One of the nations that have a unique business culture is South Korea. In South Korea, appearances are vital, plus Koreans appear to dress more formally than Americans. In South Korea, business attire seems conservative, focusing more on conformity than individual expression. Men are required to be in dark business suits with ties, plus white shirts. Men’s jewelry needs to be kept at a minimum, which might entail a watch and a wedding ring (Kawaguchi-Suzuki et al., 2019). Women tend to be conservative in their dressing, plus subdued colors. In the USA, traditional business attires rule in formal settings, including a suit, plain colored shirts, or upscale sports jacket plus official shoes. The traditional suit for both men and women appears to be common in both business cultures since these are considered business wear or official attire. Nonetheless, as South Korea tend to be more conservative in their dressings, the USA values self-expression in their clothing, whereby people might choose the color of shirts to wear based on what the colors mean to them.
Additionally, the other nation is Switzerland. One known characteristic of Swiss business culture is punctuality. Switzerland is not solely identified for its Swiss watches and tight train schedules but also for its value in saving time. In Switzerland’s business, punctuality is regarded as a mandatory principle; Swiss business protocol requires that customers never be left waiting (Spinney, 2018). Likewise, punctuality is the same in the US business culture, where it is considered rude to be late without asking for permission. These two cultures value time since regard to time aids in creating a good reputation and attracting others’ trust.
Therefore, international leaders need to respond to this diversity by depicting humility and patience when handling individuals within a global setting. These leaders can show these by operating to depict honesty in learning more about the cultures. Showing interest in different cultures assists team members in overcoming the cultural barriers that occur.
Through strategy implementation, businesses turn their plans into actions to obtain desirable results. Therefore, awareness of business culture can enhance this strategy implementation. Currently, most businesses are going diverse, implying that they have different nationalities working under the same roof. This implies that the company will have different beliefs and cultures. Accordingly, adequate comprehension of these cultures enables the company to be flexible when implementing its plans to cover every person, irrespective of their culture (Greer et al., 2017). This comprehensive cover would ensure that each employee is relaxed in the process and thus can become more cooperative; this a success in the implementation process.
It is true that even in this century, some nations still hold onto the stereotypes that degrade women. For instance, women are softer compared to men, which implies that they are unable to work in aggressive settings and make viable choices in such surroundings. Also, women tend to be aggressive in the competitive business world, affecting the organization’s overall flow. Even though these stereotypes exist, the organization made a sound decision to send its female senior manager to the firm’s subsidiary in a nation with low regard for women. One reason why sending the female manager is a viable option is that it would help create a level field in the nation. For instance, women leaders can establish equal job chances, pay, and advancements through top leadership roles. Additionally, in a recent study by Speranza (2017), leadership behaviors such as competence, display of regard and listening, when utilized as one, give female ex-pats a chance to attain more trust, establish connections, and socially deconstruct the available prejudices that have been levied against female leaders. The above notion supports female ex-pats in regions where women are still degraded as they show the might of women while still displaying respect that they can lead.
References
Greer, C. R., Lusch, R. F., & Hitt, M. A. (2017). A Service Perspective for Human Capital Resources: A Critical Base for Strategy Implementation. Academy of Management Perspectives, 31(2), 137–158.
Kawaguchi-Suzuki, M., Law, M. G., Prisco, J., Head, K., Fu, L., Yumoto, T., Kamei, J., Yang, M., Cheng, K., & Hogue, M. D. (2019). Cultural Sensitivity and Global Pharmacy Engagement in Asia: China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 83(4), 7214.
Speranza, C. (2017). Women Expatriate Leaders: How Leadership Behaviors Can Reduce Gender Barriers. Creighton Journal of Interdisciplinary Leadership, 3(1), 20-32.
Spinney, L. (2018). Culture clash. New Scientist, 237(3172), 36–39.