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| Sheriff Aligbeh of Clever Culture Communication at Addax in Geneva |
Coca Cola, Disney, and more recently, Starbucks……, over the years, Western marketeers have successfully “sold” lifestyle concepts around the world. Curiosity coupled with creativity have layed the foundation for the penetration of new markets and the establishment of true global brands.
Only recently, Asian brands have begun to conquer the world. After earlier Japanese and Korean successes in the automotive and electronics sectors, now a broader range of consumer goods from Asia are entering Western markets.
Over the past decades, outward looking Western marketeers have researched consumer behaviour and trends in other parts of the world. In the Sixities of last Century, Dutch social psychologist, Geert Hofstede, developed a cross-cultural theory covering cultural values and behaviour in various regions and nations. Although, these so-called “dimensions” may be quite stereotyping and outdated nowadays, they did mark the beginning of trying to understand what drives the different peoples around the world and are embraced by the Western business community to this day.
However, the world is changing. Cultures are not static, but are constantly evolving, in the past 50 years even more rapidly than ever before, being influenced by urbanisation, economic development, technology and globalisation. People’s behaviour and even the values driving this behaviour are changing as years and generations go by.
Asian investors are beginning to understand that it takes more than just money to run viable businesses elsewhere and that some investments abroad may turn out to be a failure. In the West, we have learned to deal with financial setbacks and divestments the hard way.
Chinese oil giant, Sinopec, in 2009 acquired Swiss-based Addax Petroleum. Both Addax’s Chinese and Swiss executives are obliged to enroll in cross-cultural training programs on Africa, one of the company’s core regions. As part of this cultural awareness initiative roll-out, Sheriff Aligbeh, Nigerian-born, Netherlands-based cross-cultural consultant and founder of Clever Culture Communication, is regularly in Geneva to conduct training programs on African cultures for Addax. Clever Culture Communication creates and delivers tailor-made cross-cultural (business) solutions to corporate and public sector organizations operating in the Sub-Saharan African region.
"There seems to be a clear will to invest in educating employees on African cultures, but also other value systems, in order to encourage dialogue and an open approach to differences", says Aligbeh.
Last year, affiliate of the Royal Tropical Institute in The Netherlands, KIT Intercultural Professionals, opened an office in Shanghai. Within one year of operation, in which it served multinationals active in China, its Chinese daughter company will now run cross-cultural training programs for Chinese clients for the first time. Chinese companies with overseas investments and universities with exchange programs in, for example, the U.S., recognise the need to prepare their managers and students for their business dealings and social life abroad.
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| Shanghai-based Wendong Deng (far right) is heading KIT Intercultural Professional's China operations. Also pictured (from left to right): Jolande Zeeman, Senior Trainer, KIT Intercultural Professionals and Heleen Agterhuis, Managing Director, KIT Intercultural Professionals This article appeared earlier in e-magazine Business Trends Asia |
