CULTURAL TOP TIPS FOR UK BUSINESSES

Transcription

1 CULTURAL TOP TIPS FOR UK BUSINESSES working with Mexico

2 These Top tips have been produced by our intercultural practitioners at British Council MEXICO, the majority of whom are MEXICAN citizens. Reality check At British Council we believe that: individuals make a difference in any intercultural situation. All cultures have a wealth of diverse individuals. Many do not fit the generalisations that are made about the cultures which they are associated with there are more similarities and connections between cultures and individuals than differences effective intercultural practitioners are well-informed about the history, economics, conflicts and politics of the parts of the world they are interested in. While providing top tips about what is typical about a particular group of people can be useful, it is never enough. Equally important are being aware: of the cultural behaviours and values that you bring to the mix and being able to adjust these to complement the situations you find yourself in. This does not mean disregarding the values that are important to you but being open to and respecting difference. of the intercultural expertise of the people that you are working with. You may be fortunate to be working with counterparts who have high levels of intercultural fluency who tune-in to your cultural preferences and adjust to make you feel comfortable. that much depends on context. What is expected and appropriate will depend on: the type of organisation you are dealing with the locale (urban or rural) the status, age and seniority of your contacts whether you are meeting in public or in somebody s home that in most countries there are many cultures and sub-cultures. Cities and regions and younger and older generations often have their own distinct characteristics. We hope you find our cultural top tips a useful starting point for working in new cultural situations. British Council can support you in developing deeper cultural insights and in acquiring the skills for effective intercultural practice. us at: intercultural.fluency@britishcouncil.org or see the webpage for more details: 2 Cultural Top Tips for uk Businesses working with mexico

3 1 Combine work and pleasure Invest time and energy in your business partners. Close social relationships can translate into better business. In Mexico it can be difficult to separate business and pleasure as the two often overlap. It is common for business partners to develop more personal relationships than might be expected in the UK. For example, you are encouraged to develop a close relationship with the manager of a project by spending time with them outside of work. Nurturing this kind of relationship should help you when trying to secure a contract or close a deal. Here are some recommendations for successfully getting to know your Mexican counterparts better: Show them that you are interested in their lives They will already know that you are interested in their business, but taking the time to talk about more personal things, such as family and hobbies, will demonstrate that you are genuinely interested in them as a person and should help them warm to you. encourage your colleagues to feel more comfortable around you. Mexicans tend to be big fans of football and most people have a favourite team. If you feel like doing something different you could invite your colleagues or business partners to a match. This way you can socialise without talking about work and it may bring you closer together. If you put more time into developing a close relationship with someone you will be more likely to develop business partnerships with them. According to Mexican social culture if you suggest the meeting it is polite to pay the bill. If it was a joint plan, then it is expected to split the bill. If you are the invitee, the person who asked you to come out will pay the bill and you should accept this offer graciously. Invite them out socially on a regular basis It is common, and sometimes expected, to meet up with your business partners regularly, especially for dinner and drinks. You should invite them to coffee shops or restaurants, and they might take you to traditional places for Mexican food and Mariachi folk music to show you their culture. It is important to show an interest and enjoy yourself as this will What are people in Mexico like? Data from the British Council s Cultural Preferences Survey, carried out in Mexico in Survey respondents were asked to read a list of 43 words and phrases and decide which eight of these represent the characteristics of the people of Mexico. The size of each characteristic in the image corresponds to the percentage of participants who selected it. Cultural Top Tips for uk Businesses working with mexico 3

4 2 Embrace mexican culture and traditions Mexicans are known for their hospitality and place a high emphasis on personal relationships There is a general spirit of warmth and openness within Mexican society. Try to embrace the cultural tendency towards physical contact as it is an important part of local culture. There are many variations on meeting and greeting so it is best to let your Mexican counterpart take the lead. Often people introduce themselves or greet each other with a kiss or a hug. Generally only women will kiss men, but both men and women may hug each other. However, some people may just shake hands, especially when in the company of foreigners or in a very formal setting. Physical contact is a normal and accepted part of everyday life and Mexicans may be offended if you say that you are not comfortable with it, even in a friendly way. It is better to say that you are surprised because you are not used to it. Most people are polite, helpful and friendly and hospitality is highly valued. For 95 per cent of Mexicans family comes first. It is useful to have a basic understanding of the importance of family in Mexico and to make time to meet your business partners relatives. Traditional families are the norm and complex families are uncommon. Most families are large and it is not unusual to find three to four generations living together under one roof. It is rare for people to leave home before they get married and when they do many of them move in with their partner s family. Show an interest in people s families to express that you value them your business partners and their lives outside of work. Religion, too, is highly valued in Mexican society, according to INEGI in per cent of Mexicans are Catholics, so it is important to be aware of the religious calendar as some businesses will close on unofficial holidays. For example, Lady of Guadalupe Day is celebrated on 12 December. It is not a federal public holiday in Mexico, but it is a religious festival, so many streets, roads, and transport providers are busy on this day. Make sure that you know about special days like this as they are such an ingrained part of Mexican life that people may forget to tell you in advance. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) in 2005 there were nearly 25 million homes in Mexico of which 68 per cent are formed of nuclear families (a pair of adults and their children). Nearly 84 per cent of the participants in the British Council s cultural preferences survey either agreed or strongly agreed with this statement. Slightly less than eight per cent disagreed. 4 Cultural Top Tips for uk Businesses working with mexico

