Professional Documents
Culture Documents
• recent major auditor study found 69% of outsourcing deals fail. Main reason lack
of cultural compatibility between vendor and client and poor relationship
management.
• influences how we interpret the world around us, how we perceive ourselves,
and how we relate to others.
• leads to assumptions/stereotypes
Cultural Awareness
• goes beyond factual cultural knowledge
• based on research and theories by Edward T Hall, Geert Hofstede, and Fons
Trompenaars
• keep learning
He who wants the rose must
Etiquette respect the thorn, Persian saying
Meeting/Greeting/Entertaining
• greeting: handshake, bow, kiss, touch noses, hold hands, or all of the above
• gift giving: integral to business relationship in Japan/China/SE Asia (How the gift
is given is more important than the gift), damaging to business relationships in
other countries.
• alcohol consummation: South America, east Asia, and Europe important, Middle
East, Africa, and parts of SE Asia none
Relationships
• individual vs group
• individual: introduce yourself, state your own views directly and challenge
what people say
• flat: take responsibility for your area, deal with colleagues directly
• personal: allow plenty of time, small talk, socialize, exchange favors and small
gifts
• North American and north Europeans need to do something useful every second,
while less competition emphasis cultures let time “fill itself”
• what year is it? 2008 (Gregorian), 1429 (Islam), 5768 (Hebrew), Heisei 20 (Japan)
• serial: book appointments weeks ahead, send agenda before, arrive on time,
start meetings at agreed time, keep to schedule, give bad news early
• personal space:
• China, 4+ feet
• body language:
• upbeat vs low-key
• upbeat: find an upbeat central message looking forward, conscious effort to sound
positive and optimistic
• low-key: support with relevant details, respond realistically, and don’t emphasize
your own success.
• short/concise vs long/eloquent.
• inform: allow them to draw their own conclusions and avoid the hard sell.
• creative vs logical
• open-ended questions