Business may be business, but is still conducted by people. So when aspiring to maintain a fruitful business relationship, being able to connect with people on a real, human note is crucial. And when travelling to a new country, or working with people from different cultures, new challenges arise. So get prepared for them, and do your homework in advance!

Where is your place at the new place?

I recently read about a case when a business negotiator lost an important deal in India. The reason was that the partner had the feeling that she was rushing through the talks, while the negotiator was consciously talking and acting in that rhythm, because she wanted to be efficient, and not make the partner feel that she is wasting her time. This is a perfect example of how cross-cultural differences can affect business, and communication in the workplace.

In the matter of cross-cultural knowledge I think it’s safe to say that the term cultural jet lag is of crucial importance. It was introduced by Marc Perraud when he was conducting his research in cross-cultural psychology.

„Heaven is where the police are British, the lovers French, the mechanics German, the chefs Italian, and it is all organized by the Swiss.

Hell is where the police are German, the lovers Swiss, the mechanics French, the chefs British, and it is all organized by the Italians.”

Ever seen those memes about people misunderstanding and/or misusing emojis? At first it may seem odd to link this question with the importance of empathy in business, but bear with me, I promise there is a strong association here!

You are probably pretty familiar with IQ and EQ by now, right? But what about CQ – Cultural Quotient – Cultural Intelligence? That’s right, there is a third one, which these days seems to be as important as the other two – and quite inseparable from them.

Ich bin Österreicherin, habe in sechs Ländern gelebt und weit über 70 Länder bereist. Doch das einzige Mal, dass ich einen ernsthaften Kulturschock erlebt habe, war als ich ins Nachbarland mit der gleichen Sprache, nämlich nach Deutschland gezogen bin.

Nicht alle Expats treten vor Weihnachten die lange Reise in die deutsche Heimat an. Seien es zwingende Gründe oder auch einfach der Wunsch, dem Reisestress zu entgehen: Das Weihnachtsfest im Ausland zu feiern, kann seine besonderen Reize, aber auch Herausforderungen haben.

In Indien lautet die Devise: Für jeden Geschmack das Richtige!