In a transactional culture, business relationships can be ephemeral, but they exist nonetheless. On LinkedIn, users are able to develop business relationships virtually, much like one would relate to friends and family on Facebook, but in a strictly professional manner. As a North American initiative, the professional networking website exclaims that “Relationships Matter” and using LinkedIn is a trusted, safe way to make the most of your career.

There are 41 million users in over 200 countries on LinkedIn, which makes the website an appealing vehicle to boost a career or network with likeminded people. Although communication is electronic via LinkedIn, intercultural skills and awareness can be put to use to communicate with others. For example:

**When trying to get in touch with a person from a culture that emphasizes personal relationships, introduce yourself with a brief summary of where you are from, if you have a family and what your interests and hobbies are.
**Tailor your site to a multicultural audience by making your profile comprehensive and easily understood, avoiding the use of jargon, slang or words that wouldn’t be known by a non-native speaker.

The individualistic qualities of the culture in which this application was developed are obvious. It is focused on making the individual as presentable and attractive as possible to other users viewing their professional profile, which could be thought of as a 21st century resume or curriculum vitae.

If you are more group-oriented, or would like to be in touch with group-oriented professionals, you can join one of the many LinkedIn groups, which are organized according to industry or common interest.

There are literally hundreds of ways to use LinkedIn, so be creative and look to the CultureWizard Blog’s Culture Tips section for more advice on targeting users from around the world.

If you’re unfamiliar with the website, read the following, from the About LinkedIn section of the website:

“Your professional network of trusted contacts gives you an advantage in your career, and is one of your most valuable assets. LinkedIn exists to help you make better use of your professional network and help the people you trust in return. Our mission is to connect the world’s professionals to accelerate their success. We believe that in a global connected economy, your success as a professional and your competitiveness as a company depends upon faster access to insight and resources you can trust.”

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Lately we’ve been reading a lot about the US automobile industry and the recovery plan for Chrysler (click here to read a New York Times piece on the subject). That plan includes Fiat’s acquisition of a significant portion (up to 20%) of the company. Fiat intends to bring their small-car technology, and take advantage of Chrysler’s network of dealerships to sell Fiats across the US. It’s a bold and ambitious plan, but it would be advantageous for Sergio Marchionne, Fiat’s CEO, to know that it was not an absence of technology that caused Daimler to lose 80% of its $36 billion investment in Chrysler. It was, in fact, a clash of national and corporate cultures.

Looking back to learn from that experience – managers and employees of both Daimler and Chrysler were completely unprepared for the significant hurdles their respective cultures would present. No one anticipated that Daimler dealers wouldn’t sell Chryslers and that its engineers wouldn’t share a chassis with Chrysler.

Signs of culture clash were apparent from the beginning: Chrysler’s executives flew coach to meetings in Germany, while their Daimler colleagues came to the US in first class. Then, like now, smart senior executives somehow failed to acknowledge the need to plan for cultural due diligence while taking care of financial and facility planning.

Marchionne’s plans overlook the cultural impact of having integrated management teams, consisting of Italian automakers and Chrysler management made of union and government officials, which will certainly sink this deal. Unlike Daimler, Fiat intends to invest no money of its own. Of course, it wasn’t the absence of German technology that sunk the DaimlerChrysler deal. It was, rather, culture clash that did the deal in.

- Mike

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The following tips on culture will be very useful when traveling to Slovenia or when interacting with Slovenians.

+ Slovenia has a polycentric culture where people will go out of their way to change their natural behavior to mirror that of the person with whom they are speaking or doing business.

+ Slovenians prefer to deal indirectly with people they do not know well. This can be demonstrated by offering roundabout explanations rather than give a negative response. As a rule, they prefer non-confrontational business dealings if possible.

+ Business decisions are often based on personal sentiments about the other person. Therefore, it is a good idea to spend time in relationship building.

+ Since the culture is egalitarian, Slovenians do not speak in a condescending manner towards people in service jobs. In fact, they go out of their way to greet and say farewell to shopkeepers and wait staff.

+ For the most part, Slovenians mean and do what they say. They expect foreign businesspeople to keep their word. Failing to do so can cause irreparable harm to a business relationship.

+ Although Slovenians have a good sense of humor, they do not always understand self-deprecating humor. Be cautious when teasing others, as such behavior may be interpreted as putting them down.

+ Slovenia is moderately tolerant of change and risk. Changes are made, although somewhat slowly and after considerable thought, planning and evaluation. Rapid change is perceived as imprudent and resistance to change is considered poor management.

- provided by RW3′s CultureWizard™ Country Profiles

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This New York Times article reports that a Russian investment firm has announced an investment in Facebook totaling $200 million, a mere 2% share of the entire company.

The culture of Facebook (click here to read more) is very open and explicit. Hypercommunication is the norm for Facebook users. The Russian firm’s impressive demonstration of interest in the company signals a cultural change. What do you think it could be?

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The following tips on culture will be very useful when traveling to the Dominican Republic or when interacting with Dominicans.

+ Loyalty to the family comes before any other social relationship, even in business.

+ Nepotism is considered a good thing, since it implies employing people one knows and trusts.

+ When guests are invited to make themselves at home, the offer is quite sincere. Houseguests are treated royally and Dominicans attempt to cater to them, so try not to resist such invitations.

+ In Dominican society, appearance is very important. People are extremely fashion-conscious and believe that clothes indicate social standing and success. You will be judged on your clothes, shoes, accessories and the way you carry yourself.

