Because of growing commitments of their companies in developing countries, large numbers of American and European managers have entered negotiations with government officials in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Also, with emerging nationalism, these negotiations have become increasingly frustrating. Sometimes misunderstandings have been so great that they have led to a breakdown in negotiations that both parties would have liked to bring to a successful conclusion. Many of the managers involved have found that they did not have the skills they needed to arrive at satisfactory agreements to cover the operation of new plants or to deal with requests from governments for changes in the terms that govern projects already in place.
A version of this article appeared in the January 1977 issue of Harvard Business Review.