Informal Societies
Informal societies, as in Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada, may seem nonchalant to people from more formal cultures. Nonetheless, many aspects of daily life and business follow a certain pattern and procedure.
* Invitations to a social or business function might be vague and unspecific. Check with a colleague, local national or fellow expat if in doubt about specifics such as appropriate time to arrive and leave, dress code and gift giving.
* Don’t be surprised or offended if people address you by your first name–or even abbreviate it without your permission.
* Ostentatious displays of wealth or status may be considered pretentious and arrogant.
* Recognize that lines may be blurred–lines between socio-economic groups, lines between personal and professional lives and status in the organizational hierarchy.
* The visible trappings of authority are obscure, which can be very difficult for a newcomer to understand. A CEO, for example, may sit in an open cubicle alongside other employees, dress as casually as they do and drive a practical, family car. But make no mistake – there is a level of deference and acknowledgment of status in informal cultures as well. Subtle gestures can take on great meaning, and business titles imply all the same levels of authority as they do in a formal culture.
* The office dress code is oftentimes casual, full suits are not worn by men or women. Open collared, short sleeve tops are acceptable and even denim has become an acceptable substitution for formal trousers or skirts.
- taken from RW3′s CultureWizard™
