Chloé Maurice, intercultural expert and operational leader across multiple continents

CultureConnector’s material on the Democratic Republic of Congo, is now available to all learners, thanks to the extensive insights and analysis of Chloé Maurice, Cultural Correspondent and consultant at Mosaic Haven (check back soon for activity at this new venture).

The new material attempts to give a brief introduction to the cultures inside the DRC. With its population of more than 100 million including a diversity of ethnic and social groups, this country significantly extends our coverage of Central Africa. Look out for more cultures of this fast-growing continent, coming to CultureConnector soon. Current coverage is always up to date in the CultureConnector cultures page.

Abayneh Haile, educator in international communication

Advising on the development of CultureConnector’s material on Ethiopia, Abayneh Haile is an entrepreneur based in Addis Ababa, founder of a Bridge Centre for Professional Development. Bridge CPD serves international organisations operating out of Ethiopia’s capital, a city home to many institutions which consider Addis Ababa to be the head quarters for operations across the entire continent of Africa. Now in CultureConnector, you can discover the uniting characteristics of members of Ethiopian culture as well as the complexities of the diverse peoples who live there, not least the Oromo, the Amhara, the Tigrayans, Somalis, Guragi and even the influence of the Ethiopian diaspora elsewhere in the world. Create your CultureConnector account to start learning about Ethiopian culture.

Anissa Lamrani, intercultural trainer

Switching smoothly between Algerian, French, British and international perspectives, Anissa Lamrani was the cultural intelligence driving CultureConnector’s new material on Algeria. She has long experience developing intercultural training programmes in the corporate world and now works on a wide range of projects for higher education institutions, while also finding time to volunteer in the third sector. CultureConnector’s profile of Algeria weaves together the major influences shaping Algerian culture, including Islam and the cultures of the Middle East, the French colonial era and the struggle for independence, the indigenous Berber traditions as well as more recent trends in the young generation and expatriate Algerians. Create your CultureConnector account to start learning about Algerian culture.

Tamara Makoni, interculturalist and entrepreneur

Combining a talent for communication and culture, Tamara Makoni is the originator of the sensitive and qualitative portrayal of Zimbabwean culture in CultureConnector. A rich blend of modern urban institutions in a high-functioning business sector alongside excluded yet resourceful people engaged in the daily struggle for survival in the informal economy, Zimbabwe is a microcosm of the global race for development and the diverse speeds at which that is happening. In CultureConnector’s new material on Zimbabwe, you can discover the (to newcomers) hidden hierarchies of traditional cultures which run parallel to formal, above-the-surface hierarchies in Zimbabwean institutions, tips on how some foreigners have succeeded in bridging the social distance with new contacts in Zimbabwe, and much more practical and analytical information on the culture. Create your CultureConnector account to start learning about Zimbabwean culture.

The new profiles cover a total population of 175 million including a diversity of ethnic and social groups within these nations and relationships with other cultures, near and far. We’re extending our coverage of Africa fast. Look out for more cultures of this fast-growing continent, coming to CultureConnector soon. Current coverage is always up to date in the CultureConnector cultures page.

Abayneh Haile, educator in international communication

Advising on the development of CultureConnector’s material on Ethiopia, Abayneh Haile is an entrepreneur based in Addis Ababa, founder of a Bridge Centre for Professional Development. Bridge CPD serves international organisations operating out of Ethiopia’s capital, a city home to many institutions which consider Addis Ababa to be the head quarters for operations across the entire continent of Africa. Now in CultureConnector, you can discover the uniting characteristics of members of Ethiopian culture as well as the complexities of the diverse peoples who live there, not least the Oromo, the Amhara, the Tigrayans, Somalis, Guragi and even the influence of the Ethiopian diaspora elsewhere in the world. Create your CultureConnector account to start learning about Ethiopian culture.

Anissa Lamrani, intercultural trainer

Switching smoothly between Algerian, French, British and international perspectives, Anissa Lamrani was the cultural intelligence driving CultureConnector’s new material on Algeria. She has long experience developing intercultural training programmes in the corporate world and now works on a wide range of projects for higher education institutions, while also finding time to volunteer in the third sector. CultureConnector’s profile of Algeria weaves together the major influences shaping Algerian culture, including Islam and the cultures of the Middle East, the French colonial era and the struggle for independence, the indigenous Berber traditions as well as more recent trends in the young generation and expatriate Algerians. Create your CultureConnector account to start learning about Algerian culture.

