Making the Most of Cultural Differences

Any smart businessman should take the time and make the effort to know and understand his labor force whether operating at home or abroad. From time honored practices like sending birthday and anniversary wishes, to being able to ask an employee about important events or people in their lives, treating people as people and not machines is not only good business, it's the right thing to do.

When operating if a foreign country, this task is even more difficult because it's much more difficult to relate to your employee's on a personal level because of the different experiences that they have due to cultural differences.

The example of 3M in Russia is enlightening because it shows how a company that is willing to make the effort can break down the barriers that would naturally lead to distrust between the company and it's employees. By capitalizing on the natural strengths that a typical Russian employee would bring to the table and trying to help with the challenges that they might face in their day to day lives, they have not only made themselves a place that people would want to work. They have also given their work force good reason to be loyal and try to do a good job and go the extra mile to get the job done when necessary. DB