Culture and Gender Variation in the Display of Nonverbal Cues During Negotiation : A Comparison of Chinese and Canadian Negotiators

Prior research has demonstrated that intercultural negotiations tend to be significantly less successful than intracultural negotiations (Adair, Okumura, & Brett, 2001; Gulbro & Herbig, 1996). The poor negotiating outcomes of international negotiations have been attributed to cultural differences in communication styles and cognitive schemas (Adair et al., 2001; Brett & Okumura, 1998). However, the majority of research on communications styles in international negotiation has focused on verbal behaviours (Adair, et al. 2001; Tinsley, 2001); and there is limited research on nonverbal behaviours in this context. To better understand cultural norms for nonverbal communication in negotiation, we examined cultural variations in displays of six nonverbal behaviours amongst male and female, Chinese and Canadian negotiators. Our findings indicate that overall, Canadians are more likely to display negative emotions on their face and engage in self-touch. Surprisingly, Chinese male, but not female, negotiators occupied more space than their Canadian counterparts. The results from the Chinese negotiators are explained by cultural differences in promotion of gender roles