Tamara Makoni, interculturalist and entrepreneur

Combining a talent for communication and culture, Tamara Makoni is the originator of the sensitive and qualitative portrayal of Zimbabwean culture in CultureConnector. A rich blend of modern urban institutions in a high-functioning business sector alongside excluded yet resourceful people engaged in the daily struggle for survival in the informal economy, Zimbabwe is a microcosm of the global race for development and the diverse speeds at which that is happening. In CultureConnector’s new material on Zimbabwe, you can discover the (to newcomers) hidden hierarchies of traditional cultures which run parallel to formal, above-the-surface hierarchies in Zimbabwean institutions, tips on how some foreigners have succeeded in bridging the social distance with new contacts in Zimbabwe, and much more practical and analytical information on the culture. Create your CultureConnector account to start learning about Zimbabwean culture.

The new profiles cover a total population of 175 million including a diversity of ethnic and social groups within these nations and relationships with other cultures, near and far. We’re extending our coverage of Africa fast. Look out for more cultures of this fast-growing continent, coming to CultureConnector soon. Current coverage is always up to date in the CultureConnector cultures page.

More entrepreneurs

“France has become really supportive of entrepreneurial culture. They are really trying to foster small businesses and help startups to flourish. The French State has simplified accounting rules. It has been pushing lots of different kinds of funds and pépinières, the little groups and incubators helping new businesses to get started administratively, get funding, find mentors et cetera.”

Télétravail gradually replacing presence in some workplaces

By comparison with other European countries, employers in France traditionally seemed reticent about allowing employees to work from home. Presence at work is important here. But even before the coronavirus hit France, télétravail was increasing and France was catching up fast. “This is not just because of covid. The change was in the air already before that.”

“It’s becoming a much more flexible work environment,” says Kathryn. “There are large numbers of places where entrepreneurs can go, have working spaces, where they can exchange with each other, have mentoring networks. These are mini-communities for entrepreneurs. It’s happening. It’s a very dynamic environment.”

What young people want

“In France, young people want to do their own thing, not get stuck in a big corporate structure. They have very strong ideals. A lot of business schools run courses to help young people set themselves up as entrepreneurs.”

In 2017 Emmanuel Macron campaigned for the presidency with the slogan ‘La France doit être une chance pour tous’ (everyone in France deserves a chance). Young people in particular felt blocked by a bureaucratic system designed to regulate big business but the same regulation was falling heavily on the grassroots startup community. “Macron campaigned on a ‘startup nation’ platform, in response to young people. The regulations on business life are hard to change in France, but he has invested in the business side of things”.

More myths to bust

“Today, France is much more open to foreigners,” continues Kathryn. “The French now understand that, in terms of business, France must think more internationally. There is still a ‘stay-in-France, buy-local’ mentality, but at the same time, young people are going and doing internships in the UK or China, for example. Everyone wants international experience.”

“French people are more used to having foreigners in their workplaces and are becoming more receptive to their foreign colleagues’ perspective. When I arrived in France, 20 years ago, the attitude was very much ‘when in France, do as the French do’. That’s still true, but it is shifting. Everyone’s slowly adapting to the wider world.”

The keys to French culture

Kathryn has advice for a newcomer into French culture.

Recognise common values and different styles

“Observe. Understand what your own cultural perspective is. Recognise that while you share the deeper values with your French colleagues such as fairness and honesty and so on, the way those values are expressed in France may be very different from the way you would express them.”

Go for lunch

One stable part of French culture which Kathryn reports is well preserved in today’s workplace is the lunch break.

“Nowadays it is not the end of the world if you take a rushed 15-minute lunch break in France. Lunch is less of a big deal than it used to be. But a good lunch is still something that everyone feels entitled to. It’s a good way to get to know your co-workers and to build informal relationships. Lunch can be the crucial time-out which unblocks difficult negotiations. No-one is going to want to work with you until they really get to know you. Lunch helps to build some of that trust.”

Learn French

“And yet your most important key for unlocking French culture is this: learn French. Even if your French colleagues are fluent in English, learn French.

But here is something that has also changed a lot. When I came to France, I met the attitude ‘nice try with your French’ when foreigners fumbled with less-than-perfect French language skills. But now the French are trying to learn English and they are sensitive about how bad their English is, so they are much more sympathetic when foreigners try to speak French.”

A little less conservative at work

Kathryn led the review and updating of CultureConnector’s profile of France in 2020 and her re-write included a newer perspective on risk-taking in French culture.

