02.22.08
Cultural Boundaries and Successful International Business
My family and I have had the privilege of living in five countries and three continents. Being nomads of sorts, we frequently talk about our experiences. Tonight, my daughter Megan brought up the issue of differences in boundaries in personal relationships across cultures. She had been talking over the past few weeks with friends from several countries where we had lived.
In Latin America, families were all encompassing and everyone was free to involve themselves in another family member’s life. We were lucky because of our position in the embassies to get to know and be accepted by families in the area. Certainly a lot of that is due the outgoing personality of my wife Linda. Once we were accepted, we were able to be part of the families, lack of boundaries and all. Being part of the clan also brought obligations. Sometimes that put me in an uncomfortable position as an official American (visas were always a topic of discussion).
Megan noted by contrast that Germans have strong boundaries around their personal lives. One calls work colleagues as “Herr” and “Frau” I remember one time when I wanted to send an invitation to an Embassy reception to a colleague at the German Foreign Ministry. I knew him only as Herr Hoffman and so I called to ask about his first name for the invite. He had been working in the office for years and not one person knew his first name. Most Germans have only a handful of friends with whom they use the informal you “du” (In University, it is a symbol of collegiality to call many of the classmates “du” but that seems to vanish as students graduate and enter the workforce.)
This issue of formality and informality vary by culture. Americans tend to be at the informal end and Japanese at the other. Learning how to conduct business with other cultures requires an understanding of how to navigate the varying degrees of formality and boundaries.
Do you have a favorite anecdote
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