The 4th of July

Whilst speaking to someone in the States on the telephone last summer I was asked if I was going to celebrate the 4th of July holiday, which was due in a day or so. I was taken aback for a moment by the question? I thought to myself, “But why would I? I mean after all, we (the British) were the ones that lost the War of Independence weren’t we?”

I don’t think that the full historical context was uppermost in the person’s mind when they asked me that question. They were simply spreading the ‘goodwill’ that the 4th of July event can evoke in the States.

The Bulgaria – US Gap.   Is it a Bridge Too Far?

A simple cultural training programme, for a call centre in Bulgaria, has rapidly grown into a complex and vivid example of how relatively sympathetic cultures and countries can throw up major gaps in values and understanding, highlighting the differences in values between the old communist societies and the US customer-centric society.

Australia and New Zealand are the most generous charitable
givers in the world according to a new report from the Charities Aid Foundation: The World Giving Index 2010. The report demonstrates that charitable behaviour differs immensely across the globe. An act that is considered charitable in one country may be seen as a regular, everyday, activity in another.  However, the research also found that the correlation between happiness and giving is stronger than the correlation between wealth and giving. This means that an individual is more likely to give to charity if they live in a ‘happy’ country, than if they live in a ‘wealthy’ country. Read below and see how your country compares…

Conflict Across Cultures: When you next think you are in conflict
with someone with a different background, how do you feel? Do you feel “first world” guilt? Do you ignore the differences and judge the other party by your own standards and codes?

It is not easy, but applying culture theory can help…

When working internationally, there are certain principles
that are good to remembe
r:

  1. Acknowledge differences exist
  2. Understand and analyse why those differences exist
  3. Appreciate the unique values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours of different cultures
  4. Adapt your behaviour — including your cross-cultural communication style — to meet the needs of others.
  5. Be sensitive to feedback and adapt accordingly.

When things just don’t seem to be going right… Remember:

“We should never denigrate any other culture but rather help
people to understand the relationship between their own culture and the dominant culture. When you understand another culture or language, it does not mean that you have to lose your own culture.”

Edward T Hall (Anthropologist)

How difficult can it be?

 

A significant amount of overseas investment is wasted each year because there are invisible core differences between the American and British cultures. These are not always appreciated by corporations and leaders. Consequently the result can be culture clash. The damage to US – UK relationships leads to an absence of trust, the erosion of communication and cooperation and failure to achieve the common goal. When management time is applied to the ensuing crisis often only the symptoms are tackled.

So, what are the differences, how did they occur and what can we do to get over the shock and pain of culture clash?

China is a crazy, beautiful, frustrating, enlightening, contradictory,
wonderful place. But whether you are doing business in China or entertaining visitors from that part of the world, it is important to understand Chinese business etiquette so that you can save ‘face’ and the ‘face’ of others. Watch this instructional video for a good insight into the behaviours you should be aware of…

The average size of a bribe in Russia nearly tripled between
2008 and 2009 and officials there accepted a whopping $33.5 billion in bribes from Russian companies last year, according to a new Russian government report cited in the St. Petersburg Times….

By

Beauty Bogwasi

Dumelang, bagaetsho ( Hello all) These little words can save your life in Botswana. Greetings are key and pivotal in Botswana culture. Oh, sorry you are probably wondering where in the world is that! Botswana is the land of diamonds and game. It was first spoken in Botswana!