With more and more small businesses crossing geographical lines and constraints, even the small, home-based business owner may find herself or himself having to learn more about how to communicate and do business in other cultures. Many of us may have learned a little bit about business communication but it was likely very “western-biased.” We’ve learned about talking and communicating with others who are just like us in terms of language, culture and beliefs. It may be necessary, therefore, for us to learn a little more about how to communicate across those geographical boundaries and cultural lines.
As many of you know, in addition to my writing work, I also do work coordinating international conferences. This has given me some valuable experience in how to do business in other countries and how to adjust my expectations and my communication style to be effective in other cultural contexts. The reassuring thing I have found is that most people in business in other nations speak English, so we have a common language to use. There are some pretty acute cultural differences, however.
I think it is important to strike a balance—most of us cannot completely immerse ourselves in another culture and we will forever be the “American.” It does give us a certain bias and a certain sensibility that will govern what we do and say. However, we can also learn to consider the other culture and try not to be SO provincial in our thinking when we do business. Instead of expecting the other person to see things our way, or expecting ourselves to completely understand where the other person is coming from—we can strive instead for a compromise and a basic level of respect and appreciation.
It does help to understand the basic values and beliefs of the culture you are dealing with. I find that there are certain belief systems that can affect doing business: What is the concept of time and promptness in the culture? Does it matter that people arrive places on time, return calls promptly, or respect the clock or does the culture have a much looser idea of time management? It also helps to understand the role of money and how goods and services are exchanged. Do they like a good value? Is paying less important to them or are they looking for very high quality? What is considered “standard” in terms of service and delivery and what is considered “extra”? Having a basic understanding of the values and beliefs that influence business transactions can help you to be a much more effective communicator across cultural boundaries.
See Also the CULTURAL IDENTITY section of our FORUMS