The negotiation game.

For this game, the 20 executives will be divided into two teams with 10 persons on each team. This allows
for them to be set into a simulation where half of them will be posing as the persons from Asia Pacific and
their cultural views and interests, while the others remain as themselves and try to begin negotiations.
This also allows for market identification purposes, leading the executives to have a clear view of the many
variables in play while the negotiations are taking place such as education level, age, disposable income
and cultural traits that need to be taken into consideration during the whole process as well as to establish
a functioning and trustworthy relationship afterwards.

Besides trying to understand the part form Asia Pacific, it is important for the executives to understand
their own part and try to present it in a way that appeals to their future partners while remaining true to
themselves and actually state the terms and conditions so that their goal is achievable, finding a middle
ground between interests and cultural ideology is always an option. Meaning that both parts most likely
will have a set of priorities in which the most important aspects to negotiate will be clear and which of
them are not as important to be fulfilled right away. Predicting the priorities from the other part might
not be as easy, however this exercise will allow executives to have a clear view of their own objectives
and remain within them, while the negotiations are taking place.

Each executive will have a chance to play both parts, as to help them relate to both situations once they’re
on the actual negotiations. However, before the parts switch it is important to have a feedback time where
everyone can help each other improve both performances and so that every opinion can be listened to
and the motives behind every step taken by each person are established clearly. This leads to the role that
everyone will have in this gaming exercise, besides playing both parts, each executive is also in charge of
motivating the others into doing a better job themselves. Having every participant remember that at the
end of the day they belong on the same team and will be working towards the same goal.

It is also important that while the negotiations are the key part taking place, the long-term goal is to
establish a functioning relationship with the other party, so this will also lead into not just getting what
each other want form the negotiation exercise, but also to establish the idea that there is actually genuine
interest into seeing that the other party also benefits from the results obtained, seeing them as more of
a support once the negotiations are over and their relationship has been stablished.

Empathy and acceptance are the two main elements that lead to a successful gaming exercise and to
successful negotiations eventually. While these two elements are important it also significant to
understand that there might be some cultural differences that will constantly be in the way and this
exercise will be a way to learning to cooperate despite those differences and knowing that to expect while
negotiating and working from far away.

Once the exercise has concluded several rounds and the executives have experienced both roles several
times and obtained a significant amount of feedback from the group, they should be ready to begin the
actual negotiations and the building of a long-term relationship with people all over the world.