Cooperation with international contractors may be associated not only with possible language barriers but also with problems in understanding a foreign culture and its customs. In order to minimize obstacles within communication with international colleagues, it is worth knowing their preferred ways to communicate as well as their habits. So how do you adjust the way of contacting and communicating in accordance to a specific country?
Ways of communicating depending on the country
In person, by phone or email? Is every team member allowed to contact a given contractor or should it be done only by the manager himself?… It would certainly be very useful to receive universal answers to these questions and make sure they apply to any kind of cooperation with any country. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and depending on the nationality of our collaborator or colleague, the ways to communicate can differ significantly. So how do you know if it’s better to call, write an email, or in person regularly visit a country in order to discuss important cooperation issues? And… whom to send to such a meeting? You will find the answers by carrying out a good research as well as learning about the business habits of the country you work with. It is important to read about this subject and learn about cultural differences, but also to find someone who has had the opportunity to cooperate with a given country and can give us some advice.
It is not possible to include all countries in one article and convey the most important principles of contact and communication, but some examples that may prove very useful can be found below:
Cooperation with Japan
In Japan, it is preferable to establish the first business contacts in person, and then to cultivate this contact for a long time – to treat this relationship as a kind of company capital. During all negotiations with the Japanese, it is rare to use the ways to contact in form of distance communication, such as video conferencing. It should also be remembered that maintaining business communication with the Japanese requires a lot of commitment and it can take much longer time to build up a fluency than between European companies.
Cooperation with Spain
When working with Spaniards, special attention should be paid to their temperament, cheerfulness, kindness, but also their pride and self-esteem. It is therefore important to treat the other party with the rightful respect. It should also be remembered that the Spaniards are known for the approach that everything that can be postponed until tomorrow. This, because they value a slower pace of life and flexible time frames. So, if you arrange a phone conversation with a Spanish collaborator, you must be prepared for possible delays. It is worth mentioning, however, that Spaniards value personal contact much more than contact via virtual channels. This is because during a cooperation, it is the people who are most important to them. When contacting a collaborator from Spain, you must also remember not to treat interruption of your speech as rude. Why? From a Spanish point of view, such interruption indicates a very high interest in the conversation.
Cooperation with Russia
While cooperating with Russia, first of all one should remember the high degree of hierarchy. Therefore, regardless of whether it is a conversation at a business meeting or on telephone, it should be made by a person at the top of the company hierarchy. The second very important thing is the fact that every aspect of the business contact with the Russians should take place in their native language. English is basically not used and according to the Russians, it creates a barrier that prevents establishing closer business relations. This attitude is also applied to conversations through an interpreter. It is therefore a great advantage to have skills in this language if you want to establish good contact with Russia.
Cooperation with India
And how does the situation look in India? In fact, getting to know the current culture of India is extremely complex and relatively difficult. It results from the prevailing multinationalism, multilingualism and the multireligious society. Fortunately, the English language is widely used in business. What else is worth knowing about India? Indian society is based mainly on personal contacts, and giving presents and gifts is perfectly normal – even very welcomed. So, if you are not able to give a gift in person to your business partner because your contact is maintained over distance, maybe you should think about sending it?
Cooperation with Africa
Also here English is widely recognized as a business language, so you don’t have to worry about the eleven major languages in Africa. Additionally, you need to know that Africans value close contact with a business partner, so it’s worth thinking about establishing closer relationships that are purely on a personal level. In Africa, all summaries and reports are highly valued. Regardless of whether it was a face to face business meeting, telephone or email conversation, at the end it is worth giving your business partner a detailed summary of all arrangements.
Cooperation with Sweden
In Sweden, people are not eager to share their emotions, neither in personal life nor in business. Therefore, remember to avoid direct, close contact at the beginning of your relationship. During each conversation with the Swedes, pay attention to the great importance of words. Why? Because the Swedes appreciate the value of the word, they do not interrupt the interlocutor and – the verbal agreement is as important as a written one. Looking into more extensive information on Swedish business culture might be useful to you!
Cooperation with the USA
When working with the US, it is obvious that the language of business is English. You should speak this language very well, because Americans assume that since it is an international language, they don’t have the need to speak other languages well. They are also known for a quick switch to a less formal way of addressing a business partner, which is why you should not be surprised by such a turn of events, even if you have just established your first business contacts. Also, try to do everything yourself, because in the American business world creating delegations consisting of several people is considered very uneconomical. In case of contact with Americans, electronic correspondence is totally acceptable. Just remember that in the US time is money and every email should be concise and strictly on the subject. It is also be expected that this way of communicating will be much less formal and not always fit in any business protocol.
Every country has its own culture and habits, and this is reflected in business relationships. It is difficult to match one universal way of communicating and the approach will depend on the country with which we cooperate. Also learning all the customs and every element of the business culture might result difficult. But in order to help maintaining relationships during a long period of time, it certainly is worth getting hold of at least some basic information.