Opinion: When in Rome

Forging export relationships goes beyond just making sales. Joost Thissen offers tips on developing cross-cultural competence.

Over the past years I have heard people discussing the importance of cultural differences quoting the expression: 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'. What bothers me about this belief is that it implies that we have not evolved one bit since the Roman empire with regard to dealing with cultural differences. It’s as if we still eat lying down, have gladiators sending in lions to amuse the people and have Spartacus around to serve us!

Am I too hard on the Romans? Well, let's try to put things into context by looking at Japan. In most Western books that detail simplistic "Do's and Don'ts" when dealing with the Japanese, foreigners are actually taught about the in's and out's of the Japanese formal bowing ritual within the business context. I challenge you check this "Do and Don't" with your Japanese contacts, as I am sure that they will confirm that most foreigners don't actually know, when and how to use the formal bow appropriately. How could they? It is a ritualised greeting tradition that takes years to master correctly - i.e. without offending anyone. In a training session for a Japanese organisation the Japanese management executive actually expressed relief that the formal bow by non-Japanese is gradually disappearing. Thus for foreigners, 'Doing as the Japanese do' does not always work and it highlights yet again the complex nature of cultural differences. Just imagine a cultural custom from your home country that other people start to mimic ‘G’day mate’.  In Singapore I have also heard quite a lot of foreigners using the 'Can do-la' way of talking to show that they have 'been around' and speak a bit of 'Singlish'. To do that it may seem to some Singaporeans as if you are trying to make them look like uneducated people with a poor understanding of British English (when in fact Singlish is a proper language!).