Chapter 9. Theories and elements of cross-cultural business environment

• Culture and behavior relations
• Cultural dimension by Hall
• Cultural dimension by Hofstede
• Cultural clusters by Trompenaars
• Cultural dimension by Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck
• Variety of cultural clusters and its impact on business
• Cross cultural differences in business processes
• Questions for chapter review
• Chapter bibliography

This chapter includes the theories presented by the most famous authors who have studied, described and structured the diversity of cultures in different countries. Adler, Hall, Hofstede, Trompenaars, Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck, while observing the behavior of the population of various countries of the world, linked it with values, attitudes, and beliefs, and grouped behavioral traits according to criteria of similarity (Steers, et al. 2023). The chapter describes the behaviors patterns grouped by these authors, which have a certain commonality in cultural clusters.

Although stereotypes and stigmas are being abandoned more and more at the moment, and a preconceived opinion about a person’s possible behavior depending on which country he comes from is considered a display of rudeness and even politically incorrect, the efforts of above-mentioned scientists to cluster countries are useful when establishing and conducting business in other countries, especially if it is a country of another cultural cluster. Knowing the differences helps businesspeople to prepare and act more appropriately, whether it is motivating employees, or simply planning a meeting with a business partner, negotiations, or planning the export of a product to a specific country (Hofstede, 2001, 2010).

Ignorance of intercultural differences in business can cause a lot of damage and prevents an organization from achieving the desired results (Hill, 2022). A business partner or client may misunderstand an offer made to him or her, and sometimes a polite gesture may appear offensive to a representative of another culture. This chapter, like the whole book, is written in a neutral style and approach, without trying to present or show that one culture or another is superior. The author of the book, who has personally experienced life in completely different political, legal, economic and cultural systems, remains neutral and tries not to use such concepts as developing or developed, advanced or less advanced in the book. All cultures are equally respected, regardless of the differences between them.

Tourism in the twenty-first century tends to grow. It is likely that many of the book’s readers have travelled and experienced other countries, but this book shows the cultural differences much deeper than a tourist can see. Tourism and doing business in another country are definitely not the same thing. The part of the book dedicated to examining the diversity of cultures should help a manager get caught up in subtleties and details that can have a significant impact on the success of business in a foreign country.

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