Culture & Process dimension – Final Graded Quiz :International and Cross-Cultural Negotiation (Negotiation, Mediation and Conflict Resolution Specialization) Answers 2026

Question 1

An international negotiator with a low-context culture:

❌ Insists on addressing counterparts by their titles.
✅ Avoids personal anecdotes and refrains from questions regarding private and family aspects.
❌ Tries to start the discussion on a first-name basis.

Low-context cultures focus on task, facts, and explicit communication, not personal or relational probing.

When first meeting Italian counterparts, you should pay close attention to:

❌ Using your Italian dictionary to greet them in their language.
❌ Leaving aside enough time for greetings and small talk to gather information.
❌ Not let them control the exchange; structure tightly because they talk a lot.
✅ Let them speak, ask complementary questions, and rephrase to clarify understanding.

Italy leans toward high-context communication—listening, clarifying, and relationship sensitivity matter.

Expectations for a first client meeting in Houston, Texas (US):

❌ Easy going, all cards on the table, quick overview only.
✅ Friendly and direct at first, then detailed and possibly tough on financial aspects; what’s written matters.
❌ Tough and secretive; keep aces hidden.

US business culture is direct, explicit, and contract-driven; details and written terms are crucial.

High-context vs low-context meeting: who faces more difficulty?

High-context negotiators may struggle with pressure for explicitness, speed, and written commitments.

Most accurate statement on non-verbal expressions:

✅ In African cultures, a younger negotiator often shows respect by letting elders speak and avoiding intense eye contact.
❌ In Western cultures, brief eye contact is enough.
❌ In the US, direct gaze plus physical contact is best to show sincerity.

Non-verbal norms vary widely; respectful avoidance of intense eye contact is common in many African contexts.

Best description of a ‘monochronic’ culture (Edward T. Hall):

✅ Time is linear and sequenced into separate phases, handled one after another.
❌ People can only do one thing at a time.
❌ One hour equals one task across the day.

Monochronic cultures view time as linear, scheduled, and segmented.

How a polychronic negotiator perceives a monochronic one:

❌ “She likes her watch and wants me to notice it.”
✅ “She keeps checking the time—maybe she has other pressing business; we can reconvene.”
❌ “She’s in a rush—time to hurry and make concessions.”

Polychronic cultures value flexibility and relationships; time-checking signals competing priorities, not urgency.

What Ms. B (American business lawyer) is thinking:

❌ Staring at the watch will surely send the message.
✅ “It’s already 4pm and we’re still on item #1; we’re stuck and not progressing.”
❌ “This is fine; I’ll deal with it later.”

Monochronic, low-context negotiators equate time with progress and expect agenda movement.

Best description of non-verbal communication:

Non-verbal communication conveys meaning without words, through physical and visual cues.