Comparing American and Chinese negotiating styles: The influence of logic paradigms

Effective cross‐cultural negotiations between firms in the United States and China have becomeincreasingly important as commerce between these two nations continues its rapid expansion. Previous research hasexplored some of the cultural factors that shape Chinese negotiating styles, making comparisons with Americanpractices. However, scant attention has been paid to differences in perspectives that derive from fundamentallogic paradigms, which tend to vary greatly between individuals from the East and West. We outline the primaryfeatures of two widely recognized logic frameworks—formal logic (which excludes contradictory notionsabout a concept or entity) and dialectic logic (which emphasizes contradiction and acknowledges thevalue of conflict between opposing ideas). Recognizing that formal logic is more common in the United Statesand that dialectic logic tends to dominate thought in China, we outline hypothesized influences of each logicparadigm on negotiating approaches in the two countries. Combining these insights with those derived from researchon other relevant factors, we offer practical suggestions for managing interactions between American and Chinesenegotiators. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.