An article in Arabian Business notes that one of the largest hypermarkets in the Middle East, Lulu, experienced a dwindling stock of goods because European exports were in limbo as a result of Eyjafjallajokull’s eruption.

To supply customers with the goods they demanded, alternative products from other countries were sourced. The global taste an average consumer has developed over the past decade has increased the diversity of products in demand. As a result of the volcanic activity in Iceland, many people are now conscious of the widespread economic dependence globalization has fostered. Cultural norms influence consumer behavior. What one cooks, eats and drinks is a direct manifestation of a person’s culture (or perceived culture), and intercultural experiences are heavily marked by gastronomy. The wealth of international experiences at one’s fingertips has influenced the diverse personal cultures that many “global citizens” or “third culture” individuals have today.

How do localized and regional events impact global trends? If globalization continues to make the world a smaller place, how do we cope with future breakdowns? People involved in the Slow Food movement may have some ideas. What do you think?

Sean

RW3 CultureWizard

It’s 8:30am on Saturday, rush hour on the road from New Delhi to Agra. I’m in Faridabad right now, in traffic that can’t quite be called chaos because people have an intention and they are trying to get to work, but frenzied, and you sense there are no rules.

People have warned me about the traffic and the roads in India, especially this one, but I’m from Los Angeles, so how surprised could I be, right?

We just passed an open bed truck with at least a dozen day laborers—men and women—sitting in the sun. Hundreds, thousands of bicycles and mopeds weave through the lanes with overflowing buses, tuktuks (three wheeled miniature taxis), oxen with carts, Toyota’s and huge lorries (trucks). The road is paved, but lanes are non-existent. It is a bizarre notion that this clogged artery really delivers people and goods to their destinations.

It becomes wild, like the most fantastic gridlock nightmare an American urbanite can imagine. We were on a divided two-lane highway when suddenly we came to complete standstill. There was an army convoy on the opposite side of the road that had stopped the traffic flow. Why did it make our side cease to move? Bus and truck drivers decided our side—heading in the opposite direction—would actually move faster. So, they crossed over to our side of the road and took one lane—head-on. They created a lane going in the opposite direction! Motor scooters, bikes, tuktuks (we counted 12 people inside and one person on top) joined the trucks and buses in the parade. Going fast, too.

What did traffic on our side of the road do? No problem. We created an additional lane where people were walking, animals were moving, cars were parked! No one seemed the least surprised this was happening. The amazing thing is that the road wasn’t strewn with bodies. And in spite of it all, and all the horn-honking, I didn’t sense any road rage.

Charlene

“Americans think if they are well-intentioned and go overseas or anywhere, they’ll be successful. Being well-intentioned isn’t enough,” said Charlene Solomon, EVP of RW3 Culturewizard who co-authored Managing Across Cultures with CEO Michael Schell. Solomon says that “businesspeople need to understand cultural differences and pinpoint what global customers want from their product.”

Wal-Mart considers local tastes in selling crocodiles at a Sam's Club in Guangzhou, China. AP

One of the most important tips Schell and Solomon offered is to “honor the local culture as exemplified by McDonald’s buying local produce and ingredients rather than having them shipped in.” Knowing the customer in an intimate way, as one would more naturally do in their native country, is absolutely essential. Developing a global mindset is a core competency for all members of an organization, management especially, in the 21st century.

Click here to jump to the article.

Josh

RW3 CultureWizard

The cover story of this month’s American Executive, titled “Global Mindset,” features Charlene Solomon, Michael Schell and their book Managing Across Cultures. The growing need for executives and their organizations to effectively do business in a very global market is highlighted by the crucial role culture plays worldwide. “The most serious errors made by Americans when dealing with other cultures include ignoring other cultures’ need for relationship building and assuming other cultures share our love for risk-taking, say Schell and Solomon…One reason Americans tend to underestimate the need for relationships, said Solomon, is that time is so important to us. ‘We don’t realize that building relationships and taking time to talk to people are really important. We tend to think these things are gratuitous.’”

A strong sense of relationship and rapport prevails in many cultures outside North America and Western Europe. In East and South Asia and the Middle East, business is built on trusting, personal relationships that extend beyond the workplace.

According to Solomon, this relationship building takes “a few minutes to chat about something on a conference call, taking a little bit of a personal interest in the person on the other end of the phone, and being polite in an opening note in an e-mail.” Cognizance of the cultural need for this kind of behavior is not difficult, and practice makes perfect. “We practice it internally,” she said. “Opening an e-mail with a hello, if appropriate saying you hope they had a good weekend, closing it with your name, just being polite. Also, we take some time before meetings start and see that time of relationship building as part of the business process.”

Owning this knowledge of other cultures empowers you as a global professional, and builds on your global mindset, a must-have for the 21st century.

Click here to jump to the full article online.

RW3 CultureWizard

Paul

RW3 CultureWizard

Books on President Obama in Shanghai. Photo: Gao Erqiang

Read an opinion piece in the South China Morning Post that highlights Obama’s non-confrontational and culturally sensitive approach to Asia.

Click here to watch CCTV’s (China Central Television) coverage of President Obama’s arrival to the Chinese capital and initial meeting with President Hu Jintao. We found it interesting that the broadcaster in this clip emphasized how he shortened his stay in Japan and South Korea, but did not change his schedule in China. What kind of culturally-rooted communication style is this broadcaster using, and what is he implying? What other thoughts do you have about the tour in Asia?

Since cultural understanding is crucial to international relations, we are offering our next Pocket Guide in the series, which is on China. If you’d like to receive this, please click here.

Charlene

RW-3.com