Why are cultural differences an asset for a company?

For every year that passes, the business map of Europe becomes more and more like a melting pot. The internet and everything that surrounds this technology makes sure that communication flows effortlessly between cities, countries and continents. We’re communicating in a way that would have seemed more like something out of a sci-fi novel 15 years ago.

This doesn’t only provide more freedom for consumers when it comes to what they buy, what services they use and where they acquire it from. It also provides the same kind of freedom for companies and industries. But when your target group is no longer limited to your own neighborhood, city or country, it also presents a new positive challenge: cultural differences.

Being able to understand who you are communicating with is vital for getting your message across. It can be obvious, like not speaking Spanish to someone who doesn’t know the language, or more subtle, like knowing not to give a “thumbs up” sign to most people hailing from the Middle East. In the business world, it boils down to having a full understanding in each of your markets. If you’re running a company from Italy, but are trying to grab a share of the French market, you need people around you that know the specific culture, both on a business and personal level.

So it only makes sense that the more nations you’re targeting, the more nationalities you should bring on board. It’s as easy as this: cultural differences open new doors. Not only towards your existing and potential customer base, but also within the company itself. Why? A company with different nationalities and cultures can harvest the best from each of them, creating a strong and thriving business environment. Different people from different cultures bring with them a deeper understanding of how specific markets work. We learn from each other every day.

Take Black Friday, the biggest retail discount day of the year. A decade ago, this was an event that almost no one outside of America had heard of. A few years later, the interest exploded all over Europe, mainly because new communication lines made the phenomena spread like wildfire online. Today, Black Friday has become an event that creates thousands of jobs for young people all over the continent, including at CupoNation.

The Black Friday example is just one of many. In any company operating in more than one country, the benefits of including different cultures should be clear. At the end of the day, it’s about giving and receiving knowledge. The European population is growing closer through technology every day, and big or small companies that acknowledge that fact stand strong when new opportunities – be it Black Friday or some other event – come along. We all know that having different age groups within a company is beneficial, because they bring different knowledge and views into the office environment. In a modern Europe, the same goes for cultures and nationalities.

Everyone is bringing something valuable to the table. Dig in!

Related links:

CupoNation

Black-Friday.sale

Gestures to Avoid in Cross-Cultural Business

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