“There is a little bit more taste for risk-taking these days, especially among young people, but in general French employees are still conservative in comparison to many countries outside Europe. They want steady employment with good retirement benefits.”

Hearing Kathryn’s insights as a professionally-objective observer of French culture, it quickly becomes clear that she’s also very much a participant who identifies ever more closely with her adopted nation.

“Moving to Nantes in the West of France put me in a situation where everyone around me is French – and traditional French. It has given me a deeper appreciation of the aspects of French culture which I thought were not so great: the sense of entitlement to State benefits, the willingness to go on strike, the education system. Now I understand the logic behind these cultural phenomena.”

“The French don’t care what others think of them.” Not true!

“The French are more curious than they used to be about what foreigners think of them. The emergence of low-cost airlines and globalisation of business have led to French people having more experience of being in other cultures, of leaving France. The desire to connect and compare is stronger in Paris and in the French border- and port-cities.”

“Meanwhile, like many countries, France also has a strong geographic centre where people are more satisfied to continue doing things the local way, without much interest in ideas from outside.” Vive la différence!

Walking the talk as an interculturalist

Executive coaching and team development programmes fill Kathryn’s calendar for most of her work week, as well as leadership development for high potentials which are becoming more common in French corporations. Writing pieces on French culture was a step outside her normal work in 2020.

As well as updating and expanding CultureConnector’s resources on France, Kathryn is continually enhancing her own skills as coach, and applying intercultural techniques in new scenarios.

“Culture is often a good starting point with international clients when I am trying to create team cohesion or even when I get called in to resolve a tension between co-workers or with a boss – tensions that are often labelled as a cultural difference.”

“You can start out with culture and then other factors come into play. Understanding international differences has been very important.”

“When I am coaching, I need to use intercultural techniques myself.” Kathryn lists a few items in her approach:

• understand how direct the culture is, how they express their thoughts, how comfortable they are disagreeing
• recognise how they deal with hierarchy: in some cases initially they will see you, the coach, as a “higher-up”
• know how to build trust: should you achieve that in the professional context of the coaching session? or should you go to lunch with them?
• read everything you can find about the culture, talk with people who have experience of the culture, and like I tell my clients too: observe and learn from the people you’re sharing these working moments with.

New perspectives on French culture

“It was great fun thinking about cultural change in France and being part of the review in CultureConnector. We had to recognise that some things had not changed. The French are still bureaucratic (take for example of the filling-in of forms during the corona crisis). They still like a good argument. They will still punish you for making mistakes or for sloppy-thinking in debates.”

“On the other hand we could recognise a great many things which had changed. There is more acceptance of trial and error. The French spend less time spent testing ideas at the concept stage. They expect faster innovation.”

“They want to take more ownership of their own careers. Sometimes they even allow a little optimism to creep into conversation.”

“More and more workplaces are rejecting the traditional command-and-enforce model and instead embracing personal responsibility at work, though still small in number.

“In some sectors, teamwork has become less competitive and there is talk of trendy concepts such as ‘co-creation’.”

“And shock of shocks: you may even see lunch being served during a business meeting in a conference room!”

Kathryn Libioulle-Clutz is an independent executive coach and consultant and for CultureConnector is Cultural Correspondent for France. The updated profile of 2020s France is available now in CultureConnector.

• More about Elizabeth and her work on diversity in the workplace in Japan

How do you get buy-in for intercultural training in what could be the world’s toughest market?

I invest a lot of time in bringing down the barriers on a human-to-human level. For me, being based in Tokyo means doing business not only in Japanese, but also in a terminology that’s familiar to top execs. I work hard to see things from their point of view. And in practice, I make sure that I meet the decision-makers and influencers through projects, networking events and any forum outside of a traditional sales pitch. The five-point approach published on this site is a good way to capture the fundamental spirit of what I do.

What’s the core idea behind your work?

My current mission in life is to help the Japanese deal with their declining and aging population by embracing and integrating other cultures into Japanese culture. It’s fair to say that Japan is still a monoculture.

One of my key goals is to build recognition of diversity issues in Japanese board rooms. That recognition of diversity is growing, and slowly organisations are learning to walk the talk on diversity and inclusion. It’s not quick, but we are making progress.

How do you get started?

