THE NEGOTIATING CULTURE IN FRANCE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

We are making four contributions. First, a mix of academic as well as practitioner approaches. Second, our study builds on previous studies about French culture by using an in-depth qualitative approach. Third, our study aims to contribute to the academic debate on methodologies used for qualitative research. Our study uses both ethnographic primary materials (interviews) and secondary data (historical accounts). Fourth, our paper contributes to advance the field of cross-cultural management studies. The predominant negotiating culture in France is characterized by the effective achievement of objectives through confrontation and logical debate to obtain an advantageous position over the other party. Highly competitive and untrusting, this culture tends to see negotiation as a win/lose situation. It is a formal culture that follows protocol. Extreme and carefully justified opening demands are common. Negotiation is a slow bargaining process in which sometimes threats and rudeness are mixed with charm to pressure the other party. The negotiator is the most senior person in charge, with a supportive team. It is expected that the chief negotiator will take few risks, will manage his time well and will leave the agreements in writing. We found differences between commercial and political negotiations and personal conflict resolution. We used a qualitative research methodology based on 251 structured interviews with open questions on specific experiences with intercultural negotiations. This report includes three studies carried out independently but using the same methodology.