Do You Have What It Takes to Compete Globally?

Either in life or in a business setting, we need to rely on people to accomplish our goals and our ability to adapt ourselves to new circumstances, environments, and cultures can determine our chances of success. No matter where we are or who we are if we are trying to do business with people, social support is significant because it increases or reduces the cost of our transactions. Being open to new ideas or concepts, understand them and being able to explore them is part of being a successful leader. People with the ability to capitalize on differences can make a massive impact concerning business because they are more open and willing to explore and accept new things.

Companies who have been able to capitalize on those differences are successfully thriving not just locally but internationally. The world economic structure is changing, and it is building the foundations of a new global economic order because success concerning corporate business is measured by productivity and efficiency.

In this new stage of history, countries have to focus their attention on creating free trade agreements, and individuals have to enhance their flexibility and abilities to deal with new cultures. Our ability to built trust will reduce the cost of any negotiation. According to Stephen Covey ,the author of “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” distrust increases bureaucracy, politics, and disengagement. Low confidence is the very definition of a bad relationship. The best way to boost trust is showing empathy and completely understand and appreciate other's point of view, which is especially important in the business environment.

If we want to build trust in international marketing, it is especially important to understand the culture of each country. According to some well known gurus in international business such as Cateora, Gilly, Graham, and Money, culture can be interpreted as a pattern for humans on how to think and behave. If we think about it, a good relationship is based on empathy. In international marketing, part of being empathetic is to understand the position of each country in the world, their history, population, geography (climate, topography, flora, fauna, and microbiology), rituals, symbols, beliefs, thought processes, and religion because it clearly affects people's habits, their perception of life, and the products they consume.

Andy Molinsky makes an exciting assessment in his book “Global Dexterity: How to Adapt Your Behavior Across Cultures without Losing Yourself in the Process.” He explains the importance of being global while maintaining your own set of beliefs and traditions. According to Molinsky, global dexterity means the ability to successfully adapt our behavior to the demands of a foreign culture but maintaining authenticity. As we can observe, many authors agree about the importance of respect and commitment in creating good relationships, and It is easier to adapt yourself to a new culture when you know about the background of the country and understand why they behave the way they do.

In conclusion, our attitude in any situation in life can determine a positive or an adverse outcome. Globalization is not going to stop, and our ability to adapt ourselves to new circumstances will determine our success in an international environment. Adapt yourself to a new culture is not difficult if you know the background of your own country and respectfully accept other countries' beliefs and circumstances.

References

NoNonsense Globalization: Buying and Selling the World by W. Ellwood. (May 28, 2010). Published by New Internationalist Publications Ltd.

Cateora, P., Gilly, M., Graham, L., & Money, B. (2016). International marketing (17th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Covey, S. (October 17, 2006) The Speed of Trust. The One Thing that Changes Everything. Free Press.

Global Dexterity: How to Adapt Your Behavior Across Cultures without Losing Yourself in the Process- Andy Molinsky.