I have to give a little personal history, because it’s almost impossible to hit the ground running coming in as an outsider into Japan. Your personal connection with Japan is key. They prefer to deal with insiders and they look for people who have a deep understanding and long history with Japan. I have an Australian background and worked as a Diplomat for the Australian government’s trade commission. I worked in many Asian countries and my connection with Japan goes back 30 years. My role back then was to connect local companies with Australian companies, so I had to act as an Asia expert and a cultural interpreter.

It’s unlikely that a foreigner in Japan will ever be accepted as an insider. You may eventually qualify in the eyes of Japanese colleagues if you work for the company for 30 years, but becoming an insider is impossible for many foreigners. Your track record in Japan is your best hope of being chosen to join the inner circle.

In terms of getting a specific Board-level action started, one of my projects started with a conversation between me and a business leader about introducing CultureConnector into his organisation. I already knew the gentleman. Introducing technology, automation and reporting can really attract the attention of Boards in tech-loving Japan. You just need to connect the technology to their business goals.

Technology is part of the “getting your approach right” aspect of the five-point system for winning Board support.

Talking of the five-point system, what’s your experience of this in Japan…

…on ambition level?

You cannot push things too far, too fast in Japan, especially if that thing seems to come from the outside. The notorious case of the Olympus CEO shows how quickly ideas are squashed if “global” approaches are introduced too rapidly. Working as a board insider in Japan, I see this very clearly now. Learn to walk before you try to run.

…on getting your approach right?

As a foreigner in Japan, you’re only selected for certain roles, so you need to generate maximum advantage from the opportunities you get. The role of “cultural interpreter” may be vague and poorly-defined, but it is important and can get you a seat at the top table.

I’ve taken every chance to introduce the ideas of diversity and inclusion. The approach which is working best now in Japan is to frame culture as an aspect of management, as a management science. In fact, the term “diversity management” makes sense to people here. With a decreasing population, Japanese leaders accept the need to bring new sources of talent into the economy.

…on connecting with individual board members?

One of my many hats is as global research team leader for the Japan Diversity Network, an umbrella organisation for other associations which promote diversity, including some big companies. It’s rewarding to collaborate with so many energetic people who bring energy to the movement towards diversity in Japan.

There are some great high-profile examples here, such as the charismatic former CEO of food and snack-maker Calbee, who made huge progress in promoting gender-balance in the workplace.

…on the financial case?

Japanese boards are like boards in US and European in the sense that they want to see measurable results. They are looking for a connection with business goals and impact on financial performance.

If you manage to demonstrate the benefits in dollars and yen, then board members here are much more likely to sign up to “soft skills” initiatives. But the evidence base here in Japan is still weak and we need more longitudinal studies.

…on getting the timing right?

Few Japanese business leaders will invest their time and corporate resources into pre-empting the need for cultural competence. People here accept cultural training as necessary only when there is a specific business event that creates a “burning platform”

How to win board approval for your proposal

Five steps to preparing your proposal to board-level executives for intercultural training, with downloadable material.

How do you see the future of intercultural competence development in Japan?

Japan is starting from behind. But international comparisons are not useful here. Japan is in fact doing quite well, considering its unique history.

In Japan, we could say that diversity is gradually becoming accepted, but inclusion will be the greatest challenge. People here need to fully accept diversity in principle first before we move forward to inclusion strategies. Training has a role to play here.

You can appreciate the scale of the challenge when you realise that the Japanese believe that it is not really possible for outsiders to truly understand Japanese people.

Japanese organisations do respond to messaging from the top and fortunately I am seeing an increasing number of boards who “get” diversity as a path to future business success.

I meet a lot of people who know something about Ukraine, from a distance.

Many people have heard about Ukraine in the news in the last couple of years. They may have watched Ukraine stage the the Euro football championships in 2012, the Eurovision song contest in Kiev in 2004 or 2017, and seen reports about the Orange Revolution of 2004 and the Revolution of Dignity of 2014.

Some men (it always seems to be men) tell me about the legendary beauty of Ukrainian women, while the economists and historians I meet in my university role know Ukraine as the bread basket of the Europe.

Sports fans may have seen the Klichko brothers fight or Shevchenko score goals on the football pitch. One or two food-lovers may mention borsch or Chicken Kiev or salo (yes, it’s pig fat, to save you a visit to Wikipedia).

While some people have heard cultural figures talk lyrically about Ukraine (see box), I’ve met others who got their initial information about my country from the Simpsons.

