Understanding other cultures and it’s importance in a global economy is becoming ever more necessary. Businesses and organizations operating in foreign countries must be cognizant of the environment in which they work. I have had to become more “global” over my 24-year career in order to adapt to cultural differences in business practice. Now as a CEO of a vitamin and nutritional supplement company, I am acutely aware of cultural differences and the role these differences play in my everyday business operations.
To deal with these cultural differences I have turned to a mentor who is well versed in cultural protocol to avoid gaffes such as those enumerated in the Peace Corps video. This has been especially beneficial as sourcing bottles and packaging in China has become common practice. Doing business in China is much more formal than in the US and respect plays a huge role in dealing with the Chinese. Things like how one exchanges business cards, sits, volume of speech, eye contact and how to address people are very different than in the US. In order to adapt to doing business there I needed to adapt my leadership style as well as my expectations; this has been challenging. The reason being is that I feel Americans have been stereotyped in other countries as loud, lazy, brash, sloppy, fat and impatient. “Ethnocentrism is an exaggerated tendency to think the characteristics of one’s own group or race is superior to those of other groups or races” (PSU. Lesson 2). I have found through my experience that all cultures are ethnocentric to some degree, in that they cannot see the world from another culture’s point of view. This leads to stereotyping and can impede business development and growth. To counter this it is up to the leader of an organization to dispel these stereotypes and gain global insight so as to facilitate business development.
In the past few years, I have been working with a tribe on an island off the coast of Peru to harvest raw materials for a nutritional product we are developing. It took a year and several trips for me to even get the village elders to formally meet with me. They view all foreigners as exploiters and a threat to their way of life. To counter that, I developed a business model that works for both of us. Specifically, we developed a sustainable business where most villagers participate and benefit from our interaction. This has had a positive effect on the village as a whole. However, the key to the success of this association wasn’t the villager’s adapting to my way of doing business but rather my company’s willingness to adapt and engage in business based on their cultural norms, practices and desires.
Global business is only expanding and if one is to succeed it is incumbent upon leaders of businesses and organizations to change and expand with the demands. This requires effort, open-mindedness, adaptability and a willingness to learn while dispensing with cultural stereotypes. As a leader with vision towards the future global understanding and cultural awareness are a necessity.
Peace Corps. (n.d.) Cultural gaffes beyond your borders [Video file]. Retrieved from http://web.sa.sc.edu/rotaract/2013/02/06/cultural-gaffes-beyond-your-borders-peace-corps/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Penn State World Campus (n.d.). Lesson 02: Introduction to Culture. Retrieved from lecture notes online
https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1867265/modules/items/22824705
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