As business obtains a more and more international flavor, the need for a better understanding of your foreign business partners becomes critical. In a multinational environment, although we may share the same business goals, we don’t always share the same approaches to work. This may provoke conflicts, yet they can be avoided. In an effort to aid understanding, in this article we offer several tips on how to improve and make the most of your multinational business relations.

1. Consider Stereotypes
Dr. Geert Hofstede, a psychologist at IBM, invested a lot in understanding stereotypes when during 1967-1973, in one of his researches he studied questionnaire responses from more than 70,000 employees in over 40 countries. Even till today his work is considered the most comprehensive study of how our origin influences our attitude to work.

Thus, the psychologist measured 4 attributes: individualism, masculinity, the need for structure, and the respect or fear of power. The results of the research are very interesting.

(more…)

Bookmark/Search this post with: