As more and more people work in the global marketplace, the challenges of working across cultures are being increasingly recognised. How to lead successful global negotiations, how to communicate effectively with international counterparts and how to lead across cultures have become key concerns for international businesses.

While it is extremely important to understand the above business elements of working effectively across cultures, we cannot forget about the social aspect of international business. The ability to socialise in an intercultural environment is crucial to the success of many international business endeavours, particularly in cultures where relationships are essential.

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Socialising as a professional activity might sound pretty simple to anyone with experience of doing business. However in many cultures, the first step of finding the right time or place to socialise can already be an issue if you are not familiar with the culture. In some cultures, for example, you might be expected to build relationships with your counterparts in the professional environment while in other cultures you might be expected to spend some time outside of work socialising in order to build trust.

For instance, when doing business in Panama or living and working in Saudi Arabia, you will often find that your counterparts do not make a clear distinction between their professional and personal relationships. You may hear conversations vary from business to personal or you might receive an invitation from a colleague to attend a family event, which you should kindly accept. On the contrary, when doing business in Germany or Belgium you might find that your counterparts prefer to keep their private sphere separate from their professional environment. Conversation rarely touches on any personal issues and most people will go their separate ways at the end of the day.

The impact of socialising on business negotiations can be quite significant in some cultures. Even though your Belgian counterparts might restrict your relations to the professional sphere, they will still appreciate getting to know you before discussing any business negotiation. When doing business in China, you will often be expected to spend time outside of work socialising with your Chinese counterparts to build trust and a relationship before discussing business. This is particularly true if you are doing business in China as they will want to show you an immense amount of hospitality as their guest.

No matter where you are doing business, it’s important to understand when, where and how to socialise with your international counterparts. Cross cultural awareness training can help give you an understanding of what topics are appropriate, how to greet people or when to socialise with your international counterparts. Programmes such as Intercultural Training Japan or Cross Cultural Training India will give you the knowledge and skills you need to make the right impression, avoid embarrassing faux-pas and take advantage of valuable opportunities to build trust with your international counterparts.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010