst teamwork is important, British business culture remains essentially hierarchical. A wide range of input is valued and a consensus may be reached but the final decision still rests with the most powerful (usually, but not always, the most senior) individual who may or may not be chairing any given meeting.
Nevertheless, despite this traditional view of British business as a hierarchical, pyramidal structure with a vertical chain of command, notions of a quasi-military organisation are increasingly out-of-date. Whilst it is true that in the past the British did have a rigid respect for authority, they have never really liked systems and modern practice prefers a more fluid approach that respects individuals as valuable members of the team. Organigrams are rarely clearly defined and job descriptions often bear little relation to functional reality, which reflects the British preference for 'muddling through' without a conceptual template.
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