Culture is a notoriously difficult term to define. Here are some example: ‘Culture is a fuzzy set of basic assumptions and values, orientations to life, beliefs, policies, procedures and behavioral conventions that are shared by a group of people, and that influence (but do not determine) each member’s behavior and his/her interpretations of the ‘meaning’ of other people’s behavior. Here, then, are three very different understandings of culture, but it is good to know that culture shapes how we understand that incompatibility, what actions and reactions are seen as appropriate, and what possible solutions would look like.

Culture is often compared to an iceberg which has both visible (on the surface) and invisible (below the surface) parts. Difficulties arise when the rules of one culture are applied to interpret the behavior of another with a different set of cultural rules. Failure to understand and recognize these parts of culture and the layers that compose them, as well as how they influence each other is the main reason misunderstandings occur when doing business internationally.

Cultural awareness becomes central when we have to interact with people from other cultures. People see, interpret and evaluate things in a different ways. What is considered an appropriate behavior in one culture is frequently inappropriate in another one. Misunderstandings arise when I use my meanings to make sense of your reality. It is a filter through which people process their experiences and events of their lives, which influences people’s values, actions, and expectations of themselves and impacts people’s perceptions and expectations of others.

When you step into a foreign culture, suddenly things seem different. You don’t know what to do or say. Learning about the Intercultural Communication as a starting point, you can evaluate your approach, your decisions, and actions based on a general sense of how the society might think and react to you. In particular, successful communication depends crucially on shared culture. When you have communication between people of different cultures, even if they share a common language, things can go wrong. In particular, knowledge of a language does not automatically give you the background knowledge that native speakers assume you share.

Hofstede makes the important point that although certain aspects of culture are physically visible, their meaning is invisible: ‘their cultural meaning … lies precisely and only in the way these practices are interpreted by the insiders.’ For example, a gesture such as the ‘ring gesture’ (thumb and forefinger touching) may be interpreted as conveying agreement, approval or acceptance in the USA, the UK and Canada, but as an insult or obscene gesture in several Mediterranean countries.

The basic requirements for intercultural competence are empathy, an understanding of other people’s behaviors and ways of thinking, and the ability to express one’s own way of thinking. It is a balance, situatively adapted, among four parts: knowledge – about other cultures, people, nations, behaviours and about one’s own culture. Empathy – understanding feelings and needs of other people and self-confidence – knowing what I want, my strengths and weaknesses.