It is common for preparation material for global entrepreneurs to devote a significant amount of space to a recapitulation (not understanding) of the cultural background, and its impact on international negotiation and transactions.



Occasionally, there are those who may think that the practical implications of this knowledge are rather limited: we all like to think that when it comes to getting down to work, we are pure and simple professionals with an eye on the final benefit, always acting from reason, logic and verifiable data; However, it is disingenuous to think that our cultural wiring has a switch, which we can turn off whenever it is convenient when pursuing a goal.



Since cultural complexities are one of those obstacles that can most easily derail the internationalization process, to draw up a profitable strategy and minimize errors, it is necessary to analyze the fundamentals of behavior in the host business environment.



The value of time



Several experts in communication Portugal Mobile Number List and behavior have dedicated themselves to unraveling the mechanisms applicable to the world of work and business, such as the work of anthropologist ET Hall; One of his best-known contributions was the concept of time perception and its use in organizing activities and interactions.



In a very basic example, it is not enough to know that in a negotiation process between delegations A and B, party A will try to close the deal as soon as possible, while party B will try to lengthen the negotiation process; It is also worth keeping in mind that according to the rules under which Party A operates, achieving the desired result in the fastest and most agile way demonstrates professionalism and respect for other people's resources (time is money); while for party B, the correct way to conduct a negotiation is to spend enough time to build a foundation of necessary trust and reliability between the parties – failure to do so could mean that the other party has something to hide.



agreed goals



The cultures that have instilled in us a vision of professionalism in the business environment based exclusively on verifiable and quantifiable data and facts, and have accustomed us to valuing this model as a moral virtue, are a minority in the world. For the vast majority of cultures on the planet, the same ones that are stepping with increasing force in the economic landscape, labor and commercial relations, as we know, are based mainly on mutual trust.



This influences, among other things, the way of approaching the objectives of a negotiation: Anglo-Saxon and Northern European cultures lean towards very specific and detailed contracts in order to have any eventuality or possible dispute under control, while for cultures more focused on the relationship between the parties, that function is supported by the established relationship, and the objective of the deal is to establish the general principles that will guide operations. Additionally, any signed agreement may be subject to requests for modification and renegotiation as circumstances change.



The individual versus the group. Communication and hierarchy.







In interdependent cultures (generally, most of Latin America, Asia and Africa), harmony and goodwill among group members is of great importance. This tendency is reflected in communication patterns in which close attention must be paid to the context and non-verbal cues around the message, in contrast to the direct approach of more individualistic cultures.



Along with language, the complexities arising from differences in status and power are more likely to confuse, and lead to costly mistakes; If what is correct in one culture may be offensive in another, the consequences are much more serious in cultures with large differences in the scale of authority.



The hierarchy in the scale of power and individualism, in addition to influencing negotiations and interaction with partners and clients, also plays a role in the consumption patterns of the target market. For example, it is common for individuals with a high sense of importance or power on the socioeconomic scale to show greater independence from the group, and tend to buy and spend more on themselves than on others, as opposed to those in a position of less importance/power, they tend to invest more in the members of the social network to which they belong, and to whom they frequently turn in case of need.