Leading Across Boundaries: Creating Collaborative Agencies in a Networked World

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Working Effectively Across Different Cultures

It’s very powerful when people tell their stories to each other. It’s even more powerful when they work together on real issues, on projects that affect them in their daily lives.

—Amiram Goldin, founder, Neighbors program

 

The American manager, an experienced and savvy negotiator, was at his wits end. He was used to negotiating with other Westerners, and understood the rules very well. You identify your interests and bottom line, try to learn what the other negotiator’s bottom line is, get the best deal you can, and when you find a mutually beneficial agreement you shake hands. That shake is a signal that negotiations have ended successfully.

This approach had always worked well, until ...