Culture: Inside the Company and Outside the Country

Culture, in the context of this course, is defined as the customs, ways of being, and institutions of a company or country.  

This course is divided into two distinct sections:  the first looks at the components of culture as they apply to various business organizations.  The second section discusses the cultural norms and business conditions in a variety of countries.

We live and work within a culture.  The one we were raised in is the one we believe to be “the way things are” – or “the right way to believe and act”.  We are usually more comfortable in our own, than in a culture different from ours.

It is useful to understand how culture applies to the place in which we work.  For example, do we need a tight and formal structure such as “classic” IBM, or are we more comfortable in a loose and creative environment such as Google.  We get to choose where we work and thus it really helps to understand our comfort-zone and the different workplace cultures available to us.

Also, we are working in an international world.  Quite often we are actually traveling to do business – or to work in – another country. It helps to know the culture (the rules of behaving) in that country.  Even if you are just working with them by e-mail or phone – it helps to know what to expect from their behavior and what they expect from you.

This course is about generalizations – not absolutes.  Learning about a group tells you very little about any one individual in that group. Please remember that as you learn about the customs and cultures of different organizations and countries.