What people really should know about Ukraine

But the truth up close is far more complex and fascinating. Now, by helping to prepare CultureConnector’s new cultural profile of Ukraine I’ve been able to dive into some big topics which delight, amuse, frustrate and amaze people from other cultures as they start to work with Ukrainians.

Believe me, there are some things you really should know as you begin a collaboration with my countryfolk. I see evidence of this regularly, working with teams, experts, executives, families and students to bridge the cultural divide.

Some of the themes which come through strongly in the CultureConnector profile are

• the need for social connection in the workplace
• the challenge of uncovering hidden business problems
• the particular approach to project planning

There are a couple more themes that I want to share here, based on many years of research and practice in this field, and far-distant from the view you get on the Simpsons.

Living large in a big country

Ukraine is big. It’s the largest county entirely within Europe, bigger than France, Spain or Germany and only slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Texas, at 603,628 square kilometres.

Industries tend to be big too. Ukraine has 33% of the world’s best rich dark soil, and agriculture is still a vital economic sector.

Ukraine has the biggest manganese ore deposits in the world (2.3 billion tons or 11 percent of the planet’s reserves), a key raw material in steel-making.

Ukraine is the world’s third largest exporter of honey, with a total of around seventy thousand tons – an incredible amount of honey!

Creativity that is off the scale

It’s not only nature that is big in Ukraine. Human ambition also happens on a giant scale.

Kiev is home to the world’s biggest plane, the Antonov An-225 Mriya. Its 88-metre wingspan is the largest of any aircraft and it weighs 640 tons.

The world’s longest musical instrument is the Trembita, which also originated from Ukraine. It is a very long pipe (up to 4 meters) played by the Hutsul people, an ethnicity from Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains.

The world’s deepest metro station is 105.5 meters beneath Ukraine’s capital city, and you might celebrate this fact by filling a glass of champagne – the world’s biggest champagne glass was made in Ukraine.

With the right motivation there are no limits to the creativity of Ukrainians and their desire to be the best. Many of my foreign clients have achieved great success in unlocking this creativity from their Ukrainian teams. Some clients first approached me because they were not realising the full potential of their projects in Ukraine. How can you release the potential of a Ukrainian team? You can now get started by exploring CultureConnector’s profile of Ukraine and get some of the keys to unlocking that Ukrainian creative potential.

Outside of business hours

With good leadership, Ukrainians work long and hard, but they typically work to live rather than live to work. They expect to connect with their colleagues in a human-to-human way, and perhaps become friends. Social events with co-workers and personal events outside of the workplace are important in working life too.

It’s important to show your interest in Ukrainian life, society and culture. There’s plenty of it. For example,

• Civilisation inside the borders of modern Ukraine dates back to 4800 B.C.E. and the Trypillian and Scythian cultures.
• Ukraine claims the geographical centre of Europe: the small town of Rakhiv in western Ukraine.
• UNESCO has certified several World Heritage sites in Ukraine, including the primeval beech forests of the Carpathians, Kiev’s 11th century Saint-Sophia Cathedral and the ancient city of Chersonesus.
• The Black Sea water level is more or less free of tides, one of the reason why the Black and Azov Seas have been so popular with holidaymakers.

Visiting Ukraine for business, your Ukrainian hosts will be happy to see that you are in the country for pleasure too.

Europe’s IT department.

Ukrainian society is highly educated, with literacy rates in the top ten in the world. The Ostroh Academy is one of the oldest universities anywhere. And today Ukraine has one of the largest populations of IT professionals in the world.

Software development and other IT services form a big and booming sector in Ukraine. Ukrainians are joining the projects of teams and organisations in Europe and worldwide on an outsourcing model, and Ukrainian companies are being bought by tech giants such as Google and Snapchat.

The worldwide video game hit Cossacks, the startup behind the $100m investor-backed Grammarly and a co-founder of PayPal are all Ukrainian.

Ukrainians are very goal-oriented and persistent in achieving what they really want.

Joy in the Complaints Department

OMG! There are so many things to mention! Being a proud Ukrainian I can continue writing about this country as long as you can keep scrolling. Ukraine has a lot to offer to each of you!

You will be pleasantly surprised. Most of all by the people. Here in Ukraine you will not see fake smiles. If someone smiles at you it will be a warm, honest smile sent from the bottom of their heart. The question “How are you?’’ is not a meaningless formality in Ukraine but a genuine interest in your successes and in your causes for complaint. In fact, the question is often an excuse to find a common ground for complaints. A good session of shared and exchanged complaining could lead to making real friends.

