The Challenges of International Collaboration – Us and Them
Within our very own culture, we’re supplied with a code of behavior that we study on infancy. This code covers basic values and beliefs including attitudes towards different behaviors. There is right and wrong, professional and unprofessional, respectful and disrespectful. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as international etiquette which includes triggered many challenges for leaders in the worldwide marketplace. When someone begins to consider their behavior in an international context they instinctively check out their very own norms being the logical, acceptable means of being.
Sincerity is key to success, no less than for the short term. Europeans, Asians, and Americans meet regularly at business conferences and have the ability to avoid giving offense when you’re their honest, authentic selves. In the early stages of business relationships, any dissonant behavior is normally considered a faux pas and will also be “allowed”, as well as considered eccentric or charming.
However, it gets to be a different story once individuals move into more lengthy negotiations or JV coming into a collaborative partnership. Thus ongoing business relationships can put great stress on the tolerance of parties over time. eg the American habit of sprawling in chairs at business conferences might appear friendly and calm on the British but would position the Germans in a constant state of unease. The Latin temperament, whilst engaging at first for Northern Europeans (especially the Finns as well as the Swedes) has decided to drive them the wall. There is also a limit to the number of … More >>>