Culture Shock! Bolivia - A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette

Working in Bolivia 243

for whom I had to wait the longest. On the other hand,
impatience rarely reaps rewards.

Who Do You Know?

Should you encounter a bureaucrat whose intransigence
threatens to paralyse a promising process in its tracks,
do not give up. Some bureaucrats have a need to show
their importance by making your concerns take a back
seat. These human anchors can be set loose with the
infl uence of other important people with whom you have
maintained positive contact. A letter or phone call from an
infl uential contact will shake the intransigent bureaucrat into
action. Personal referrals are more effective than the most
brilliant credentials.

Cultivating Contacts

Contacts are typically cultivated over lunch. During initial
lunches, discussions cleverly elude the theme of business.
Your knowledge of local football standings and popular culture
is a helpful bridge of communication, as is a willingness to
respond to questions about your country.

Family Values

Bolivians are genuinely interested in your family. When you

are known as part of a family, your alien shell is discarded. The

fact that your brother was a city planner or your daughter is

studying to be a dentist may seem irrelevant to you, but if your

lunch companions allow this subject to come up, it refl ects the

importance of family for Bolivian identity.

Manners, including graciousness and attire, are valuable
assets in forming business relationships. Generally, the higher
the altitude, the more formal the attire. I have attended
sessions of Congress in which then Senator Guillermo Richter,
who represented the lowland Beni Department, was the only
person in the room not wearing a tie. However, now that
Bolivia has elected a tieless, shirtsleeve president, La Paz
seems to be loosening up.