5 3 Try TO LEARN SPANISH English is not widely spoken in Mexico Don t expect everybody to understand English. In 2011 only two per cent of the population could speak it. Most Mexicans are monolingual Spanish speakers so if you want your taxi driver to take you to your business meeting on time it is highly recommended you make an effort to speak their language. It could make the difference between you getting to your destination or not. It is culturally hugely important to address people in the correct manner. Formal language should be used around older people and people you don t know, and informal language should be used with peers and people you know well. When it comes to doing business in Mexico most people working for large companies have a reasonable grasp of English. Though a working knowledge of Spanish may not be essential in practical terms it is important to make an effort with the language to show that you are interested in the culture of the people you are working with. Getting started with Spanish Hello- Hola! Good day/evening/night- Buenos días/tardes/ noches My name is...- Mi nombre es... It s a pleasure to meet you- Es un placer conocerle I work for X company- Trabajo para la compañía X I would like to talk to you about my project/ company- Me gustaría platicar con usted acerca de mi proyecto/empresa I contacted you because I really want to do business in Mexico- Le contacté porque me interesa mucho hacer negocios en México I would love to work with you- Me encantaría que pudiéramos trabajar juntos Would you like to work with me/my company?- Le gustaría trabajar con nosotros I look forward to hearing from you soon- Espero tener noticias suyas muy pronto See you at our next meeting- Le veo en nuestra próxima reunión Goodbye- Hasta luego, adiós, bye Cultural Top Tips for uk Businesses working with mexico 5

6 4 BE SENSITIVE TO SOCIAL AND POLITICAL INSTABILITY The current situation in Mexico is fragile and this might influence you when making important decisions When working in Mexico it is important to be aware of political and economic instability in the country. This is partly due to the recent devaluation of the peso, high taxes for local companies, high crime rates and some feelings of discontent with the government. Make an effort to prepare for different scenarios in order to try and avoid putting yourself at risk. Corruption Mexico is perceived as a highly corrupt country. Data from Transparency International, the global coalition against corruption, shows that it is ranked 103 from 175 countries, with 175 being the most corrupt. In Mexico when people want you to bribe them they will not be discreet. Most of the time they will let you know by using phrases such as: Help me to help you, It is impossible, but I can help you, If you need it, I know someone who can help you but it will cost you, There are many other companies who want this contract, but I would really like to help you. It is important to know that plenty of business in Mexico is done transparently and in a straightforward manner. Just because a company is doing business in another country does not mean that it has to overlook its own code of ethics or bend laws. If confronted with a situation where a bribe or commission is requested to complete a business deal, it is better to leave that deal behind and move on to one of the many other attractive opportunities that exist in Mexico. Insecurity and social problems High rates of crime, unemployment and discrimination are problems that are often discussed in Mexican society. Though governments continue to try and reduce their impact in the country, they are still widespread. It is important to consider your own safety when doing business anywhere. There are certain parts of Mexico that are particularly dangerous, as with any country, and should be avoided. Crime will be prevalent in some areas and you should take precautions for yourself and your company. Despite ongoing social problems, Mexico is developing rapidly and there are many opportunities for doing business. 6 Cultural Top Tips for uk Businesses working with mexico

7 5 Learn how to work within different business structures You will need to understand the process of doing business in different contexts The differences between small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and government institutions are vast. SMEs (PYME in Spanish) SMEs are the backbone of the national economy and Mexican trade agreements have in recent years had a high impact on job creation and domestic production. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) in Mexico of 4,015,000 business units 99.8 per cent are SMEs that generate 52 per cent of GDP and 72 per cent of employment in the country. One of the principal characteristics of SMEs in Mexico is that they are run by families. Most positions of authority within them are held by relatives of the business owner. Sometimes this means that important decisions take a long time to make. For example, if a junior member of staff wants to complain about someone more senior, it might be their uncle or father which can be problematic. SMEs, many of which are family owned, tend to be resistant to change and are subject to high government taxes. Limited facilities and staff also pose logistical challenges to some of them. The familial nature of many SMEs can mean that rather than choosing the best person for the job relatives can take a priority for positions of responsibility, even if they are not strictly qualified for the role. Government institutions In order to work with the governmental institutions in Mexico it is necessary to have an appreciation for the amount of time that goes into bureaucracy. Try to be patient during the purchasing process, while developing the project and when waiting for payment. These things can take much longer than you might expect. Within this environment you must consider the enormous importance of the social role in business relationships with the government. Corruption is common and bribery is often a decisive part of doing business with government officials. Bureaucracy can be a challenge for business people and chasing trails of paper is not uncommon. One way to deal with this is hiring a local agent to follow things up and manage the paperwork. There can be big opportunities for doing business with governmental organisations as they tend to have large budgets and be more stable than SMEs as a result. As the staff have access benefits such as health insurance, long holidays and ample career development opportunities they tend to stay within organisations and are responsive to working with business partners from outside of the country. Despite the challenges, the key benefit of working for SMEs is that they tend to be highly mobile and tend to be open to expansion. If they have been going for long time they are likely to be open to outside investment. Skill and expertise are rarely lacking, so it is possible to get business ideas in motion quickly by injecting capital from outside. Cultural Top Tips for uk Businesses working with mexico 7

8 8 Cultural Top Tips for uk Businesses working with mexico

9 Meaningful and effective intercultural engagement is at the heart of the British Council s vision, mission, and values. We have 80 years of experience in cultivating cultural relations and we work on the ground in over 100 countries. These top tips have been produced by our intercultural practitioners at British Council Mexico, the majority of whom are Mexican citizens. Cultural Top Tips for uk Businesses working with mexico 9

10 Photography Front cover Omar Bárcena under Flickr Creative Commons license Page 2 and 9 Shutterstock Page 4 and back cover photoantenna under Flickr Creative Commons license Page 5, 6 and 7 Mat Wright Page 8 Prayitno under Flickr Creative Commons license British Council All rights reserved The British Council is the United Kingdom s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.