Causes of Deadlocks and Solutions to Them in English Club MUN Negotiations

Wang Xuesheng Li Weikang Si Xiaofeng

Abstract： This paper makes a study on the types of deadlocks， and divides them into starting phase deadlock， middle phase deadlock and closing phase deadlock in logic order. Furthermore， the cause and solution of each type of deadlock is given accordingly. Therefore， this makes it possible to recognize the type of deadlock quickly in negotiation and hence find the solution.

Key words： business negotiation deadlock cause solution

Introduction

“Negotiation is a process of communication between parties to mannage conflicts in order for them to come to an agreement， solve a problem or make arrangements”（Bai 3）. Conflicts are sometimes hard for both parties to deal with and the negotiation can even come to a dealock. To avoid that， causes of deadlocks must be found and solutions to the problems must be studied to put the negotiation forward out of the shadow of negotiationfailure caused by the deadlock.

1.The classification of deadlocks in negotiations.

When a deadlock appears in negotiation， solutions are needed to deal with it otherwise the business negotiation will come to a failure. A good solution to the deadlock is based on a good understanding of the type of a deadlock. “Generally speaking， deadlocks in business negotiations can be divided into 3 types： starting phase deadlock， middle phase deadlock and closing phase deadlock”（Y.Liu 242）.

1.1. Starting phase deaklocks

Starting phase deadlock occurs at the beginning period of a business negotiation. It is a phase when both parties get to know each other and establish an atmosphere for the coming negotiation. At this stage， both parties are expecting the fruitful outcomes of the negotiation. However， misunderstanding， cultural diffrences， bad preparation and some other factors may cause a deadlock ， and the cause the negotiation to come to a failure even before it starts.

1.2. Middle phase deadlock

The middle phase is the critical period of the business negotiation when both parties have back-and-forth discussion on price， contract terms and other aspects relevant to the deal.

1.3. The closing phase deadlock.

When coming to the closing phase， boht parties have already agreed on the main aspects of the negotiation. At this stage， dispute may arise on some detailed terms of the contract. However， disputes at this stage can also cause deadlock if one party adheres to a cetain term and never give in.

2.Causes of deadlocks in three phases

2.1. Causes of deadlocks in the starting phase.

Causes of deadlock in the starting phases are due to bad negotiating atmosphere， the ignorrnace of cultural difference and bad preparation. These three aspects can cause a negotiation to be a failure at the starting phase.

2.1.1. Bad negotiating atmosphere

“Bad negotiating atmosphere can cause a negotiation to fail before it starts. Therefore， you can never lead yourself to a dead end.” The unfriedly reception and the unequal treatment between customers from the reception party will make the customers who are from small companies fell insulted and give up the negotiation.

2.1.2. The ignorance of cultural difference.

In international business negotiation ， people have different cultural backgrounds. If their culture are not respected by the reception party， they may feel angry. Therefore， it becomes impossible for them to sit down with the reception party for a business negotiation.

2.1.3. Bad preparation before negotiation

Bad preparation can cause deadlock in the negotiation. To win the customer， the reception party need to make good preparation and leave a good impression to the customers.

2.2. Causes of deadlocks in the middle phase.

Most of the deadlocks in negotiation arise in the middle phase. The two parties will have discussion on every aspect of the deal. Therefore， as the discussion goes on， more and more problems will come to the surface on the table. Some of the problems will surely cause deadlocks.

2.2.1. Internal factors of deadlocks in the middle phase.

Negotiation can be influenced by many factors. Generally speaking， these factors can be divided into two types. “One type is related to social and macro-market environment which neither of the party has the ability to change. The other type is within the control of two parties and we call factors of this kind internal factors”（Dou 264）.

2.2.2.1 Deadlocks caused by different views.

In a negotiation， it is always the case that the two parties will have different ideas on some main articles of the contract. These articles are always relevant to price of the product， quantity， payment terms and the responsibilities of each party. Disputes will arise on these aspects if “one party holds its own idea in a stubborn way”（C.Y.Liu Line 35-37）.

Deadlocks are more easily caused by different views than any other factor in middle phase of negotiation. The price， quantity，payment terms and responsibility for the parties to bear are directly related their profits in the deal.

2.2.2.2.Deadlocks caused the quality of the team members.

According to a paper by Zhang（line101-109） ， the author believes：

The bad quality of the team members can also cause deadlocks. A negotiator with bad quality dont know how to use negotiation skills in a proper way. When two parties have interests in common and the condition for the negotiation is favorable， it is the the quality of the team member that will decide whether a negotiation is successful or not.

Negotiator who have good skills and know how to use them flexibly and properly sometims make impossible possible in business negotiations. Therefore， in a sense， a successful negotiation is done by a team with good quality in their field.

2.2.2.3. Deadlocks caused by communication barriers.

In a negotiation， communication barriers always cause troubles to both sides. “Sometimes expressions in a certain language may not find its counterparts in a target language. Zhao （line31-40） in his paper about communication barriers writes：

When this expression is interpreted as “ second-class enterprise”， the foreigner will think that it must be inferior to a first-class enterprise.

