When in Rome or Rio or Riyadh--: cultural Q&As for successful business behavior around the world

361 Pages·2004·1.16 MB·English

by  Gwyneth Olofsson

Full Praise for Gwyneth Olofsson and
When in Rome or Rio or Riyadh . . .
“At last! A truly practical guide for the international business executive on
how to survive and prosper in different cultures. This book should be
inthe ‘essentials’ kit of all who travel for work—or for pleasure.”
—Michael Pitfield, Director of International Business,
Henley Management College
“When in Rome or Rio or Riyadh. . .is a winning combination of very use-
ful practical advice and extremely valuable cultural insights. The letters
format is very engaging. And Ms. Olofsson turns out to be a fine, amusing
writer; you end up reading more than you meant to just to linger in her
company.”
—Craig Storti, cross-cultural consultant and
author of Americans at Workand The Art of Crossing Cultures
“In what is a fascinating and highly readable review of intercultural dif-
ferences, possible misunderstandings and helpful solutions, Gwyneth
Olofsson has produced a book that I could have done with fifteen years
ago when first elected to the European Parliament.
Ms Olofsson’s experience as a language and intercultural consultant
shines through the pages. With a combination of humour, honesty and an
ability to understand some of the more idiosyncratic features of different
national cultures, she has provided a text which should become essential
reading for anyone hoping to do business abroad, and indeed anyone
seeking to understand better people from other cultures.”
—Mel Read MEP, Labour Member of the European Parliament
representing the East Midlands region of the U.K.
“When in Rome or Rio or Riyadh... is a delightful book to read. It com-
bines deep insights into common everyday cross-cultural experiences with
an engaging almost visceral style of narration. Though it offers practical
tips in Q&A format, it is not just another cultural etiquette book; reading
this book is like taking a perceptive journey, flitting across more than
thirty countries. Ms. Olofsson has succeeded in giving a new depth and
meaning to those day-to-day points of contact to a new culture—e.g.,
names, making conversation, working day, table talk, relating—which
form the crux of cross-cultural experience and interaction.”
—Dr Madhukar Shukla, Professor OB & Strategic Management,
XLRI, Jamshedpur, India
“As always, Gwyneth Olofsson gives her guidance on how to behave,
dress, speak or write in a way everyone can understand. When in Rome or
Rio or Riyadh...will come in handy every time you go on a business trip
abroad, wherever your destination happens to be. Businesspeople every-
where should have this book in their possession.”
—Christina Eide, Vice President, Volvo Information Technology AB
“I read When in Rome or Rio or Riyadh...with my daughter, and despite
the fact that she is a university student and I’m a managing director, we
both appreciated the true value of this book. As the number of people
who work and travel internationally is increasing rapidly, we all need a
book like this—well-structured, down-to-earth and helpful.”
—Pavel Baranov, Managing Director, VSM Group, Moscow
“This is a most useful book for business travelers in the twenty-first cen-
tury. It gives many useful tips, thanks to which I now understand (possibly
too late) some of the mistakes I have made in the past.”
—Philippe Divry, Senior Vice President,
Renault VI Powertrain Division
W R
hen in ome or
R R
io or iyadh
. . .
Cultural Q&As for
Successful Business Behavior
around the World
Gwyneth Olofsson
INTERCULTURAL PRESS
A NICHOLAS BREALEY COMPANY
To Richard, Lizzy, and to all my students, past and present.
First published by Intercultural Press, a Nicholas Brealey Company, in 2004.
Intercultural Press, Inc. Nicholas Brealey Publishing
PO Box 700 3-5 Spafield Street
Yarmouth, Maine 04096 USA London, EC1R 4QB, UK
Tel: [phone] Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone] Fax: [phone]
www.interculturalpress.com www.nbrealey-books.com
© 2004 by Gwyneth Olofsson
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of
brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Printed in the United States of America
08 07 06 05 04 1 2 3 4 5
ISBN: 1-931930-06-6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Olofsson, Gwyneth.
When in Rome or Rio or Riyadh— : culture q&as for successful business
behavior around the world / Gwyneth Olofsson.— 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-931930-06-6
1. Business travel—Guidebooks. I. Title.
G156.5B86O46 2004
395.5'2—dc22 2004013522
Acknowledgments
T
he basis of this book lies in the questions, observations, and
stories of many people I have met during the course of my work. It was
their experiences of, and their questions about, encountering other cul-
tures that first inspired me to delve into the fascinating area of inter-
culturalism, a process which, many years later, led to my writing this
book. In particular I’d like to thank my students at Volvo IT and Schlum-
bergerSema who shared their intercultural experiences with me. They pro-
vided the ideas and raw materials for much of the book, and I am very
grateful to them.
Way back in the last century when I first started writing on intercul-
tural subjects, Monica Rossing, the former editor of the Volvo Group’s
