Truth 42. Negotiating with different organizational cultures

In a widely publicized TV ad campaign, a stuffy, bloated Bill Gates look-alike patronizingly chides an extremely cool and relaxed hipster who looks reminiscently like Steve Jobs. The cultures of the two iconic companies—Microsoft and Apple—are about as compatible as oil and water. It’s a case of Mr. Suit meeting Mr. Blue Jeans. Corporate cultures can be so distinctly different that they cause friction between otherwise well-meaning negotiators.

Just as every human has a unique personality, every organization has its own culture—a system of shared values about what is important and beliefs about how things work that shape norms and expectations of how people should behave. According ...

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