Social Media in Different Cultures

by: Chris Smit - October 2nd, 2012   6 Comments

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This is not a post about which Social Media network is more popular in which country. No, rather than that, it’s an attempt to better understand how Social Media in different cultures works. And why. Understanding why Social Media in Different Cultures is used differently is probably the most important for people working internationally (with Social Media).

Rather than looking at the whole world, I’ll keep my focus on a couple of countries (USA, Belgium, the Netherlands). But the “Why” on Social Media in different cultures remains the same.

On October 2012 I was featured in the WebmasterRadio.fm Podcast “Rock the World with LinkedIn”.

Click here to get to the interview. Click here to download it directly.

Culture Matters

Which factors play a role in predicting specific behavior with Social Media in different cultures? For this I’d like to refer to the model of Professor Geert Hofstede. You can read more on this here. Read More

International Project Management

by: Chris Smit - September 10th, 2012   Add Comment

Most people I meet during a Cultural Awareness Training work in some sort of International Project Management way.

International Project Management also seems to be expanding since more and more organisations move (parts of) their business outside their own country.

Very often this off-shoring (leading to international project management) makes financial sense. And a decision like that is then easily taken. But the reality teaches us that it is not all that easy.international project management

Different Cultures

Different Cultures have different ways of working when it comes to international project management. I have had the opportunity to work with a big International Bank that outsourced a big chunk of their IT to India. Again, financially that made good sense, however the people working on the projects were less happy. One quote I can remember from someone was “I get what I ask for, but I don’t get what I want”. Read More

The consequences of differences in Power Distance

by: Chris Smit - May 2nd, 2012   1 Comment

Power Distance accounts for the majority of cultural differences in the world.

Understanding Power Distance is essential in Cultural Awareness Training. In this short video I explain what some consequences can be when different cultures with a different score on this dimension interact, or work together.

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International Management and Managing Expectations

by: Chris Smit - April 17th, 2012   Add Comment

What is International Management?International Management and Managing Expectations

Checking the online encyclopedia Wikipedia does not give an answer (the page does not exist!). Still in Cultural Awareness Training, it is a real important issue. How do you manage internationally and/or how do you manage expectations of other people when working Internationally? Read More

3 Things to consider when working Interculturally

by: Chris Smit - December 12th, 2011   2 Comments
3 Things to prepare

After having done a presentation on Personal Cultural Awareness Training in Amsterdam last month for Talk about IT, I was asked to comment on what 3 things some one can do to better understand “the other” culture.

Watch this short 2 minute video… (please Click the Read More button) Read More

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