Implications of Honor & Dignity Culture for Negotiations: A Study of Middle Easterners & Americans

This comparative study of negotiations in the Middle East and the West opens a new theoretical window for culture and negotiation research. We propose hypotheses on the effects of honor versus dignity culture 1) on negotiators’ planning and expectations, 2) in their use of tactical behavior, 3) in their information sharing and the insights that they gain about each other’s economic preferences and priorities, 4) in their economic outcomes and in how they address and resolve issues that are primarily economic and others that engage relational values, and 5) in the way they evaluate their economic outcomes relative to their subjective evaluations of the negotiations. Results show that negotiators from the Qatar – who strongly adhere to norms regarding protection of honor (i.e. not to appear weak and not to let others take advantage of you) – faced major challenges in their challenges in their negotiations. These challenges were setting higher and more unrealistic aspirations, experiencing more negative emot...