As you consider cultural diversities, realize that you are being presented with stereotyped generalizations. Observations from one country or culture are not necessarily applicable to others. The Japanese and Chinese place a high priority on human relations and teamwork. If you try to be an individual star, you will not be successful in Japan and China. However, the French do not place high importance on team effort.

Americans prefer to speak face-to-face from a greater distance than people of most other countries. If you back away or turn to the side from others, they may follow you and create a dance, and you may be considered cold and standoffish. Americans typically view time as a valuable resource that is not to be wasted, and socializing is often considered a waste of time. However, it would be considered impolite to start a business meeting with Hispanics without engaging in a certain amount of relaxed small talk.

The Chinese are more long-term oriented than Americans, and it takes many meetings to get to the point where they can trust you and do business. In Third World nations, employees need basic skills training and may not be capable of participating in management decisions. Some cultures, like those of Japan and the United States, value participation in management whereas others do not. In some cultures, employees simply want to be told what to do and are not concerned with enriched jobs.

Management–labor relations vary globally. In France relations are more polarized than in the United States, whereas in Japan they are more cooperative. You should realize that management and human relations become more complex as styles change from country to country.