And when you do this in a business context, you'll improve your working relationships and develop your own reputation. When you take time to understand the reasons for this diversity, you show respect for other people's cultures. Our world's diversity is what makes it so fascinating. And your customers, too, may be located in dozens of countries worldwide. Your organization might decide to acquire or merge with an organization in a different country. Stop and think about how many different cultures you come into contact with at work.Įven if you work in your home country, your colleagues and suppliers could hail from other cultures. It's not just professionals working overseas who need to learn cross-cultural business etiquette. We'll also highlight some gestures and actions to avoid if you want to build good working relationships with people from these cultures. In this article, we'll discuss why it is so important to be aware of different cultural traditions. In fact, whatever culture you're from, it's likely that you routinely do something that could cause offense somewhere else in the world.

They could even damage a relationship or ruin a major deal. But in others, they can give a wrong impression or cause offense. In many countries, these actions are harmless. What could be wrong with sipping vodka in Russia? Or with eating with your left hand in India, or with patting the back of a colleague in Korea to thank them for a 'job well done'? Put your best foot forward when working in unfamiliar cultures.

Faux pas examples