Similarities and Differences in Business Culture between China & Morocco (Part 5/6): A Practical Perspective on the Post-Negotiation Phase

Signing a contract does not end the Negotiation process, it stretches all the way to the delivery.

This is why we are going to talk about the post-negotiation phase, when it comes to:

  • The Value of the Contract
  • The Fulfillment of the Contract
  • and The Settlement of Disputes

Chinese and Moroccans are not very different in the way they deal with a negotiated contract and in the way they settle business disputes. These differences mainly lie in subtle nuances.

Similarities

  1. Contract Fulfillment:
    Both Moroccans and Chinese are not great with deadlines.
    From my experience, in China, it’s not that they procrastinate but it’s more because they are SLOOOOOW. Because so much time is wasted with paperwork, getting stamps (they love stamps!) and setting the foundations for a project.
    On the other hand, we (Moroccans) are more procrastinators, and we will change our mind on the way we should do this or that many times in the beginning. If you ask me, I would say we’re indecisive.
  2. Dispute Settlement:
    We both try to find a common ground/solution & resort to a 3rd party/mediator when reaching a deadlock.

Differences

  1. Contract Value:
    The contract itself is not important for Chinese    , in reality it is the relationship between the contractor and the contracted is the one that “seals the contract”.
    As for Morocco, a contract is valuable and important BUT the terms (the specifics of the contract) have less value; and so they are always negotiable and changeable even after a contract is signed.
  2. Contract Fulfillment:
    In China, the execution of the contract is not necessarily carried on as written in the contract; it’s rather positive in the Chinese context because even if the circumstances change, they will still attack the problem despite the contract. That’s what we call “Chinese-style customer service”. 
    On the other hand, the terms of a contract are usually changeable in Morocco, but we will generally fulfill the purpose of the contract, however no more than what is written.
  3. Dispute Settlement: 
    Chinese: Through social relationships.
    Moroccans: Through personal relationships.
    What’s the difference between social and personal relationships?
    Well, “social relationships” are based a social structure; which is Guanxi (关系) in the case of China (for more details, check out this post: Guanxi, or the rule of man that overrules therule of law in China).
    But “personal relationships” refers to a close connection constructed via emotional bonds and interactions through time.

But at the end, if you should REMEMBER 1 THING: In either countries, signing a contract does not immune a business deal from failure; a contract is still negotiable and its terms changeable. Relationship is key to get the best of a business deal.

Summary ;-)

We finally reached the end of this series of article on how Moroccan and Chinese diverge when it comes to Business Negotiation.

The closing article, next week, will give you a summary of what we’ve talked about in all the 5 articles.

Drop me line on Twitter or on Facebook if you want more details about one of these aspects ;)

For more check out:

Part1: Similarities and Differences in Business Culture between China & Morocco (Part 1/6): According to the Hofstede 6-D Model
Part2: Similarities and Differences in Business Culture between China & Morocco (Part 2/6): Lewis got something to tell ya’
Part3: Similarities and Differences in Business Culture between China & Morocco (Part 3/6): A Practical Perspective on the Pre-Negotiation Phase
Part4: Similarities and Differences in Business Culture between China & Morocco (Part 4/6): A Practical Perspective on the Negotiation Phase