Working in International Projects: Understanding the Cultural Aspects

In this podcast, Ricardo talks about working in projects of different cultures. He explains that to work in an international project is necessary to know the way of life, how people in the country were educated, how the minds of these people work and respect each culture. Ricardo also talks that even in Brazil, to develop a project in the South is different to developing a project in the North, as there is a difference in culture and values.

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Episode transcript

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Hello, everybody. Welcome to the five minutes podcast Today like to share with you my own on the experience, doing business internationally, an understand different cultures. Most of the time, when were you, we are working in the project environment. We are working in the mud global environment than all other fields of the human world. Y because most of the time, the project's will undertake something new with a big amount of innovation.

In most of the time, they will say prance for different countries and even inside the country to different areas, the different groups with different Cultural behavior. And Y is important to understand, because if you don't understand the cultural aspects of your customer, your suppliers, and your team, if you don't understand their cultural behavior, you will meet with them, understand their needs, and they are requests for something else.

People, money is extremely relevant for other people. It's not too much. They have other valleys for some people. The religious aspect are extremely important for others. It's not so important for some people, punctuality are a huge requirement. They will see at the Lake that you see. If you are late for a meeting, as a lack of motivation and a lack of commitment with the project for all others delays our normal, our port of the business.

What we need to understand first neat. We understand that we need to study the country and the region and the human behavior in that region. We need to understand whose role Aspects habits. How do people behave? Do they shake hands? Do they offer you a coffee or a cup of tea? Do you see it first? Where do you sit? When do you sit or do you stand up when someone approach or not?

So this are the Aspects that will help you to overcome all the obstacles, the natural obstacles that you can face in the projects. And second show your coat. I'm very pleased that to say one thing for you. I loved Western questions about the people's life. I have friends in Jordan. I have friends in us. I have friends in Egypt and I lost to ask them, how does it work? How does it your Dougal go out for dinner?

Or what do you do, how you do, how is your relationship with family in a why I'm asking this because first I will show consideration awesome. For other cultures. The second though, we understand better. If I understand better, I will do less mistakes because this is an environment that I don't know, and that I'm not used to that. And then the other aspect I like to Westlake, you also show your own habits.

that's off your country and off your people. I always tell people how are Brazilians. We have a lot of things that most of the people say sees that we need to improve. What do we have a lot of wonderful things. Most of you that are listen to this podcast in English. They say that you can hear all this emotion while talking, and then you say, I don't understand this guy. One day. He talks with this amount of passion and why this is business.

And I don't know people having fun with business. And for us Brazilians, this is part of our life will leave with a very deep intensity. So we are happy. We shake hands. We have friends in, and this is extremely important for us. So when you hear it and is now after listen to this small words, we understand some of the Brazil and way of seeing the life. So it's so important.

So ask for the people, their cultural behaviors, but I also show your cultural behaviors in order to think that this really, really important submission doesn't mean respect. So will you don't need to submit yourself to the water. Is the sire only, OK, because we are different. No, no, you must respect. And you must show also your values. Maybe your values are different.

So you need to find with your partner, if your business partner with your supplier, with your client and show them the different aspects of what do you believe and what does he, or she believes it's really, really important because why does, because we need to reach an agreement. We need to have a sustainable relationship. When we are doing global business, there are a lot of books that can help you on that, but you need to one understand that different countries, different groups of people, they behave differently.

And if we understand this, and if we show your behavior, if we can reach an agreement easier and we can address the client needs, and this is what really matters. So use the cultural challenges to know more, to understand more, to overcome and build a bridge with your client or customer or whatever to address proper client needs to address success. This is what really matters. I hope you've enjoyed this podcast.

See you next week with another five minutes PM. Podcast.

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