Management styles differ around the world. Some cultures appear
to emphasize the importance of information and competition while
others focus more on relationships and transaction cost reductions.
However, there are no simple answers and the only safe generalization
is that businesspersons working in another country must be
sensitive to the business environment and must be willing to adapt
when necessary. Unfortunately, to know when such adaptation is
necessary is not always easy; in some instances adaptation is optional,
whereas in others it is actually undesirable. Understanding
the culture you are entering is the only sound basis for planning.
Business behavior is derived in large part from the basic cultural
environment in which the business operates and, as such, is
subject to the extreme diversity encountered among various cultures
and subcultures. Environmental considerations significantly
affect the attitudes, behavior, and outlook of foreign businesspeople.
Motivational patterns of such businesspeople depend in part
on their personal backgrounds, their business positions, their
sources of authority, and their own personalities.
Varying motivational patterns inevitably affect methods of doing
business in different countries. Marketers in some countries
thrive on competition; in others they do all possible to eliminate it.
The authoritarian, centralized decision-making orientation in some
nations contrasts sharply with democratic decentralization in
others. International variation characterizes contact level, ethical
orientation, negotiation outlook, and nearly every part of doing
business. The foreign marketer can take no phase of business behavior
for granted.
The new breed of international businessperson that has
emerged in recent years appears to have a heightened sensitivity to
cultural variations. Sensitivity, however, is not enough; the international
trader must be constantly alert and prepared to adapt when
necessary. One must always realize that, no matter how long in a
country, the outsider is not a local; in many countries that person
may always be treated as an outsider. Finally, one must avoid the
critical mistake of assuming that knowledge of one culture will
provide acceptability in another.
