With the world becoming more inter-connected nowadays, businesses are going global. Thus, cultural diversity is not a limiting factor anymore. However, there can be problems arising in case entrepreneurs or professionals cannot understand specific cultural nuances. Cultural etiquette is crucial when building business relationships. When one learns cultural etiquette, he can create a positive impression, build a trustful relationship, and achieve business success.
How Does Cultural Etiquette Relate to Business?
Cultural etiquette refers to the unwritten laws of behavior and customs peculiar to a certain culture or nation. In a business context, this concept implies being aware of such laws to avoid misunderstandings. For example, in Asian nations, people tend to use both hands when presenting someone a gift, whereas using only one hand can be considered rude. At the same time, in most Western cultures, people should maintain eye contact with their counterparts to show their interest and respect.
Cultural etiquette is crucial when it comes to business. One needs to understand the specificities of business relations in different countries to avoid embarrassment and confusion. For example, in Japan, it is essential to present a client a gift when negotiating business. In this way, he will feel respected and thus more confident. The same is not true of the US, because the culture here does not imply presenting gifts to clients during business.
Researching Cultural Etiquette for Business
The process of researching cultural etiquette for business implies finding out about the customs and norms that prevail in different countries. One can do his research through reading books on the topic (e.g., Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands written by Terri Morrison and Wayne A. Conaway) and participating in cultural training sessions. The main objective is to know how business is conducted in other countries and how one can act in such circumstances.
When researching cultural etiquette, one should be aware of one’s personal prejudices. There may be numerous details that one does not know about. Thus, the research process implies being ready to learn something new and change one’s opinion. It may also mean that one starts perceiving some aspects of cultural life differently and even adopts certain cultural aspects.
Development of Cultural Awareness
The development of cultural awareness implies knowing the specific cultural traditions, customs, and values of clients and partners. This can be done through reading about their culture, its norms and values. Moreover, one should be aware of the personal cultural prejudices to be able to act appropriately. For example, people in some cultures are more flexible concerning timing than those in other cultures. Therefore, if someone appears a few minutes late, he will not be blamed for it.
When developing cultural awareness, one should actively search for necessary information. He can ask his clients and partners about what they think about certain things or do in some situations. Being proactive and communicative, one may discover lots of interesting and useful information about his clients’ culture and thus be able to conduct successful negotiations with them.
Cultural Etiquette Practice
In order to apply the acquired cultural knowledge to practice, one should attend certain training sessions or workshops. For example, one can practice giving business cards in Japan since exchanging cards is very important in this country. One needs to do it with both hands and read the card carefully.
While applying cultural etiquette to practice, one should focus on non-verbal communication and pay attention to gestures and postures. Indeed, non-verbal cues speak much about a person’s intentions and attitude to the situation. Thus, being attentive to such cues, one can better understand his client or partner and act accordingly.
Overcoming Cultural Barriers
When it comes to overcoming cultural barriers, one should consider possible cultural differences between him and his clients or partners. There may be such aspects as languages, traditions, etc. Besides, people can have quite different views on issues like directness and politeness or punctuality.
Overcoming cultural barriers requires one to be proactive and take some action in this direction. For example, one can ask about clients’ habits or talk to some professionals that can give useful recommendations. Besides, overcoming cultural barriers means being prepared to listen to suggestions and take them into account.
Implementation of Cultural Etiquette in Business
Finally, implementing cultural etiquette in business means incorporating it into the company policy and business practices. Thus, one should create appropriate guides that include relevant information regarding cultural aspects of doing business. Moreover, one can arrange cultural training sessions.
While implementing cultural etiquette in business, one should promote it consistently. Therefore, one can create an organizational culture that is based on cultural awareness and sensitivity.
