Importance of understanding culture

I have been fortunate to have worked internationally in Mexico, UK, Japan and South Korea. Different places, different faces and different unwritten rules. A few rules have enriched my experiences abroad. Learn some of the language. Learn the power of hierarchy and the cultural norms.

First, always know how to say hello, please and thank you in the local language. This works. In Korea, many foreigners do not take the time to learn Korean. The response was incredible. I have experienced similar responses in places like Morocco and Turkey.

Second, power differences, hierarchical structures and cultural norms vary worldwide. Mexico generally has a strict adherence to hierarchy which I found surprising. Many, many moons ago, I was leading a team of 12 consultants to deliver a customer relationship management system to ATT Mexico on a very tight timeline. One consultant, Carlos, took on the data migration task. It was huge. Everyone knew that it would take time and there would not be results until the very end of the project. Carlos was a very proud father and loved to bring his little girl presents every time he returned home which was every other week. The Friday before Father’s Day, we had a meeting. Carlos was behind schedule but he had been working very hard. I knew that he needed a break. Making him work the weekend, through Father’s Day, was not an option in my mind. Plus I was leaving for the airport to head back to Seattle. If I was not going to be there, I was not going to have any of my team be there. Well, Eduardo, the senior manager, Carlos’ direct boss, did not like that idea. He ordered Carlos to stay the weekend and get back on schedule — without my knowledge. This was Eduardo’s particular style. Carlos was devastated. Without thinking, I found one of my guys, Juan Carlos, and gave him my credit card. I asked him to send $50 of flowers to Carlos’ wife and apologize that Carlos could not be there, but not to tell Carlos. Juan Carlos gave me a giant bear hug and then volunteered to stay as well.

I returned to Monterrey to an unexpected hero’s welcome. Carlos was ecstatic; everyone on the team congratulated me for being a great “Jefe”. The flowers for his wife were a hit but more importantly it demonstrated to them that I understood their hierarchy at work and at home. Our timeline was still tight, but we delivered the project on-time.

Working relationships take longer to develop outside of America. I found in Japan, South Korea and Mexico that co-operation and consensus is highly prized. These countries respective societies were more collective. To be effective, allow ideas to develop from the entire team. Embrace consensus. Avoid assigning individual tasks but assign tasks as a group. Communication is highly contextual. In Mexico, it is unlikely that anyone will outright say no to a disagreement, but rather, “Si perro” or literally, yes but and then outline the concerns. Working abroad will be more common as our world becomes evermore global. Understanding a little language and the culture is important. Use it to your advantage.