Iran: Cultural Values, Self images and Negotiation Behavior

Iran: Cultural Values, Self-images and Negotiating Behavioreverything else, he is not unsympathetic to allowing others to gain a share of the goodlife.The best literary rendition of the type is to be found in the novel The Adventures ofHaji Baba of Ispahan written in 1824 by the British Representative at the Court ofPersia, James Morier. The book was translated into Persian and is widely perceived asone of the masterpieces of nineteenth century Persian literature (despite its being atranslation). It is popularly recommended by many Iranians as a vade mecum forunderstanding Iranians. Hajji Baba is “always putting his nose into affairs that do notconcern him, and always getting involved in difficulties from which he extricateshimself by a triumphant display of wit and resourcefulness. He is no respecter ofpersons. He talks with kings as insolently as he talks with women, landlords, andviziers. Gregarious and friendly, he scorns the world's malice and comes up laughingin the end.” 21Perceived Character Traits and ValuesNegative TraitsIn field studies, Iranians tend to be extremely self-critical (at least towards the“national self”). Asked to characterize negative traits that are typical of Iranian socialbehavior, they describe themselves (or more precisely the Iranian urban elite – usuallythe Tehrani and Isfahani) with negative characteristics such as being manipulative(zad-o–ban-chi), calculating (hesabgar), opportunistic (forsat–talab), hypocritical ordouble-faced (motezhor, do-ru), dishonest (posht–e–ham–andaz/ chaakhaan),“greasy” or obsequious (charb-zaban) and of demanding a commission (rantkhaar).22The custom of taking bribes or demanding a commission in state business deals(aptly called pour-cent or raant in modern Iranian Persian) is widespread. Therefore,an Iranian who engages in (and is paid for) services for outsiders does not incur thesame stigma that his Western counterpart would. 23 A wide range of Iranian publicofficials (and their sons) are well known for having received "percentages" fromforeign companies, and while this has been exploited by the opposite political side, ithas not – as yet – produced the downfall of any public figure. This characteristic ofIranian society has been the focus of much of the Reformist movement’s political andeconomic agenda, but with little or no real results. This is not to say that bribery isperceived as socially positive. The paradigms of Iranian national heroes – either21 Robert Payne, The Splendor of Persia: The Great Kings (New York, 1957) quoted in William StearnsDavis, Readings in Ancient History: Illustrative Extracts from the Sources, Vol. 2: Greece and the East(Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1912) 58-61.22 Bateson Safa-yi Batin, 262. They were tested against the Iranian respondents of this study and foundto be still widely accepted.23 The level of high tolerance of Iranian society towards corruption raises the question regarding theeffectiveness of running “agents of influence.” According to a former British diplomat who served inIran, such “operations” have been short-term and conditional. Acceptance of benefits or even directpayments did not create a sense in the eyes of the Iranian recipient that he is utterly obligated to theforeigner. In many cases, the Iranian “agent of influence” did not renege directly, but rather createdcircumstances that rendered impossible the act he had to perform (private communication).8