So if there is something you have always wanted to complain about – Ukraine is the place!

About 77 % of Ukrainians have never been abroad and 36% have never left their region! They are waiting for you to arrive on business or pleasure. So as a foreigner, it’s time to take the keys to this culture and prepare to be sincerely received, listened to, appreciated and …fed of course!

Get discovering!
Щиро запрошуємо!

_{Aircraft photo by barteq24}

Interview with Victor Batista and Ana Carolina Jacinto

“It’s like a test. It’s like one, big test” cries Charlize Theron’s character in the 1997 film Devil’s Advocate. It’s a movie that CultureConnector’s Cultural Correspondent for Brazil, Victor Batista, has thought about a lot. “The Keanu Reeves character is forced to confront his principles as he chases riches in a new land of hidden deals, power-brokers and compromised principles. Sometimes in Brazil, it’s like the film. You get opportunities for short-term advantage by breaking the rules. It’s frustrating to walk away from that and see others take those opportunities.”

But now Victor is celebrating 20 years since he founded Forvm, a company which exists to build a trading bridge between Brazil and Europe. “We are doing the right thing,” says Victor. “We have kept our principles and built a sustainable business in Brazil without breaking our ethical code. It’s one of the myths about Brazil, that to do business here, you must pay bribes.”

Few people have more experience of the ocean of cultural difference and the need for a bridge than Victor Batista. Although culture and intercultural competence is often not on the radar at first for Forvm’s customers, a big part of the long-term value of the company’s service is bringing together very different mindsets.

“We give hands-on support with very practical tasks for companies setting up here, or trading. But we are also here to give insight, encouragement and to help them navigate each other’s culture,” adds Victor. Foreign companies often start out with misconceptions about Brazil. “There are myths we must bust,” insists Victor.

Myth-busting

From Victor’s team, Ana Carolina Jacinto has a professional interest in the cultural dimension of international trade. “People around the world are getting to know Brazil. They witnessed the 2016 Olympics, they know carnival, they may drink Brazilian coffee and even have Brazilian colleagues or Facebook connections. However, some myths have real staying-power and still influence how people outside think about Brazil,” she says. We asked Ana Carolina to describe some of the big ones.

• Brazil is a big country. “That’s true, and yes, there is one flag and one national language. But this is not just a bigger version of most countries on earth. At 200 million people Brazil has such diversity that a one-size-fits-all approach cannot succeed. A Brazilian from the south may feel closer in working style to Europeans than to other Brazilians from the north, who themselves may identify more closely with Spanish-speaking Mexicans than with fellow Brazilians further south. Any ‘strategy for Brazil’ is likely to need variations for different markets and regions within the country.”
• Brazil just produces the basics. “In fact, there are small, medium and large Brazil-based organisations producing world-class, high-tech products and services. Against all the evidence, many European organisations still don’t believe in Brazilian tech. The situation is made worse by Brazilian companies holding the same mistaken view. They need to believe in themselves too.”
• Business models that work elsewhere will work in Brazil too. “Sometimes a tried-and-tested formula that has worked in other countries simply doesn’t work in Brazil. We were helping to set up a subsidiary in Brazil for a foreign company one time. To succeed here we needed to introduce a major adjustment to their organisation structure, adding people just to deal with tax calculation and international communication. The roles did not exist anywhere else in the 50 countries where the company operated, but were essential here.”

World champions in bureaucracy

Victor is Swiss-Brazilian and has worked on both sides of the Atlantic. “I sometimes hear Europeans complain that the only certainties in life are taxes and death. Let’s bring a Brazilian perspective to this. Running a business in Switzerland I had to pay three taxes per year: a relatively simple tax return for the city, canton (region) and to the national government. In Brazil my company Forvm often pays forty taxes per month, each with its own calculation and paperwork.”

“Brazil is the World Champion in tax bureaucracy” Victor adds. “It’s been estimated that a typical company is required to spend 2600 hours per year just to calculate taxes, before any payments, queries and other tax administration.”

Impact of politics on working life in Brazil

Politics matters in Brazil. For people working in Brazilian organisations, the priorities of the government can have far-reaching consequences on everyday life. “The change from Fernando Henrique Cardoso to Lula in 2004 was a big one,” says Victor. “The earlier government had built levers to manage the economy, steering Brazilian organisations softly towards development and growth, so when Lula came in with a harder, more interventionist approach, Brazilian organisations faced a big increase in regulation.”

