This Week's CultureQuiz: RULES or RELATIONSHIPS?
All cultures have rules. But do rules exist to be followed, or to be broken? THAT'S where cultures differ. In this week's CultureQuiz, match the rule with the culture: how many can you get right?
Every culture recognizes the importance of rules, plans, policies and procedures, but when it comes to making decisions or taking action based on these requirements, cultures can differ wildly. In some cultures, rules are so valued that most daily activities are organized around them, and everyone is expected to follow them, no exception. In these “RULE-BASED” cultures, the value of rules is implicitly understood by all, to be followed by all, with exceptions needing to be justified. In other cultures, despite rules and processes, individuals are rewarded not for following the them, but for their ability to be clever or well-connected enough to find ways around them. In these “RELATIONSHIP or SITUATION-BASED” cultures, enforcing rules universally requires vigilance and resources, and an expectation that some people are exempt from having to follow them. As with most cultural differences, most cultures fall somewhere in-between: where is YOUR culture on this important cultural difference?
Better yet, below are TEN CultureQuiz questions about rules vs relationships in various cultures: each question represents one country’s unique version of where they stand on this cultural difference. Can you guess the right country? (If you are a subscriber, all the answers, and their explanations, follow the questions! If you haven’t yet subscribed, you can do so RIGHT HERE!)
Generally, everybody in this country is taught that there is one right and many wrong ways to get something done. And then, there’s “SYSTEME ‘D’”. You must be in…
a. Tahiti.
b. Switzerland.
c. Canada.
d. France.
No matter how carefully you complete the required documentation, your company still cannot qualify for the required business certification. Did you contact your “DESPACHANTE” in…?
a. Brazil.
b. Angola.
c. Portugal.
d. Guinea.
Even though your contact reassured you at your meeting with them that all would be taken care of in order to advance the project, nothing was happening. Maybe he wasn’t the WASTA you needed in…?
a. Saudi Arabia.
b. Malta.
c. Sri Lanka.
d. Ethiopia.
Your colleague in ________________ showed you the data that was required which you did not provide. “Wow”, you thought, “I really didn’t think I needed to provide all of that”. “But we do need it, for ORDNEN”, he explained.
a. Poland.
b. Austria.
c. Belgium.
d. Germany.
You’ve been waiting on line at the bank for almost an hour, and you are the next in line to be served. Suddenly, someone walks right up to the front of line, is greeted warmly by the bank officer you’ve been waiting to see, and now gets taken care of, instead of you. You feel you are an unfair victim of BELLA FIGURA in…
Italy.
Panama.
Spain.
Peru.
After finalizing the agreement, you were surprised to receive an invoice from the company you were negotiating the deal with for “completion of services”. “What is this invoice for”, you inquire. “Oh, it’s just the usual “DASH”, sir”, he replied. You must be in…
a. Venezuela.
b. Bangladesh.
c. Tunisia.
d. Nigeria.
You were so disappointed to learn that after many months of negotiations, the contract in ____________ went to another company, which we you didn’t even know about. “Who are these people?” you wondered aloud to your colleague. “It’s difficult to win against “GUANXI”, he replied.
a. China.
b. Iran.
c. Portugal.
d. Mexico.
Despite what you thought to be a more than generous expression of “BAKSHEESH”, your guide seemed unappreciative of the tip you provided, and held his hand out again. You must be in…
a. Egypt.
b. Jordan.
c. Oman.
d. All of the above.
Because you were negotiating a manufacturing contract, you did not want to also enter into unnecessary deals around insurance, shipping and the like. Yet your colleague explained that you lost the deal because of your refusal to also do business in those areas. “It’s the “CHAEBOLS”, he explained. The company was located in…
a. Thailand.
b. South Korea.
c. North Korea.
d. Mongolia.
You explained several times the reasons why you needed to have all the issues you were asking for in the contract, yet your contact kept looking for other ways to manage what you thought you had already successfully negotiated: “Let’s see if we can’t find a better way, a “JEITINHO”, yes?”
a. Brazil.
b. Equatorial Guinea.
c. Mozambique.
d. Curacao.
How many did you get right? Checkout the correct answers, and the reasons why, right here below (and if you haven’t yet subscribed, you can do so right here, right now!)
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