Paper on The Importance of Incorporating Cultural Sensitivity when Interacting with International Clients

Introduction

International clients conduct various business activities and cultural sensitivity determines whether the different parties succeed in their business engagements. When communicating with international clients, there is a need to note the diverse cultures of their countries. International clients hail from different ethnicities and races in the process, having other languages and ways of interpreting various phenomena. Most of the international business community has specific ways of working towards issues including business activities and hence in communicating with international clients, one has to understand their culture to approach them effectively. Cultural sensitivity may require training to be culturally aware. Cultural sensitivity is an essential aspect of activities involving global business transactions. People of various cultures have differed in how they communicate through their language, behavior, and thinking (Hornsey et al. 82). Cultural differences affect how people from different cultures negotiate with each other in business dealings. Being culturally sensitive means treating other cultures with dignity. In focusing on the cultures in place, there is a need to consider Enron, which, without being culturally sensitive, rushed the process of handling a deal with India, which did not succeed because of not considering the culture of India, which is less indulgent while having more restraint (Rana 19). Their negotiation methods were quite different, which contrasted with those of Enron in how they approached trade. Negotiations are therefore different for the various countries involved. Communicating with other countries requires an awareness of how they communicate and thus discovering whether the situations require a win-win or win-lose situation. Therefore, some negotiations will require confrontation, while others will focus on collaboration a win-win approach to negotiating. In order to avoid uncomfortable instances when dealing with international clients, there is a need to have knowledge regarding how they should address others. When dealing with clients globally, businesses should have knowledge on how to address them with regard to their titles. In dealing with people from different countries like Germany, one should be more formal and use titles. Cultural sensitivity is important in ensuring that there is effective communication to achieve various positive outcomes associated with business activities when dealing with international clients.

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Styles of Carrying out Business

The United States has a less traditional style. Hence, being culturally aware helps comprehend people's mannerisms in how they behave and expect to be treated when carrying out tasks associated with the trade. Culture further affects the way people communicate, which may be direct or indirect. Gestures, facial expressions, and circumlocutions, to name a few, are part of the complex forms of indirect communication. In contrast, some cultures like that of the United States require direct communication to expect a clear answer regarding questions. For example, the Japanese communicate more indirectly while interpreting a person's body language, among other signs, which further affects the result of the interaction. Agreements are an essential part of deals that individuals may make. Various parties may require a more detailed approach in writing contracts like the United States, while other parties may have fewer details regarding the rules in place for example the Chinese.

Decision-Making in Different Cultures

In some cultures, teams may decide either through consensus or singly. Some groups may be involved in making decisions or reaching an agreement among all members, which is characteristic of the Japanese (Wolf and Alwan 15). In the American context, one person is tasked with making the overall decision. Another issue is that of risk-taking, which is quite different in many cultures. America, for example, exhibits a high-risk environment concerning negotiations (Samaha et al. 78). Other parties may have to acquire more information to decide on it without taking risks in choosing different options or making deals. Thus, communication among individuals must align with the various cultures for there to be effective communication. Hence, individuals need to have cultural sensitivity to interact effectively with different parties in international trade.

Conclusion

Countries have different cultures, which require organizations to understand them in order to communicate effectively with international clients. Cultural sensitivity thus becomes important in the understanding of how different countries approach business engagements. Different cultures thus have different ways of communicating, which can help make such business engagement successful. Therefore, countries need to learn about their international clients' cultures to execute their business ventures successfully.

Works Cited

Hornsey, Matthew J., et al. "Exploring Cultural Differences in the Extent to Which People Perceive and Desire Control." Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, vol. 45, no. 1, Jan. 2019, pp. 81–92, doi: 10.1177/0146167218780692.

Rana, Mahima. "Cultural Variations in Organisations of India and the United States: A Comparative Study." International Journal of Arts and Commerce vol. 7, no. 1, 2018, Semantic Scholar, https://www.ijac.org.uk/images/frontImages/gallery/Vol.7No.1/Cultural_Variations_in_Organisations_of_India_and_United_States.pdf.

Samaha, Stephen A., et al. "The Role of Culture in International Relationship Marketing." Journal of Marketing, vol. 78, no. 5, Sept. 2014, pp. 78–98, doi:10.1509/jm.13.0185.

Wolf, Thantida, and Mehdi Alwan. "Business Culture Impact upon the Individual Involving In the International Business Negotiation." Marketing, vol. 32, no. 4, 2019: 485-486, Diva Portal, https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1335057/ATTACHMENT01.pdf.