Are you moving countries and worried about adapting to a different work culture? Are you a travelling sort who wants to weigh up where to work next based on the working culture? Displaying your ability to adapt to different working cultures can be an excellent addition to your professional skills!
We know that working cultures vary from business to business but countries tend to have different working cultures too. These can vary in reasons. It can be the type of company you are joining : an investment bank will have different standards and value different types of work compared to an NGO.
In this article we will help you focus on adapting to a cultural shock in the workplace. It is generally the case that the further you travel from your home country the more different work culture might feel. Read on to see how you can adapt to a different work culture of another country.
How do you adapt to change quickly?
The key to adapting to a new culture is to accept that change is going to be enforced. Whether it is a new boss or a new schedule regime many people struggle with change and it is the same when you are going abroad and engaging with other colleagues.
Some ways to be adaptable include :
- Having the patience to adjust to a new setting
- Be flexible about what you are expected to do, provided it remains within the law of the land.
- Design new strategies, action plans to adapt to the new culture.
- Withhold judgement or assumptions about what goes on until further discovery. Whilst some things may seem strange you may feel about them differently after a while.
- Read and educate yourself about the country you have moved to.
Why is it important to adapt to a new country?
Countries have different labour laws that dictate the working cultures. So it goes without saying that following how people operate is important.
It is also important to be able to advance your career, as you will not get far without an understand of how the company culture operates and stay narrow minded.
Some other tips to adapt to another country include :
- Pay special attention to the first few days where everything is laid out for you.
- Learning the language as fast as possible so you integrate quicker with your colleagues.
- Observe how others behave in the work place
- Research what the rules are and how people behave towards work in the country, include forms of politeness.
- Always make yourself discrete but present and not hesitant to ask questions about such things.
What is an example of cultural adaptation?
Learning about how scheduling works in a country is vitally important. Each country has different laws dictating how much an employee should be working usually per week. This is to avoid both abuse from employers and in some cases seen as a productivity guarantee.
Another one is the lunch break and the level of socialisation outside of work between colleagues in general. Knowing when the usual time is for lunch helps you integrate into the scene better. It helps you know when others socialise together.
Remember too that some working cultures value different things to others. In Sweden for example schedules are put to one side and the creativity and value of your input is what they are looking for.
What are examples of different countries’ working cultures?
Differences in the working culture can be found in pretty much any country, and they are worth highlighting here.
Japanese working culture is one of the more peculiar ones for example to Westerners. Japan’s working hours are very long, and Japanese employees are infamous for not taking holiday. There is also the concept of “kaizen”, constant self-improvement. And a hierarchical, top-down approach to management.
Similarly American corporate culture also does not take well to too much holiday. Furthermore a lot more emphasis is placed on your ability to sell yourself as an employee compared to Europe. You are expected to take initiative with projects unlike the Japanese approach where you must seek approval.
With the advent of multinationals, some of these working cultures may disappear, but it always helps to learn about your own company culture through extensive research.