Cultural differences in business will be a non-issue in 20 years

Do you proffer a business card with one hand or both? Do you shake hands – and is gender a factor in whether you extend your hand first? Is it expected or appropriate to exchange gifts when negotiating a business transaction?

With thousands of different customs in countries across the region, it is not surprising that the issue has spawned websites, businesses and consultancies that help to navigate the business transaction.

While guanxi plays a significant role in doing business in some parts of Asia, in 20 years’ time – due to technological innovations and a generation attuned to being socially connected across the globe – business customs will converge. Culture-specific business customs will become largely irrelevant to international business practice. We are converging to a global culture for doing business.

In the meantime, if you’re thinking about how to lead and manage in an Asian country, or indeed in another country generally, it presents a whole lot of challenges for you because there are differences.

This prevailing wisdom is to seek guidance from “best practice” business resources focusing on the importance of cultural difference, along with a blizzard of tips and suggestions. Amazon has tens of thousands of items for sale on the topic. A Google search will also turn up millions of hits.

What is disappointing about these resources is that many are limited to the dos and don’ts of doing business in various countries. Most of us know about accepting business cards in both hands, deferring to hierarchy and status in some countries, and that direct eye contact can be interpreted in many ways. However, the lists of different conventions or taboos propagated in some of these resources are seemingly endless.