BUSINESS | CULTURE

Social Dimensions of Culture — A Complexity in the Business World

Beyond borders: A discussion on the implications of societal cultures for multinational organizations

Photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash

Cultural attributes are enduring patterns of learned behaviors shared by a country, a society. These are demonstrated by attitudes, values, ideas, behaviors, and symbolic representations.

Much is unseen to outsiders.

Social cultures influence businesses. So before we begin here are a few facts to be aware of:

• No right or wrong: There is no absolute, culture is relative. People from different nationalities may just see the world differently then you do.
• Not individual behavior: It’s about groups, a collective phenomenon grounded in shared values and meaning.
• Not inherited: It derives from the social fabric. We’re not born with a shared set of values or beliefs, we acquire as we grow.
• Socialization: It’s a process of learning behavioral patterns and rules appropriate to one’s society.
• Acculturation: The adoption and adjustment to a culture other than our own, commonly experienced by expatriate workers.