Adapting Corporate Strategy To Target Diverse Cultures

The characteristics of social behavior differ between societies, at times substantially. According to a professional translator with 24 Hour Translation, Wal-Mart learned this lesson the hard way when the giant retailer began opening overseas locations. Specifically, Wal-Mart’s strategy in Germany, which contributed to losses of hundreds of millions of dollars, became a textbook example for how not to expand into a country. After ten years, the company never reached its goal of becoming Germany's one-stop-shopping destination. Its formula for success that worked so well in the United States - low prices, cutting edge inventory control and a vast assortment of merchandise - did not translate to foreign markets that had established discount chains and consumers with other habits. Today, Wal-Mart continues to expand globally but has changed the way it imposes its corporate culture on local markets. For instance, acquisitions are being made with more consideration for local markets and greater thought is being given regarding the degree to which Wal-Mart’s culture is exported to foreign markets. According to a German translator, in Germany, Wal-Mart ended the practice that mandated all service personnel to smile at customers-many male consumers viewed this as propositioning. In other countries, the company stopped making staff members do company chants and in some markets like Japan and Brazil, the company even stopped using the Wal-Mart name. Although Wal-Mart’s changes came too late for Germany, they have been successful in other markets.

According to a French translator in Chicago, certain behavioral rules are formal and explicitly communicated (classroom conduct is an example), and other rules are implied and are learned through experiences (keeping your hands to yourself and being respectful of other's personal space are examples). Besides the aspects that were previously mentioned, social norms can differ from one culture to another in the following ways:

Behavior and thoughts regarding work and success. People in the U.S. often believe that the attainment of material items is a symbol of superiority and that individuals who produce more at work are better than people who focus less on work.

Function and power. Culture establishes attempts to establish, the power that people hold. As an example, in a number of countries, women cannot have managerial roles. Consequently, female professionals visiting these countries on official business might encounter some biasness and find that they're seen as unworthy professionals. Culture also signifies rank and determines the amount of respect a person should receive.

Adherence to etiquette. What might be viewed as polite in your society could be considered impolite in a foreign society.

Rules of time. Individuals in low-context societies perceive time as a resource that can be used in planning in order to gain efficiencies. On the other hand, professionals from high-context societies frequently view time as being somewhat flexible. Building relationships is more important than meeting established deadlines.

Planning for the future. Profitable businesses normally spend time on planning for the future. However, some societies tend to be more focused on the present and don't place value on future planning.

Acceptance of others. Societies can differ in the degree to which they are accepting of outsiders (people from other cultures and with different norms). Some societies will completely ignore outsiders while others will pressure outsiders to conform to certain cultural norms.

By Sarah Hudson