2.2.2.4. Deadlocks caused by the negotiators emotion.

Emotion may carry a negative information to your counterpart in a negotiation. “ When a negotiation comes to the critical stage， some negotiators may lose s elf-control. Under such a situation， they may say ‘ ridiculous！， ‘you are wasting the time ！” （C.Y.Liu line69-73）. When the negotiators lose their control in emotion， the atmosphere become bad and quarrels will break out across the table. Of course， the negotiation is now in a deadlock.

2.2.2. External factors in middle phase.

External factos are closely related to the market and social environment changes. If one party of the negotiation facing a changing market price， a new economic policy by the government， or even financial crisis， the negotiators of this party will have to change their original plan which will cause deadlock in the negotiation.

2.3. Causes of deadlocks in the closing phase.

When the negotiation comes to the closing phase， most of the conflcts between both parties have already been solved and it is the phase to wrap up the negotiation. However， deadlocks may also arise. Therefore， the lack of a sense of compromise in the closing phase is the main reason to cause deadlocks on this occasion.

3.Solutions to deadlocks in three phases.

The purpose of making study of the deadlocks in these phase is to find a way to deal with them. In proper skills are used， most the deadlocks in negotiations can be solved by the efforts of both parties.

3.1. Solutions to deadlocks in the starting phase.

3.1.1 Business Etiquette to create firendly negotiation atmosphere and respect the customersculture..

According to Chaney and Martin（123）， “etiquette refer to manners and behavior considered acceptable in social and business situations.” A reception party with a good sense of business etiquette can create a friendly atmosphere for the negotiation and show respect to the customersculture. Dou （223-224） in his book on negotiation writes：

For example， if you are meeting people from northern Europe， give your speaker your full attention and strong eye contact. This shows that you are inerested in what is being said otherwise the customer may feel that he is not respected. When you are drinking with Japanese guests， you shoud remember to pour wine for the guest and this will make the guest feel that you respect him.

Good business etiquette can make your negotiation a successful one at the very beginning.

3.1.2. Staffing negotiation teams to have a good preparation.

According to Bai， “Generally speaking， a negotiating team consists of a team leader or chief negotiator and other key members. Other key members include professionals and experts in speacial fields，such as production， technology， financial accounting，law， etc”（ 48）. A good team must be formed before a negotiation starts and this is the first step to a successful negotiation.

3.2. Solutions to deadlocks in the middle phase.

When the negotiation comes to a deadlock， both parties should keep calm and find the reason of the deadlock. Only in this way can both parties meet in the half way and find a way out for the negotiation.

3.2.1 Put the points in dispute away for further discussion and continue with other points.

“When both parties find it is difficult for them to reach an agreement， the wise way to solve it is to skip this point.”（Xie line77） This solution makes the negotiation continue with othe points which the two parties can reach an agreement. Skipping some points and solve them afterwards is a wise and flexible solution to the deadlock.

3.2.2. Change a negotiator when he is not qualified for the work.

If the deadlock is caused a certain negotiator because of his bad skills and lack of specific knowledge in a field， this negotiator should be replaced ASAP. This kind of negotiator may accept some conditions which is not favorable to a party because of their quality.

3.2.3. A good interpreter knows how to overcome the communication barrier.

Nobody knows everything in this world and a good negotiator is not always a good foreingner language speaker. In this situation， an good interpreter can decide the success of a negotaition to some extent. “before a negotiation， the negotiator should collect enough information about the counterpart and carry out the strategy to be used in the negotiation”（G. I.Nierenberg 96）. In this way， the interpreter represents the negotiator in the negotiation.

3.2.4. Solutions to deadlocks caused by emotion.

The core of solving the emotional problems is to re-create a good atmosphere. There are many ways can be used to deal with there deadlocks. They are reminders of the pleasant times and friendships”（237）. Another way is to communcate outside the meeting room. According to Liu， “Talking outside the meeting room is different from the negotiation. You can exchange ideas with the guests freely and find a chance to eliminate the misunderstanding between each other”（250）. Then the deadlock is broken. Whats more， you can break the deadlock across the table in the negotiation if you have a sense of humor.

3.3. Solution to deadlocks in the closing phase.

As stated in the causes of deadlocks in three stages of negotiation， both parties have alreay come to an agreement on the main aspects of the deal. For those aspects left， both parties should take an attitude of co-operation to meet each other in the half way rather than adhere to a certain aspect and never give in.

Conclusion

Althogh each party in a business negotiation doesnt expect a deadlock， it ofen appers in the process of their back-and-forth communication in a negotiation. From this point of view， the study of causes of deadlocks and solutions to them is of great significance in business negotiation. This paper analysed the causes of deadlocks based the logic sorting and gave the solutions to deadlocks in three phases of the negotiation， which make it easy and timely in solving deadlocks in negotiation.

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作者簡介：王學生（1976-），男，山東臨朐人，碩士，海軍航空大學，副教授。研究方向：大學英語教學及翻譯研究。