staff magazine, Global, was unfailingly supportive. Her successor, Susanne
Hanssen, has been similarly positive and encouraging and has generously
allowed me to use in this book some material that has already appeared in
the magazine. I’d also like to thank Anna Cederberg Gerdrup of the Wil-
son Logistics Group’s “Network News,” and Anne-Cathrine Hartmann of
Eka Chemicals’ Eka Echomagazine, who have also given their permission
for the use of articles I’ve written for their publications.
Writing When in Rome or Rio or Riyadh...has been a long process
and different people have helped me at different stages. Nicholas Brealey
setmy feet on the right track when this book was a confusing jumble of
letters and comments, and Charlie Bergman of Meridian Associates gave
me much encouragement and good advice when it was most needed.
v
vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Meridian Associates also provided me with access to its wonderful
GlobeSmart Internet tool.
I’ve also learned an enormous amount from two other excellent Inter-
net sources, Intercultural Insights and the Delta Intercultural Academy’s
DialogIn. I’m afraid I have been only a passive member of both groups (as
every spare minute of my time has been spent writing this book), but I’d
like to thank the organizers and the contributors to these very different
but fascinating sites. They have provided me with both information and
inspiration.
Once I’d submitted the manuscript to Intercultural Press, Toby Frank’s
warmth and good sense provided me with the necessary guidance and
inspiration to complete the book. I have learned an enormous amount
from Judy Carl-Hendrick, the managing editor, who combines high stan-
dards of professionalism with a deep knowledge of the subject.
The last stages in the preparation of the manuscript involved a num-
ber of people. I’d like to thank Andrew Robinson for checking some par-
ticularly awkward facts; Douglas Lipp for his comments on Japan; Aslam
Khan for some information on Islam; and my niece, Sarah Hogg, for
information about France and Spain, as well as some suggestions about
useful reading. The parents, staff, and children of the International School
of the Gothenburg Region have been a real source of information about
countries ranging from Ghana to Pakistan, from the U.S. to South Korea,
and just about everywhere in between. Finally, Joan Holmedal has saved
me many hours work in front of the computer, by ensuring that my com-
mas, colons, and so forth are in the right place.
When in Rome or Rio or Riyadh...took a long time to write, and as I
worked on it I let the dust gather in the corners of my home, didn’t read a
single novel, and neglected my friends. It’s the last sacrifice on this list I
regret the most. I’d like to thank my remaining friends, and my family in
Sweden and England, for their support during the years it took me to fin-
ish this book. I hope you enjoy reading it!
Gwyneth Olofsson
Contents
Country-by-Country Contents ix
Introduction xxi
PART I The First Steps 1
Chapter1 Getting Acquainted 3
Names and Address 5
Meetings and Greetings 19
Business Cards 29
Chapter2 Making a Good Impression 39
Dress 41
Manners 53
Socializing 65
Gift Giving 75
Chapter3 Eating and Drinking Together 89
Food 91
Drink 99
Mealtimes 110
PART II Understanding Each Other 123
Chapter4 Communication and Language 125
What to Say and How to Say It 127
A Global Language? 145
Body Language 159
vii
viii CONTENTS
Chapter5 Time 171
Calendars and Holidays 173
The Working Day 182
Attitudes toward Time 192
PART III Working Together 205
Chapter6 Personal Profiles 207
Gender 209
Age 222
Ethnicity and Nationality 231
Chapter7 Our Roles and Relationships 245
Leaders and Managers 247
Working in Organizations 261
Personal Relationships in Business 273
Chapter8 Work in a Wider Perspective 287
Priorities 290
Ethics 299
Assumptions 309
Bibliography 323
Country-by-Country Contents
Argentina Body Language:167
Business Cards:32, 35
Aging:229
Communication Style:135,136, 138,
Alcohol and Drinking Traditions:107
143
Body Language:167
Corporate and Organizational
Business Cards:35
Structure:263, 268, 270
Communication Style:135,143
Cultural Assumptions:315, 319
Corporate and Organizational Culture:
Date-writing convention, 176
270
Dining and Etiquette:120
Cultural Assumptions:312–13, 319
Dress and Personal Appearance:51
Date-writing convention, 176
English Speakers:136, 153–54
Dining Etiquette:116, 120
Entertaining and Socializing:69, 72
Dress and Personal Appearance:51
Ethics:300, 304, 307
Entertaining and Socializing:72
Ethnic Groups:240
Ethics:307
Food:95, 97
Ethnic Groups:240
Gift Giving:76, 82, 83, 85
Food:97
Greetings and Introductions:21, 27
Gift Giving:85
Holidays:177, 180
Greetings and Introductions:26, 40
Language(s):156
Holidays:180
Management Style and Leadership:
Language(s):156
254, 256, 258
Management Style and Leadership:257
Manners:63
Manners:56, 63, 116
Names and Titles:16
Names and Titles:7–8, 11, 15
Relationships:22, 274, 283
Relationships:283
Time Management:172, 200, 201
Time Management:201
Women in the Workforce:210, 213,
Women in the Workforce:218
217, 218
Work Priorities and Work Hours:189,
Work Priorities and Work Hours:189,
297
297
Australia
Austria
Aging:225, 229
Alcohol and Drinking Traditions:102, Aging:229
107 Alcohol and Drinking Traditions:107
ix