By Norway India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NICCI)

NICCI member and doctoral fellow at UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Kjersti Wåhlberg, is conducting a research project on cross-cultural negotiations, together with Gro Alteren. The project focuses on negotiation experiences between culturally distant countries, with a particular interest in Norway–India business interactions.

The research explores how emotions and communication styles influence negotiation processes, relationships, and outcomes in international business. Emotions play an important role in negotiations — they shape how situations are evaluated, how messages are expressed, and how the other party’s behaviour is interpreted.

In negotiations where parties have different interests, expectations, and cultural backgrounds, emotions can influence both the negotiation climate and the final outcome. Emotional expressions can be spontaneous or used strategically, and they may be understood differently across cultures. Despite their importance, emotions in intercultural negotiations have so far received limited research attention.

Who is Invited to Participate:

The project is seeking business professionals with experience in intercultural negotiations, especially those who have worked with Norway–India business relationships or other culturally distant markets.

What Participation Involves:

Participants will take part in a confidential interview, where they will be asked to describe real negotiation situations they have experienced, including actions, reactions, and outcomes. The interviews are conducted using a method called Behavioral Event Interviewing.

All participants will receive:

• Information about the project
• An interview guide
• Full assurance of anonymity

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Contact

NICCI members who are interested in participating or would like more information are invited to contact:

Kjersti Wåhlberg
 Doctoral Fellow
 UiT – The Arctic University of Norway
 📧 kjersti.wahlberg@uit.no
 📞 +47 77 64 67 30