It's a common mistake to assume that just because one can speak English together, cultural misunderstandings will be avoided. This line of thinking is completely naive and will almost always lead to failure, if not disaster.

 

International business, espcially where joint ventures or prolonged negotiations and sales processes are involved, is fraught with difficulties. National psychology and characteristics frequently interfere, especially at the executive level where decisions tend to be more complex than the practical accords reached between lower level staff. 

 

People of different cultures share basic concepts, but view them from different angles and perspectives, leading them to behave in a manner we may consider irrational or even in direct contradiction to what we consider to be right.

 

Business people will gain competitive advantage from having strategies to deal with the cultural differences they will encounter. A working knowledge of the basic traits of other cultures - as well as our own - will minimise unpleasant surprises (a.k.a. culture shock), give us insights in advance, and enable us to interact successfully with nationalities with whom we previously had difficulty.