“Things can change dramatically, and they did again in 2016 when we got a new president. Some organisations took advantage of the liberalising agenda of the new government. But many large organisations continued with old habits – even those which were privatised and moved from the public sector to become private enterprises.”

Change and no change in Brazil

Victor strongly believes in getting to know the operating environment of your Brazilian partner or subsidiary. “Based on nearly 30 years of conducting market research for inward investors, I can tell you that when you deal with a Brazilian organisation, you could find yourself in a modern working environment with innovative management practices, low hierarchies, transparency and businesslike mindset. After all, Brazil has a strong and growing tech sector. But there are also many traditional organisations who have not changed and seemingly will not change.”

Victor goes on to explain that sometimes these traditional organisations are protected from change because the normal pressures of global business do not apply. Corrupt deals in the past may mean that innovation was not required: competitors were not given a fair chance. This had some distorting effects, right through the organisation. Without the heat of competition, there was less need for innovation, efficiency or logical problem-solving. The distorting effect could repeat through the whole supply chain.

“When starting to work with a Brazilian organisation, you need to know the full context of how it operates. The desire of a Brazilian organisation to innovate, change and play by international standards depends on how much money the company is currently making. We’ve seen some large family businesses simply repeating mistakes until they run out of money.”

Change is also slowed in Brazil by what Victor calls its colony mindset. “We have a culture of passively waiting for colonists to come and show us new techniques. Oftentimes, Brazilians do not reach out to explore technologies and approaches which are already established elsewhere. They might expect the world to come to Brazil. They want to be taught.”

Resources and resourcefulness

“At Forvm we’re helping Brazilian and foreign organisations overcome these challenges every day. But let’s remember the enormous opportunities of crossing the bridge between Brazil and the rest of the world. We have amazing resources of workers and consumers in Brazil, tens of millions of whom have spending power equal to citizens of the world’s richest nations. We also have a large population of the poor, and a lot of activities for development agencies working to improve the lives of lower-income and excluded people.”

“…And that’s to say nothing of Brazil’s fabulous natural resources, protected by strict laws environmental laws (weakly enforced) which add to the richness of the country.”

In the movie Devil’s Advocate, Al Pacino stands in the way of a perfect Hollywood ending, but “the results are good for our customers” says Ana Carolina. “Crossing the cultural bridge is an adventure, but in my work I get the privilege of seeing the rewards flowing back to the investors, to the adventurous personnel who make it happen and to the communities around them.”

Victor and Ana Carolina have recently updated the content of CultureConnector on Brazil.

• www.forvm.com.br
• About Victor Batista
• About Ana Carolina Jacinto
• Cultural facts about Brazil
• More on Brazil in Cultureconnector

Insha’allah, tawakkala, we will get there!

One time I was invited to lunch in the town of Sohar, which is a two-hour drive away from the capital, Muscat. I went to an Omani friend’s house, Hamed, to catch a lift with him. I arrived just in time to set off.

I sat myself in the car put my seatbelt on and sat there for half an hour whilst Hamed had a long conversation on his phone with his father.

After the conversation, we started driving towards the motorway but before we entered it, we stopped at a teashop for chai even though we were already running late.

After two casual cups of tea we started driving in the opposite direction of the motorway and picked up another friend who had rung up during our teabreak and decided impulsively that he wanted to join us for the lunch in Sohar.

After picking up Saïd, we got onto the motorway and promptly pulled in at the next petrol station.

Whilst Hamed filled up the car, Saïd and I took tea and got onto the conversation of “insha’allah” (God willing). I noticed that he had used a different word, “tawakkala”. It means to have a trust in God. ‘The difference to “insha’allah” is subtle but important’, he informed me as we slowly walked towards petrol station shop to pick up some sweets. I cannot remember if I actually asked what the difference was but, either way, he then spent 45 minutes in the doorway (seeming not to notice the doors automatically closing every fifteen seconds) explaining to me what that subtle difference was. As part of this explanation, he recounted his life story from his student days to his current position as company director.

Content with his story, we paid for the petrol, tea and sweets and continued our journey.

A while later, I asked our new friend, Saïd, why he had brought a traditional walking stick. He explained that Omanis take a walking stick when they go to a funeral.

‘We need to go to a funeral,’ he announced. Hamed simply asked where the funeral was. He made a detour and we went a funeral.

In the end, we arrived at our original destination five hours late for lunch. But in time for dinner.

Our hosts were content to receive us for dinner.

