Culture conflict in globalization

Globalization is a phenomenon that has made its presence felt in our daily lives and has changed the way we live and has led to the interaction between diverse cultures through convergence of world views, products and ideas, whereby cultural conflict can make or break a business that is trying to establish itself in a foreign country.

One of the strategies that make a difference when it comes to establishing a successful presence in a foreign land is effective communication. This includes not just language and does not include only English as although English is the global language of doing business, many countries prefer to function in their local language which can be a cause for concern but this problem is minimized as most countries have a sizeable population who are bilingual and are comfortable with using English despite the fact that it is not their mother tongue.

Non-verbal communication also plays an important role and one needs to be aware of the cultural nuances and customs and traditions that are followed in a particular society as there is no one size fits all approach when it comes to cultural norms and they differ from country to country.

We need to create an atmosphere where people of different belonging to a different culture feel welcome and feel free to ask questions so long as they are not offensive and help to maintain a cordial and professional relationship between all parties involved.

Another factor that plays a role in preventing cultural conflict is the way of doing business and the attitude of the workforce involved which needs to be professional, ethical and basics such as punctuality need to be followed. There will be differences in the behaviour such as business etiquette and the level of formality involved and what works in one country may not work in another.

There needs to be a culture of openness that has to be followed so that employees are not afraid and do not feel that they will be punished by their superiors and will have to face the consequences if they voice their opinions during a meeting.

The first world countries are used to working at a faster pace because of a higher level of discipline and commitment to meeting deadlines and a better access to technology making them more efficient but in the developing countries they do not work at the same pace and the technology is not as readily available or easily affordable as it is in the West so the best way to avoid conflict is to try to adapt to the prevailing working conditions which maybe more labour intensive and less dependent on computerization to get things done.

One needs to understand that when doing business with Asian countries, business is as much about the professional as it is the personal aspects of one’s life and unlike the West, where there is a distinction between one’s personal and professional life, you will find your colleagues asking personal questions that you may find an invasion of your privacy in the West but is considered perfectly normal in other parts of the world.

When one is looking to establish a presence in a foreign country, it is important that one understands not just the corporate culture of a foreign country but also the society the important events such as festivals, cultural activities and sports such as cricket, badminton, football, hockey and many more, so that people have a chance to celebrate with their families and it is a way of showing your respect for their way of life.

There are cultural differences in the way management functions and this must be observed when giving feedback as there are some countries where there is a rigid management hierarchy that is followed which makes it difficult to get your message across as it is a matter of status in the organization and there is a lot of prestige attached to your position in the management hierarchy.

It becomes easier to avoid conflict by following a strategy whereby people are employed locally with the required work experience and necessary skills sets and are given extensive training when dealing with both colleagues and customers worldwide.

Another strategy is to maintain a balance between catering to the needs of the global audience while thinking in local terms and this can be achieved by having a distinct vision, identity and core values that are followed diligently in order to differentiate you from the rest and helps to establish your presence in both the local as well as the international market.

One also needs to take into consideration the demographics of the country as unlike the West, most Asian countries have sizeable population that are below the age of 25 years and the conflict between cultures is absent among the younger generation as opposed to the older generation and they are more aware and willing to adapt to change and are already familiar with the ways of the world thanks to the exposure on television and online through social media.

Lastly, one must not underestimate the power of social media whether it be facebook, twitter, linkedin or Instagram as these are useful tools when it comes to doing business and reducing cultural conflict and one must maintain a presence by having a website that is preferably in the local language that enables greater connectivity and makes it easier to reduce conflict and recognizes the contributions of all those who contribute to the success of an organization.