Understanding initiation behavior in Brazilian negotiations: an analysis of four regional subcultures

Understanding and managing the negotiation process is fundamental to all aspects of organizational success. Frequently overlooked but essential to this process is the initiation stage of negotiation – engaging a counterpart, making a request or demand, and optimizing that request. The purpose of this paper is to examine the initiation process in an emerging economy (Brazil), focusing on variations across four prominent regional subcultures of that country – Paulistas (state of Sao Paulo), Cariocas (Rio de Janeiro), Mineiros (state of Minas Gerais), and Gauchos (state of Rio Grande do Sul). The results of this analysis suggest differences in the likelihood of initiation, and how that process might unfold. The implications of these conclusions for practitioners and future research are discussed.