Surprises for Europeans

From my original European perspective, time, fate, tasks, directness, group membership and many more dimensions of culture can throw up surprises in Oman.

Over the years I have also been witness, participant or sympathetic ear to hundreds of other incidents involving Omanis and foreigners. I’m pleased to say that the insights are now available inside CultureConnector‘s newest national profile: Oman.

In the profile we follow CultureConnector’s 12-dimension approach and quickly go deeper too. There is a clear Omani pattern of behaviour in some situations, but for example a boss may be far more direct than someone lower down the hierarchy, even talking with people at the same level. Generalisations are a good start. The text you can read in CultureConnector adds some necessary depth.

Check it out. Comparing your own profile, you’ll quickly see that Oman may have some surprises for you too.

Late for lunch

And if someone is waiting for you to arrive for lunch, consider whether they will view your arrival time from an Omani perspective. It may be better to arrive late having shown respect to an elder, a new friend and at a family event.

In a hurry? Stay for another tea.

The new Russia has new rules. There are classic mistakes that foreigners in Russia make, and some new ones too.

Western and Asian people could be doing great business with Russia, and some are. But many go through a painful learning process before achieving success.

We’ve just finished renewing the advice in CultureConnector for working with the Russians. The new Russia has new rules. There are classic mistakes that foreigners in Russia make, and some new ones too.

I work with Western companies operating in Russia, and vice versa. The success stories are with those Western people who do business in Russia according to local practices, sometimes stepping out of their comfort zone and leaving behind Western ideas of project management, contracts, business-school logic and other assumptions.

Here are some of the key rules for crossing the cultural boundary:

Work personally, not contractually

Don’t overestimate the power of rules and contracts. A lot depends on how strong your personal relationships are with your Russian counterparts.

Build towards negotiations, don’t start with them

Be prepared to invest some time if you want your business to succeed.The classic mistake would be to try and jump into negotiations straightaway without establishing some common ground first. No deal, however great it is, is good on its own without a friendly relationship established first.

Show emotion

Don’t underestimate the power of emotions! The mistake would be to appeal to logic alone, and not emotions, when speaking or pitching to Russian counterparts.

Talk to the boss, not to the team

When negotiating a deal, a contract etc. one should identify and address to the key figure in charge, as he/she would be the key decision-maker on everything, not the team.

Demonstrate the personal benefits

Many senior people are best motivated by the power of authority – and financial rewards. Not by the project itself.

Show your strength

Asking too many questions (instead of being assertive), welcoming multiple opinions and being overly polite are all perceived as signs of weakness. A strong leader figure is authoritative and assertive.

It’s not enough just to be nice and customise your PowerPoints

In my experience, business ventures succeed when the participants are genuinely committed to localising their approach. That goes far, far beyond changing wording and emphasis of PowerPoint presentations, product packaging, or even ensuring local representatives on the team.

Committing to succeed in Russia means finding common ground at a personal level, seeing differences and judging in which areas you can really change your approach.

Russians admire strength, so this is not about being nice and always adopting Russian ways in Russia. You should use your position to do what you do best. The greatest results in cross-cultural business come from building on the core characteristics of both cultures.

Updating your knowledge of Russia

I joined the CultureConnector community of cultural experts to take on a challenge set by the Argonaut team: to bring to CultureConnector the most up to date cultural profile of Russia available anywhere online. I saw immediately that advice on the Russia of 2016-2017 needs to be firmly based on the practicalities of the real Russia of today.

If you are getting your tips from a “how to do business in Russia” book that was was published 10 years ago, or getting reports from people who formed their approach during the Communist period and left Russia a long time ago, you may be getting advice that is out of date. Russia is not a Communist country and it’s not even a post-Communist culture. The business environment, political and media culture, online behaviour, relationships with neighbours have all changed fast during the 21st Century. Russia is new Russia and the unwritten rules are still emerging at a time span as short as 2-3 years!

Pride in history and determination not to chase Western models

Examples of rapid change in the last couple of years include the increase in Russians’ pride in their history and heritage and their increased focus on driving Russia’s own “world mission” and building a “cultural civilisation” on its own terms.

Check out our renewed guidance in CultureConnector by comparing your own profile with the new Russia. Speak with your Russian contacts who operate actively in Russian culture today.

We Russians say Ничто не вечно под луной (nothing is eternal under the moon). So while the cover of your ten-year old guidebook may look up to date, the pages inside may be describing an old Russia that does not exist anymore.