Chapter 2: CHOOSING YOUR TEAM Big Guns, Little Guns

CHAPTER 2

Choosing Your Team

B IG G UNS , L ITTLE G UNS

How Big Should the Team Be?

There are several reasons to keep your negotiation team (NT) as small as possible. The first few deal with the expense and difficulties that arise when your NT must operate overseas. Flights, ground transport, meals, hotels, communication, conference centers, taxes, and cargo can make a trip for even a small team extremely expensive. Arranging for passports, visas, inoculations, and potential medical care for a large group can easily become unmanageable. Problems and additional expenses may also arise when attempting to deal with various family and business schedules. Finally, for NTs operating overseas, keeping track of large groups in a foreign country is nightmarish at best—ask any tour guide.

The rest of the reasons for keeping the NT compact apply to both domestic and overseas assignments. Primarily, communication is a source of strength within any organization and never more so than within the NT. Premeetings, recaps and midmeeting breaks demand that communication be both precise and concise, as major decisions are made in a matter of seconds. The CN must be able to seek the input of the team quickly, and large groups are cumbersome.

Secondly, as mentioned earlier, presenting a unified front is key. The CN must be able to redirect tactics as counterparts bring new issues to the table. Agreement on tactics becomes more difficult in direct proportion to group size, even when there’s agreement on strategy. Keeping the NT small enables the CN to make timely adjustments to the negotiating plan and to disseminate that information quickly. Additionally, small teams are more easily able to withstand the “wedges” that counterparts may attempt to drive between members of large teams.

Thirdly, the members of the NT have other job duties unrelated to the negotiations. The fewer you pull away from their regular assignments the better. There’s no sense disrupting the company’s core business. As exciting as the international arena is, keep in mind that someone must oversee the old business while others look for new opportunities.

Don’t Use the Assignment as a Reward

A very common mistake that executives or CNs make is assigning membership to the NT as a reward for other successes unrelated to the task at hand. This is especially true when the team is headed for exotic locales. Many employees see the trip as a minivacation and a way for them to broaden their personal horizons. Even when the NT will be receiving foreign counterparts at the company offices, being a member of the NT is perceived as adding to internal prestige. Some

employees even see it as their right by seniority to be a part of the negotiations. Unfortunately, what (and who) succeeds in the domestic market doesn’t always play well internationally. Wise CNs must keep in mind that the blustering Vice President of sales and marketing isn’t going to impress the reserved Japanese; nor will the brilliant, but reticent, chief engineer be able to withstand the verbal onslaught of the impatient Americans.

There can be a great deal of “fallout” when a staff member fails to be selected for the NT. The best way to avoid it is to make it clear that only talents very specific to the success of the NT are being considered. Technical, cultural, linguistic, social, and travel skills should be compiled in checklist form (not dissimilar to that for the CN) and circulated among potential team members. Inclusion on the NT should be based on this profile alone, and CNs will find they have much better grounds for defending their personnel choices when approached by determined, but unsuitable, staff members. This is especially true when other executives and managers assume they’re going to be part of the NT. As a way of preserving morale among those left off of the NT roster, some CNs make the deferrees part of the prenegotiation strategy planning process.

A Balance of Skills and Strengths

It’s unlikely that any single team member will embody all of the talents necessary to achieve the company’s strategy. The CN must choose a cross-section of technical skills and personal attributes that will create a compact and efficient team. One team member’s weakness must be offset by another’s strength. Technical prowess must be accompanied by the ability to communicate and apply that prowess. Putting a team together is similar to assembling a jigsaw puzzle: there’s no success unless all of the pieces fit.

A common practice among experienced travelers when packing for trips is to never put anything in the suitcase that has “only one use”; the same applies to choosing NT members. A specialist candidate is eschewed in favor of the generalist unless the technical expertise is absolutely crucial to the effort. If the CN must include these “one trick ponies,” every attempt should be made to make them a part of the wider strategy and tactics discussions. If that’s unsuccessful, these specialist members should be cautioned to advise in private during negotiations and to avoid direct involvement.

Painting the “Big Picture”

Although many technical types will disagree, it’s much easier to impart technical knowledge to a good communicator than it is to do the reverse. Members of the NT must be chosen for their ability to effectively execute the company’s strategy and to quickly respond to the tactics of counterparts. This is accomplished only through good communications skills. Scientific and financial technical skills will take a back seat, especially during initial negotiations, as the “big picture” is discussed. Details will be left until much later in the process. Many business cultures prefer to have the details tended to after the contract is signed. Bringing

massive technical data to the negotiating table may only slow down the deal-making process. NOTE: Much “expertise” can be carried in file or laptop form, in case it should be needed during discussions.

Tasks Both Large and Small

Major decisions are made every day during negotiations, but not all of the work is momentous. Some companies and consultant CNs make the mistake of including only “big guns” on the team. This causes problems, as no one relishes doing the necessary but tedious (and decidedly unglamorous) work that keeps negotiations running smoothly—getting copies, typing policy changes, taking notes, arranging dinners, and so on.