+ The influences of the Roman Catholic religion and the social stratification in the country produce a rather fatalistic approach towards life. Many sentences end with the phrase “Si Dios quiere” (meaning “if god wills it”). This explains the Dominican approach to time management, accountability and initiative.

+ Dominicans do not generally plan far in the future because they don’t feel they have control over time. This is often difficult for people who believe that they control their own destiny to understand and appreciate.

+ In terms of business, it is important to mind your manners and not appear overly friendly or emotional (especially in the early stages of a relationship), which can be mistaken for aggression.

+ Since relationships are extremely important, time is devoted to non-business discussions that develop or maintian the personal relationship. This is especially true if this is your first meeting with a Dominican company.

- provided by RW3′s CultureWizard™ Country Profiles

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This blog post describes how the Mandarin-speaking population is shrinking in Singapore (approximately 40% of households speak Mandarin, while around 60% speak English). The Promote Mandarin Council has filmed a remarkable promotional video of non-Chinese children speaking Mandarin in a very fluid, natural way.

The Promote Mandarin Council launched “The Chinese Challenge” this Spring, which is a series of televised quizzes and games that engage participants in Chinese language and culture.

The chairperson of the Promote Mandarin Council, Lim Sau Hoong, expressed the mission of the event: “We hope that with The Chinese Challenge, we’re able to cultivate our fellow Singaporeans’ passion for the language through active learning and discovery. It is our wish that more Singaporeans would one day be effectively bilingual and bicultural.”

Singapore is a hub for expatriates, so the amazing effects of multiculturalism can be seen in this video, where children from all over the world grow up learning Mandarin as a first or second language.

Underneath the light-hearted, educational mission of the Council are other motives, which are tied to boosting business and social relationships between Singapore and China. An expectation is being forged by the Challenge that urges people to remember that one must be effective at communicating with Chinese-speaking people, which means understanding Chinese culture and language, in order to be successful as a businessperson.

Please share your thoughts and stories!

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I was truly delighted to read this New York Times article, as I’m a BIG fan of Huy Fong’s “Sriracha Chili Sauce,” which is an Asian influenced chili-garlic condiment. You may be familiar with the green-capped bottle that is usually available on tables at Southeast Asian eateries in many countries.

Originally created in Los Angeles by a Vietnamese immigrant, and available at Asian restaurants and grocery stores in the US since the 1980s, this product has grown in popularity all over the country. Although its producers have always intended for it to be attractive to Asian consumers and businesses, the product’s top admirers are restaurants that would not be likely candidates for the ethnic condiment. Today, you can find Sriracha in Wal-Mart and at Applebee’s, where it is used as an ingredient in one of their dishes.

The NYT article states that “multicultural appeal was engineered into the product: the ingredient list on the back of the bottle is written in Vietnamese, Chinese, English, French and Spanish. And serving suggestions include pizzas, hot dogs, hamburgers and, for French speakers, pâtés.”

Food and eating with others, in my opinion, are a very effective way of bridging diversity and increasing cultural awareness. The various modes of social interaction that take place when eating can lead to many enjoyable cultural discoveries. Picture yourself in Thailand at a new friend’s house: How do you eat at the table? What topics of conversation are brought up and which aren’t? Can you share your food with others? How is food served? How do you show to others that you’re full? All of these actions are influenced by culture.

Food can offer wonderful insights to understanding other people and their lifestyles. Eating is a cultural experience, so I urge people to experience food as culture. Please share any interesting stories that remind you of food and culture!!

- Sean

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Here’s a really interesting article in the Wall Street Journal. The recent victory of the National Congress Party, and especially of Mr. Manmohan Singh, who has proven to be a truly global choice for Indians living and voting from all over the world.

“Across the world, 30 million members of the Indian diaspora have largely come to see Mr. Singh as their symbol of a new India.” Several years ago he offered “overseas citizenship” which permits Indians to live, work and travel between multiple places of residence in different countries. This past election, these Indians were able to vote, too, for the Prime Minister.

Indians living abroad have greatly boosted India’s recent growth, as the idea of a global Indian (the article referenced here appears in a column called “The New Global Indian”) is now a recognized term. The Indian diaspora, which is a vast global network, represents a plethora of nationalities and is full of new and changing values from countries that are culturally far from India. For example, the definition of status, where being a doctor or lawyer typically signified an elevated position in the past, has been affected by the influx of technology and especially the use of computers and the internet (all things the diaspora has contributed to). In what other ways has The Global Indian impacted the national culture of India? How will culture change as we continue to be more globally interdependent?

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A very interesting post on Wired suggests that culture may be programmed into DNA, according to a lab study on Zebra Finches. Young male birds are taught to sing specific mating songs by their fathers, but when raised in isolation, generations of birds "figure out" how to sing these same songs in order to successfully reproduce. In other words, culture that is taught, e.g. language and song, is hardwired in the birds’ DNA.

Implications for human culture are found in this evidence, since human and bird evolutionary paths are not so distant (according to the researchers). Does this mean that the development of various human cultural traits and behaviors are not completely influenced by our environments?

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Click here to read an article in Chief Learning Officer magazine where Charlene is quoted on how people from different cultures learn. Here’s a preview:

“The challenge is: How do you take a curriculum and ensure that it’s developed in a way that’s sensitive culturally to your audience? It’s another layer of issues that the instructor has to be aware of…Learning professionals [must] take into account cultural issues at the same time as they think about what type of learner they’re approaching: visual, oral or kinesthetic learners.”

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