Intercultural White Paper Us Compared to Uk

Intercultural White Paper US Compared to UK

(i) Executive summary

Since we are entering the United Kingdom, we must learn about the country's culture to be successful.

o The U.K. communication style is more formal and detached.

o Punctuality is very important.

o Rigid adherence to processes is common. So, decisions take longer to make.

o Managers in the U.K. have an open and honest relationship with their subordinates. U.K. labor law allows employees to be more candid than their U.S. counterparts.

I recommend that we create a U.K.-based sales team to service the U.K. A local staff will provide us local knowledge and will increase collaboration between the U.S. and U.K. sales staffs.

(ii) Introduction

In this white paper, I will introduce you to the culture of the United Kingdom and I will explain how U.K. business practices differ from the United States, what practices are most common, and how to avoid certain cultural pitfalls. In addition, I will show you how to encourage teamwork between the U.S. and U.K. sales teams.

(iii) Business problem and critical issues

We are expanding to the United Kingdom. To support our sales channels there, we are hiring a sales staff native to the U.K. Therefore, we will need to understand the country and its culture. In addition, the U.S. sales team will need to provide training to the U.K. staff. The staffing model we are implementing will include a dedicated U.S. sales force and a separate U.K. sales team. These teams will be partners and will not compete for sales opportunities.

(iv) Research methodology

* Cultural research on Internet websites

* Interview with Ian Blair, a businessman that was born, educated, and worked in the United Kingdom until 1995. Ian has a sales background and provided valuable insight on U.K. culture, and U.K. sales in general.

(v) Research findings: General cultural information and business culture

People

People in the U.K. tend to be analytical and outwardly friendly. Business people tend to dress more formally than their U.S. counterparts. Relationships often take longer to build, but are deeper than many U.S. business relationships. Gestures that are used in U.K. culture are similar to gestures made in U.S. culture. People greet each other with a handshake. There is generally less physical contact in business in the U.K. than the U.S. Also, people tend to use humor more in business.

Time Concerns

Business people typically place more importance on punctuality in the U.K. In addition, on average, U.K. workers work less hours per week and less hours per day than U.S. workers. Compared to U.S. workers, U.K. business people often have more total days of vacation and the take vacation in longer increments (2 weeks is usually the shortest vacation anyone takes). Also, when people take vacation in the U.K., they usually have many less interruptions from work. Employers see vacation as time for the worker to spend on himself or herself so there is a mutual respect for the worker's time off. Another noteworthy difference is that in the U.K. people generally finish work later in the day.

Meetings and Projects

There are several key differences with projects and meetings in the U.K. For example, projects typically have a longer planning phase and shorter, smoother implementation phase. Meetings in the U.K. generally have more structure and clearer, more specific objectives. Business lunches are similar to the U.S., although people typically drink alcohol on a business lunch in the U.K. Meeting structure, types, and participants are similar to the U.S.

Compensation

Sales people usually have a higher base salary and a lower commission. Also, Company cars are common as part of employee compensation.

Sales

Buyers in the U.K. are more aware and intolerant of misleading or exaggerated sales communication. Sales is a profession held in fairly low regard in the U.K., so titles of sales people often don't include the