Know Before Negotiating:”Collective” or “Individual”Approach?

Have you ever felt frustrated when negotiating with someone from another country?  Cultural differences really rear their heads during negotiations across cultures.  
One American businessman angrily said after his lengthy–but inconclusive– negotiations with a senior Japanese businessman,  “He had the authority to make a decision.  So why didn’t he just decide?” 

As a culture, Japanese generally value group harmony and [...]