Culture: Inside the Company and Outside the Country 2.5 CPE

Culture, in the context of this course, is defined as the customs, ways of being, and institutions of a company or country.  

This course is divided into two distinct sections:  the first looks at the components of culture as they apply to various business organizations.  The second section discusses the cultural norms and business conditions in a variety of countries.

We live and work within a culture.  The one we were raised in is the one we believe to be “the way things are” – or “the right way to believe and act”.  We are usually more comfortable in our own, than in a culture different from ours.

It is useful to understand how culture applies to the place in which we work.  For example, do we need a tight and formal structure such as “classic” IBM, or are we more comfortable in a loose and creative environment such as Google.  We get to choose where we work and thus it really helps to understand our comfort-zone and the different workplace cultures available to us.

Also, we are working in an international world.  Quite often we are actually traveling to do business – or to work in – another country. It helps to know the culture (the rules of behaving) in that country.  Even if you are just working with them by e-mail or phone – it helps to know what to expect from their behavior and what they expect from you.

This course is about generalizations – not absolutes.  Learning about a group tells you very little about any one individual in that group. Please remember that as you learn about the customs and cultures of different organizations and countries.

Prerequisites

No advanced preparation or prerequisites are required for this course.

Learning Objective

• Explore multiple styles of behaving and cooperating
• Discover that there is no “right way” – but different ways elsewhere
• Recognize how to fit into a particular culture
• Identify the expected behaviors and rules of the place we work and/or visit

Last updated/reviewed: July 22, 2025