Leadership in Action: Cultural Adaptability: It's About more than Using the Right Fork

RIGHT AND WRONG

For global managers, deciding when it is appropriate, wise, and strategically sound to adapt to local customs and when it might be better to follow the practices and values of their own countries or organizations can be a tricky business. Such decisions are more likely to be made correctly when they are based on the deep cultural understanding described previously. And there are other guidelines as well.

If attempting to adapt to a culture or impose your own culture entails violating your sense of ethics, it's usually a recipe for disaster.

First, global managers should consult their own sense of ethics. If a proposed action just feels right or wrong, managers need to pay attention to those instincts. It's often helpful for ...