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The three countries of North America share similarities and differences. There are many Canadian and US citizens vacationing and buying properties in Mexico. We all experience a convergence of these different cultures when we have an exchange, whether it is social or business.
Authors Morrison, Conaway and Borden have written about the cultural and behavior styles of many countries. Their objective is to inform us on how to do business in different countries. The following is a comparison of their cultural overview of Canada, The United States of America, and The United States of Mexico.
The topics covered are:
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Cognitive Styles: How Citizens of a certain country organize and process information.
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Negotiation Strategies: What citizens of a certain country accept as evidence.
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Value Systems: The basis for behavior…the predominate cultural influences dividing right from wrong, good from evil, and so forth.
The topics of business practices, protocol, country background, will be covered in a later article. The opinions expressed are by the authors named above.
Canada
Cultural Orientation:
Canadians in general are well informed and open to reasonable discussions. French Quebec is less open. Canadians are quire analytical and prefer objective information over subjective. They act on problems more from the perspective of universal rules rather than from the particular perspectives of the people involved.
Negotiation Strategies:
Facts are accepted as the primary evidence in negotiations, with little credence given to feelings. There is a strong ethnocentrism (the belief that one's own ethnic group, nation, culture is superior) within the provinces, especially in Quebec. This leads to a faith in self-determination that may underlie behavior in negotiations.
Value System:
The French province of Quebec has a different value system from the rest of Canada . Consumerism is well developed in all provinces.
Decision Making:
There is extremely high individualism in decision-making, but one must follow company policies. Therefore, one person can be exchanged for another without disrupting negotiations. Canadians do not find it difficult to say "no." A need for privacy prohibits discussing one's family and personal affairs in business negotiations. Friendships are few and specific to needs.
An objective approach to life allows the use of social organizations and other external structures to provide stability and insulations from life. Emotion is not to be shown in public. Competitive behavior is expected, since recognition is one's greatest reward. Time is money. Experts are relied upon at all levels.
Emphasis is on one's ability, but considerable tensions exist between the provinces, particularly with Quebec. Although there are inequalities in roles, equal rights should be guaranteed to all, as superiors and subordinates are "people like me." Material progress is as important as humanistic progress. Traditional sex roles are changing rapidly, but women are still fighting for equality in pay and power.
The United States of America
Cultural Orientation:
In the United States the culture is very ethnocentric, so it is closed to most outside information. It is very analytical and concepts are abstracted quickly. Innovations often take precedence over tradition. The universal rule is preferred, and company policy is followed regardless of who is doing the negotiating.
Negotiation Strategies:
In negotiations, points are made by the accumulation of objective facts. These are sometimes biased by faith in the ideologies of democracy, capitalism, and consumerism, but seldom by the subjective feelings of the participants.
Value System:
It is often said that Judeo-Christian values are the basis for behavior in the United States . However, these seem to be eroding and being replaced by ego-and ethnocentrism.
Decision Making:
Although the United States is probably the most individualistic of all cultures, each person becomes a replaceable cog in the wheel of any organization. There is a high "self" (as opposed to "other") orientation emphasizing individual initiative and achievement. People from the US do not find it difficult to say "no." The individual has a life of his or her own that is generally private and not to be discussed in business negotiations. Friendships are few and specific to needs.
There is a low anxiety about life, as external structures and science provide answers to all-important questions and isolate one from life. Anxiety is developed over deadlines and results because recognition of one's work is the greatest reward. The work ethic is very strong, so that it appears that one lives to work. There are established rules for everything and experts are relied upon at all levels.
There is structured inequality in the roles people take, but law guarantees personal equality. There is considerable ethnic and social bias against some minorities. Competition is the rule of life, but there is a strong feeling of the interdependency of roles. Excellence and decisiveness are prized characteristics. Material progress is more important than humanistic progress. Traditional sex roles are changing rapidly, but women are still fighting for equality in pay and power.
The United States of Mexico
Cultural Orientation:
In Mexico information is readily accepted for purposes of discussion, but little movement in attitude is seen. Mexicans process information subjectively and associatively, since most of their education is by rote. They become personally involved in each situation and look at the particulars rather than using a rule or law to solve problems.
Subjective feelings form the basis for the truth, and this leads to the truth changing depending on what one is perceived to want. Faith in the ideologies of the Catholic church, though pervasive, does not greatly affect their perceptions of the truth. Objective facts are used by those with a higher education.
Negotiation Strategies:
The closeness of Mexico to the United States of America and a history of "bad deals" make them suspicious of its intent.
Value System:
The individual is responsible for his or her decisions, but the best interest of the family or group is a dominating factor. One must know a person before doing business with him or her, and the only way to know a person in Mexico is to know the family. Expertise is less important than how one fits into the group, so it is extremely important to cultivate personal relations with the right people in the right places.
Decision Making:
It is one's role in the social structure and the presence of the extended family that gives a sense of stability to life. However, families exert pressure on the behavior of their members. Group members are bound by intense friendship and personal relations, and commit themselves to assisting one another in case of need. This network of relatives, friends and memberships is crucial to class affiliation and social mobility. All of these expect mutual
support - a lifelong commitment.
There are extreme contrasts between rich and poor, but Mexico has the largest upper class of all Latin American countries-all interrelated in one way or another. Machismo is very strong. For women, femininity is stressed in dress, makeup and behavior.
"Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things…I am tempted to think…. there are no little things."
Bruce Barton
Each of us is a mixture of our own personal experiences and cultural influences. When we make friends or do business with persons from another country, we need to realize that the way of approaching issues, from etiquette to negotiating a lease or a purchase, will be affected by our own perspective. Our counterpart's perspective can be very different, not wrong, just different.
Information for this article is from "Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands" by Morrison, Conaway, Borden. I recommend that each potential buyer or seller conduct his own due diligence and review when contemplating a purchase or lease.
Harriet Cochran Murray
This article is based upon legal opinions, current practices and my personal experiences in the Puerto Vallarta-Bahia de Banderas areas. I recommend that each potential buyer or seller conduct his own due diligence and review.
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