How to overcome cultural barriers in international business
Clarke Ricks School of Business,
Liberty University
BUSI 690: Policy and Strategy in Global Competition
Dr. Hicks
April 9, 2022
How to overcome cultural barriers in international business
Create space for other cultural requirements
Be accommodating to the various cultural requirements of your employees and co-workers
in your host country. Take note of factors such religious or cultural holidays, prayer times,
dietary needs and work them into your workplace policies so that everyone feels included.
Cultural awareness in the workplace is about establishing common ground so that everyone is
able to understand and respect one another's differences.
Ensure clear and polite communication
In scenarios where language differences come into play such as addressing employees who
speak a foreign or multiple languages other than your own, use concise and simple
communication to reduce any miscommunication. Also be sure to apply to to any internal and
external communication material you draft. Using visual accompaniments and avoiding slang
words and complex jargon can help ensure that communication remains as clear as possible.
Employ diversity training
Making sure that people with different cultural backgrounds feel included and safe is an
important step in overcoming cultural barriers in the workplace.
Diversity training can be a useful tool in helping employees become more aware of any
unconscious biases and other barriers may get in the way fully embracing diversity and
inclusion. Creating an environment that fosters teamwork, creates new opportunities and
motivates positive interdepartmental attitudes - all of which are essential towards creating and
maintaining a healthy work environment. Global diversity programs should be able to adapt its
program content, language and approach to account for variations in cultural, political, legal
and social contexts of employees.
Do your homework
Prior to entering your host country, be sure to take the time to do your research about its
customs, practices, history and political landscape. Even learning a few key phrases and using
them in conversation can go a long way to make them feel comfortable. While there are plenty
of resources available online. don't underestimate your partners and clients as helpful sources
of information. In most cases, your interest in their culture will be warmly welcome and they
will be more than happy to help you along the way In fact, them seeing your effort in educating
yourself about their culture will be appreciated and increase the likelihood of a continued
business relationship.
Be aware of how others may perceive your culture
When entering into foreign ground, we often get caught up in figuring out how to best
make sense of of all that is new to us and forget to consider how and why people response to
us in the way that we do.
Try to take a step back and think about how your own belief systems, norms and values
come across to your foreign employees and partners. This can put a lot of things into
perspective and can help you identify what to adjust and how to best adapt to the situation at
hand.
Focus on local integration
Instead of getting caught up in inciting "positive change" and revolutionising business
processes and practices in a new market, focus on understanding the foundations that make up
local business practices and consumer behaviors first. Start out by adopting a more localised
approach as you gain more insight into how and why things work the way they do, then can you
incrementally implement changes down the line.
Assimilate to the cultural voice of your host country
As important as it is to establish your brand's voice and message, make sure that you do so
in a language that won't end up alienating your new audience. Working with local branding and
language experts who are familiar with the local dialects and communication styles can help
you find the balance between showcasing your own unique voice and localising your marketing
efforts to your targeted customer segments.
As you communicate your brand, make sure you speak to your target audience in their
own language accurately and effectively. Work with language experts, preferably native
speakers, who are familiar with local dialects and slang in order to properly localise your
brand’s marketing efforts to the target audience.
