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Operating in America

a guide to business, legal, and cultural practices for foreign nationals

When looking at corporate culture the way an anthropologist might, we can see there are several major subcultures in large American organizations; some are the result of age and gender differences, several are regional, but the most significant are industry-specific. The corporate culture of a large brokerage firm, for example, is quite different from, say, a health care institution or educational system. A foreign-owned corporation with a number of foreign nationals as senior executives, such as we find in some of the electronic and pharmaceutical giants, overlays a different set of assumptions and values on the corporate culture. In the worst cases, such as Astra and Bridgestone Tire, the potential for serious legal and public relations disasters is magnified. Accepted and normal practices, based on cultural values and assumptions, may exacerbate tensions that already exist among American subcultures.

The tolerance of “good ol' boy” behavior towards women has led several
companies into major difficulties with the EEOC on harassment issues. The
tension between authority and individuality that we saw in recent decades
in certain industries may be even more pronounced in foreign-owned
operations in the mid-Atlantic states.

To help executives who are foreign nationals understand the many ways that corporate culture affects their operations in the area of employment law, human resources, public relations and customer relations, Guided Learning has developed a “wired seminar” on the topic. The seminar will be conducted entirely online, using a collaborative workspace like Groove, email, instant messaging and teleconferencing. It will consist of a half dozen topics which participants will explore through a series of case studies and critical incidents. The objective is to guide participants to an understanding of the constraints (legal and cultural) within which any organization in America must operate.

The seminar's developer is an industrial psychologist with years of foreign and domestic experience (both as a consultant and in very senior operating roles) in a variety of industries. The target audience is foreign nationals (particularly Japanese, Korean, German, and Swiss) with significant managerial responsibilities working in this country for major foreign-owned companies. Participation in the seminar is asynchronous (at the convenience of each member), so participants have an opportunity to reflect on the comments and insights of others before responding; fluency in spoken English and the ability to “think-on-your-feet,” is not a significant advantage in this seminar, which will be limited to approximately 20 executives.

If you'd like more information about this Wired Seminar, please send us an email.