The Importance Of A Multi-Cultural Experience In Business

In today’s global society, there are many opportunities for a multi-cultural experience in business. Many times, those in management are required to travel internationally to perform their jobs in the company. When a manager travels to a country for the first time, there can be fear, anxiety, and a sense of culture shock if the countries societal norms are vastly different from the homeland of the manager.

For example, in my hometown of Maryville, Tennessee, there is a Denso Manufacturing plant. This is a major source of jobs and stimulus to our local economy. There are many managerial positions available, some in line management and some in staff management and some in functional management. Most general managers and top managers are brought over from the country of origin, Japan. However, especially in line management, some of the workers from my home county have been called upon multiple times to travel to Japan. This can be quite a different environment from Blount County, Tennessee. My county is very small-town and somewhat rural in its composition. Traveling to a big Japanese city can put a manager in a state of culture shock. The vast difference in language and food is broad enough, but when you also consider the enormous difference in societal and cultural norms for both formal and informal relationships, it can easily overwhelm

The impression you make may not even have anything to do with your managerial approaches or abilities. This can be very challenging for someone who does not take the proper time and effort required to prepare for their journey. Business travel is very different from personal travel. Your purpose as well as your preparation should be very different indeed. A manager who travels unprepared may very well lose business for their corporation, which could potentially translate into large dollar