The_Essential_Manager_s_Handbook

300 / COMMUNICATING EXTERNALLY

Understanding culture

When you’re communicating with

a culture other than your own,

you need to be sensitive about

the particular beliefs and values

of that culture, and how they

differ from your own.

Communicating across

countries and cultures

Defining culture

Culture is everything that people have,

think, and do as members of their

society. Culture affects and is a

central part of our economy and the

organizations that employ us. It is

composed of material objects, ideas,

values, and attitudes, as well as

expected patterns of behavior.

Whatever your business, you’re likely

to encounter people of different

ethnicity, citizenship, and cultural

origin. Dealing with people of different

cultures, conducting business over

The industrialized nations of the world are experiencing unprecedented

change. In much of Europe, for example, it is possible for EU citizens

to travel from country to country without a passport, conducting

transactions in a common currency. Barriers to trade have tumbled

or vanished in recent years, but through it all, each of us has retained

something essential to our identity as humans: our culture.

CULTURE IS INGRAINED

Few of us would give a moment’s

thought to learning how to be a

part of the culture we have grown

up in. Our first culture is so

closely defined for each of us that

we’re barely aware that we have

one. Learning a second culture,

though, takes a purposeful effort.

international borders, traveling safely,

and communicating effectively are

not always easy, but are essential for

success in today’s business world.

Culture is composed of

material objects, ideas,

values, and attitudes

US_300-301_Comm_Across_Cultures.indd 300 30/05/16 3:05 pm