Victory at any cost, the desire to show strength, unwillingness to bargain - how to properly resist all this?

It is appropriate to begin any discussion about business practices with Mark Twain’s statement: “All generalizations are false, including this one.” Therefore, I will immediately make a reservation that my notes on the peculiarities of negotiations “in Russian” do not pretend to be a study of the Russian management model. I do not agree with Western experts who like to equate the way negotiations are conducted in Russia with the words “nomenklatura style.” But we must admit that the specifics of the negotiations are largely determined by the traditions of the people. The behavior of Russian leaders who find themselves at the negotiating table with their foreign colleagues is distinguished by three main features .

Dominance of force

In the thinking of the Russian negotiator, echoes of the imperial mentality, which is determined by the dominance of force, are clearly audible. Power, be it authority, money, official position or, say, talent, determines his every action. And if we follow the widespread idea that during negotiations a person is driven by only one of three incentives - the desire to satisfy both sides , the protection of one’s rights , or the desire to prove who is stronger - we can easily guess that the basis of negotiations “in Russian” is the third motive.

Having realized this, the foreign partner is faced with a choice:

leave the game if the forces are obviously unequal;
achieve mutual recognition of the strength of both sides (this is possible when representatives of “equivalent” powerful powers, for example Russia and China, participate in the negotiations);
find an alternative way to balance the forces.

I advise the latter to all those who plan to enter the Russian business arena. This could be unique knowledge possessed by an international expert, demonstrating the ability to enter into an equal partnership. For example, cooperation with a Korean company in the minds of the Russian side will be preferable to working with compatriots, all other things being equal.

Separately, I note that, unlike residents of Mediterranean and Arab countries, India and China, Russians regard the opportunity to bargain as something degrading to their dignity. This is rooted in the imperial mentality.

Set up to win

The desire to dominate dictates the following principle: “all or nothing.” While an American is interested in the success of both parties (win-win concept), a Russian entrepreneur who enters into a dialogue is usually determined to win at the expense of the enemy’s defeat. Finding a compromise will help prevent inevitable conflict. If a Russian has no alternative, he is ready to negotiate.

Personal acquaintance

The third fundamental concept that defines the peculiarities of the language of negotiations in Russia is relationships, or personal acquaintance. For a foreigner, “relationship” and “attitudes” for a Russian are far from the same thing. The culture accepted in society is determined by the history of the country. And if you take a short excursion into the history of Russia, you will understand why its residents tend to distrust strangers, whether we are talking about business or life in general.

In most countries, basic business knowledge is sufficient to conduct business. A UK production company can close a $20 million deal with a US buyer after a single meeting in London, and sometimes a virtual meeting can be all it takes. In Russia this is impossible. A strong relationship is the key to the fact that people will talk to you about the matter. Many foreigners, especially those living in the West, where time is measured in money, find it difficult to understand the need to make six visits to Moscow before negotiating a treaty. In the absence of this, the Russian side, accustomed to knowing who it is dealing with, may consider the partner to be unceremonious, and this increases the risk that suspicion will prevail over willingness to cooperate.

Everything else is a direct consequence of these features or the influence of myths that originate in differences in mentality and spread widely beyond the boundaries of the negotiation process.

For example, there is a myth about the aggressive style of negotiations in Russia. In my experience, they are no more aggressive than, say, in Italy, America or Israel. Another common myth is that negotiations are slow. It seems to me that they do not last any longer than in Latin American countries, and the process is balanced between the principle of “time is money” and the desire to build relationships.

Negotiations “in Russian”: secrets of success