Differing Values
In today's high-tech, global marketplace, forming business relationships is not relegated domestically. Organizations partner and do business with others from all across the globe. Now, more than ever, business people must be sure to pay close attention and adhere to cultural values of those not next door, down the street or across state, but throughout the world.
The intercultural project gave me great insight as to the differences between an American and a Frenchman. Dining habits, risk aversion and attitudes during meetings are all vastly different between the two cultures. As a young professional, this research and knowledge prepares me for a future that will no doubt present situations where I come in contact with those from another culture.
The CCAI assignment detailed exactly how prepared I currently am to face the challenges of doing business across culture. While my ER, FO, PAC and PA scores were better than I would have imagined, I realize there is always room to improve. For instance, my Personal Autonomy score could use some attention, but there is a sense of hesitation, because to focus solely on one trait would be to undermine the goal of increasing my effectiveness across all levels.
In today's high-tech, global marketplace, forming business relationships is not relegated domestically. Organizations partner and do business with others from all across the globe. Now, more than ever, business people must be sure to pay close attention and adhere to cultural values of those not next door, down the street or across state, but throughout the world.The intercultural project gave me great insight as to the differences between an American and a Frenchman. Dining habits, risk aversion and attitudes during meetings are all vastly different between the two cultures. As a young professional, this research and knowledge prepares me for a future that will no doubt present situations where I come in contact with those from another culture.
The CCAI assignment detailed exactly how prepared I currently am to face the challenges of doing business across culture. While my ER, FO, PAC and PA scores were better than I would have imagined, I realize there is always room to improve. For instance, my Personal Autonomy score could use some attention, but there is a sense of hesitation, because to focus solely on one trait would be to undermine the goal of increasing my effectiveness across all levels.
Intercultural Experience
"Are you married?" I asked Christian. He gave me a dumb look and said yes while flashing his jewelry-adorned right ring finger. "Oh, so in Germany you wear wedding rings on the right hand?" I said. "That's correct." Sure, I felt stupid. Fortunately, this interaction took place with a coworker of mine during an internship and not with a potential client across seas. While my mistake is likely common, the bit of embarrassment I felt taught me to always be observant and sensitive to the culture of others. Since that day, any time I meet someone from another culture, I am cautious to not ask the dumb question that could potentially have negative consequences on our relationship.
I traveled to my company's branch location in Los Angeles, California approximately six months ago. As expected, there were many employees at this location of Hispanic descent. Granted, the majority of them spoke fluent English, but to help form a relationship with people I rarely see in person I used the knowledge gained from my eight years in Spanish class. Despite being quite rusty, they were much appreciative of my attempts and to this day, whether on the phone or via e-mail, much of our correspondence is done in (albeit broken) Spanish. Our relationships have grown with each talk and we are in the position to be effective coworkers for some time.
I traveled to my company's branch location in Los Angeles, California approximately six months ago. As expected, there were many employees at this location of Hispanic descent. Granted, the majority of them spoke fluent English, but to help form a relationship with people I rarely see in person I used the knowledge gained from my eight years in Spanish class. Despite being quite rusty, they were much appreciative of my attempts and to this day, whether on the phone or via e-mail, much of our correspondence is done in (albeit broken) Spanish. Our relationships have grown with each talk and we are in the position to be effective coworkers for some time.
Real Examples
The following link combines various aspects of our semester's topics. It has been reported that within minutes of last week's terrorist attacks in India, users of Twitter and Flickr were updating their sites with up to the minute information. This is an example that while there are countless differences between cultures and how to communicate across them, there are too some similarities.
As of this summer, there weren't many brands as American as Budweiser. Americans were stunned to hear that Anheuser-Busch was purchased by the foreign InBev. InBev's acquisition goes to show that no matter how seated you might be in a particular culture, there is always a possibility that you might be required to do business with an organization of a new culture and different values.
As of this summer, there weren't many brands as American as Budweiser. Americans were stunned to hear that Anheuser-Busch was purchased by the foreign InBev. InBev's acquisition goes to show that no matter how seated you might be in a particular culture, there is always a possibility that you might be required to do business with an organization of a new culture and different values.
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