Doing Business Internationally

1
Doing Business Internationally

• A Survey of Cultural Patterns
• Latin America

2
Introduction

• Latin America is not a homogeneous area however,
  there are certain similarities
• Most professionals travelling will go to
  Spanish-speaking countries or to Brazil
• Catholicism remains the dominant religion
• Hierarchical society based on relationships and
  courtesy

3
A Sense of Time

• A multifocused orientation
• Latin Americans have the ability to handle
  several tasks simultaneously and pay attention to
  several people at the same time
• A fluid orientation
• Time restrictions are loose and schedules are
  secondary to relationships
• An orientation to the present
• Prefer short-term perspectives

4
A Being Orientation to Action

• Latin Americans value relationships over job
• opportunities / the accomplishment of certain
• tasks
• Perspective Work to live rather than live to
  work
• Strong sense of identity and belonging

5
Communication

• A high-context orientation
• implicit messages rather than direct statements
  reading between the lines
• Indirect communications
• collaborative rather than confrontational
• maintaining harmony and saving face
• Expressive style
• importance of politeness and good manners
• Formal orientation
• differences between social classes/hierarchy

6
A Sense of Space Public and Private

• Public
• Touching, standing close to each other, common
  rooms in offices
• Private
• Home life, privacy often accompanies hierarchy

7
A Hierarchy of Power

• Palanca lever leverage or influence due
  to a personal connection
• A persons identity is largely constituted by
  relationships with others

8
Individualism

• Collectivist orientation
• Cooperation and loyality rather than competition
• machismo image of what a man should be
• traditional male behaviour
• Particularistic orientation
• Obligations first to friends, family and then to
  business

9
Competitiveness Cooperation and
CompetitionEmphasis on relationships and
interdependence but at the same time aggressive
competition

• Structure Order and Flexibility
• Fluctuating economic, political and social
• conditions unstable environment
• Tendency to minimize uncertainty, change and
• risk

10
Ways of Thinking

• Deductive thinking
• Thinking in broad terms less concentration on
  details focus on principles rather than on
  their pragmatic realisation
• Systemic thinking
• Analysation of the connection among processes
  protection of the system rather than the
  individual parts

11
Summary Insights

1. Seek to minimise actions that you regret
2. Take nothing for granted
3. Prepare for a cross-cultural encounter with
   purpose and thoroughness
4. Ensure that your actions take into account the
   underlying perspectives, beliefs and value
   orientations