Including a few junior managers or administrators in the ranks of the NT for the sole purpose of controlling logistics is a wise move. This is particularly helpful if these members have experience working or traveling in the target market. Should the finances or domestic needs of the company preclude this option, these administrative duties should be assigned to specific members of the team, and it should be made clear that these duties are as important as any of the more “spotlight” tasks. As is true in other areas of business, what happens behind the scenes determines success on the stage.

Home Team versus Visitors

The respective sizes of the NT is usually determined by the group that’s visiting. This is particularly true if the visiting team is in the position of “buying” from the home team or receiving group. The visiting group should forward a list of its members, stipulating the job title and responsibility of each. The receiving group should assemble their NT to correspond to the visiting team.

It’s true that the receiving team has the psychological advantage of operating from their home turf, but they should resist the urge to overwhelm their visitors with an imposingly large NT. Since these resources can be called upon at any time, it’s best to see if they’re needed before arraying them. The ability to successfully exploit the discomfort of counterparts is very much related to one’s culture and requirements for a “success.” Some visitors may be in awe of your facilities and staff while others may consider it a vulgar display. Either way, small is generally better when making initial contact.

“Observer” Training

Companies that regularly pursue international trade and investment like to use negotiation as an ongoing training tool by purposely including less experienced members on the team. They’re given “observer” roles and often do some of the logistical work mentioned above. This allows them to gain experience that can be put to use in future international negotiations. It’s best to make it clear to these

junior team members exactly why they’re being included in the NT, so that they’re keen to gain as much experience as possible, get “bloodied” by their own mistakes, and learn from those of other team members. It’s also an ideal way for the company to see how their future CNs handle new and difficult situations. Many executives will attest to the fact that the “rising stars” from the home office often become confused and ill-at-ease when put into the crucible of international negotiations and travel. Conversely, the mediocre domestic manager may flourish in the new international environment.

Those Who Can’t “Cut It”

A common question in business when determining whether someone will be a success is, “Can they cut the muster?” (Sorry, folks, it isn’t mustard.) During the Middle Ages, the muster in question was the final pattern cut from cloth by journeymen to be used by the master tailor. Cut improperly, the pattern will never work, and valuable cloth will be ruined. International negotiations have a similar one-chance-is-all-you-get sense of finality. The NT acts as the journeymen and the CN is the master tailor preparing to stitch together a successful negotiation. Below are some types of people to avoid because they won’t be able “to cut it.”

WHINERS Employees who constantly complain, even under good conditions, are going to find travel and the stress of negotiations intolerable. These types love to bring up problems but never offer solutions. Every company has them, but successful negotiating teams don’t.

CONNIVERS Unity is paramount for negotiations and people who like to work their own agenda or jockey for position will only undermine the team’s effort. These types are generally keen strategists and they may be useful in planning. However, under no circumstances should they ever take an active role in negotiations.

HOTHOUSE FLOWERS More competent than whiners, these “high maintenance” types can only excel under ideal circumstances. They never complain but are easily set back by the slightest deviation from the norm. Unfortunately, negotiations and overseas travel are rarely conducive to ideal anything. Sometimes, the NT must operate when materials and equipment are lost, or work in environments in which electricity is something reserved for special occasions. Technically astute or not, these “flowers” won’t travel well. If they must be used, do so only when negotiations are on home turf. An overseas team needs those that can adapt to any environment.

BIGOTS Negotiations are a zero-sum game based on finding common ground amid very real and distinct differences. Adding racial, cultural, sexual, or class bigotry will only obscure an already complex state of affairs. Bigots (of any ilk) tend to communicate their prejudices more than they realize, and it’s not the kind of communication that leads to a successful deal.

THE FRAIL Regardless of where the team originates, the world outside of the domestic market is filled with sights, sounds, smells, and tastes that pummel the visitor.

Part of the success of the NT will be in its ability to assimilate as quickly as possible into the environment of their target market. The hygienic and culinary habits of counterparts and their culture may not meet the standards of the NT’s domestic scene. Members who can’t quickly and adequately adjust to new environments will only be a burden to the whole team, thus disrupting strategies and assignments. Like the CN, the team must be robust.

Overseas? Domestic? One Core Team

Optimally, once a team is assembled, it should be used for both overseas and domestic negotiations related to international business. (Specialists may be added for individual negotiations.) This is especially true for smaller companies with limited resources. But large companies should not make the mistake of having two separate teams—one for overseas and one for domestic discussions—simply because they can afford the expense. Teams that have operated overseas will understand the stresses and strains being exerted on foreign teams when they come for business visits. This information, used sympathetically or otherwise, can be a key part of the overall strategy and daily tactics. Lastly, using the team for all negotiations will add to its ability to operate as a unit as team members become expert at all aspects of negotiating. They must be able to visit as well as host a negotiation and understand the responsibilities of being on either side of the table.