International Dutch; Why the Dutch are Everywhere
International Dutch Wooden Shoes in Samba Land “The Dutch are everywhere!”, have you heard that phrase before? It’s one of those things that is often said when you randomly meet a Dutch person where you least expect to meet a country(wo)man. The Dutch have a strong...
Organizational Culture [INFOGRAPHIC]
Organizational Culture Every organization has a company culture. Even very small and very new organizations. Most people refer to what is happening inside an organization and how stuff is being done as being the company's "values". As I stated in a previous article...
Why Company Culture Matters
We all know it matters: Culture. It matters, even more, when you're working internationally because then the different cultures play a role and can (and often do) disturb the workflow and communication processes. That's what we call "National Cultural Differences"....
Business Etiquette & Do’s and Don’ts [InfoGraphic]
Business Etiquette and the Do's and Don'ts Around Them Almost every Business Etiquette (or do and don'ts in business) is different in different parts of the world. The question is often: Do we Kiss Bow or Shake Hands (this is actually the title of a book; you can find...
Predictability or Uncertainty Avoidance in Venezuela
Predictability or Uncertainty Avoidance The Individual risk-taker Uncertainty Avoidance is one of Professor Geert Hofstede’s dimensions to describe national cultures. The index reflects the extent to which members of a society attempt to cope with anxiety by...
The German Culture and German Humor
Driving up through the Ostkantone on the motorway to Aachen (Germany) prepares you for what lies ahead. There is an orderliness about the architecture that contrasts starkly with the anarchy you are leaving behind in Belgium. In my book We Europeans I dwelt on two...
Books About Cultural Differences and Multicultural Books
Books About Cultural Differences Very often during my workshops and lectures, I get people asking me afterward where they can read more on the subject of Intercultural Differences and where they can find good books about cultural differences. Usually I point...
Diversity in the Classroom; Explaining Cultural Differences to Kids
Diversity in the Classroom Several weeks ago I received an email from the Microsoft Innovation Office in Brussels, Belgium. They asked me if I could assist them in explaining cultural differences to a group of children from several European countries; in other words,...
Uncertainty Avoidance, the United States and the Credit Crisis
One of the most popular posts on the Culture Matters website is one I wrote about Uncertainty Avoidance (titled: What is Uncertainty Avoidance? you can find it here). There are a lot of comments on this post, and one, in particular, got me to write this one. The...
