Global Negotiation Resources

36 Stratagems - Ancient Chinese Wisdom for Today’s Negotiators

A business colleague in, of all places, Brazil made me aware of the so-called 36 stratagems, an ancient Chinese set of principles for creative tactics that can be used in business negotiations as well as in everyday life. Learn more about them at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty-Six_Strategies

If you’re willing to explore them with an open mind, these stratagems are very revealing about common Chinese negotiation strategies - and about the fundamentally different perspectives the Chinese may have when it comes to negotiating.  For a Westerner, it’s usually a problem solving process, in which both sides partly collaborate and partly compete, all in a framework that requires that everyone follow rules about what constitutes “fair” and “unfair” practices.

To the Chinese, negotiating resembles a game that has few -if any- rules. Neither side commonly judges the other from a moral standpoint; instead, they admire elaborate strategies and artful deceit. Winning a counterpart’s respect during a negotiation can actually be a powerful foundation for a strong and lasting business relationship.