Working abroad

At the “Global American Technology Alliance” blog of Michael Muth, a graduate of the prestigious Thunderbird School of International Management, there is a recent post describing the author’s experience living and working in Germany, and how it compares to that of other international business students in the U.S. Muth describes the experience of arriving in Germany with “textbook German”, and then, after an extended stay in the country, improving his language to the point of being mistaken for a local.  He became familiar with the rhythms of everyday life in Germany, and learned the work culture from the inside out.  This stands in contrast to the experiences of students from the University of South Carolina’s International Business program, who stayed for a semester, and only observed German workplaces.  While this provides an eagle eye view of the German company and German culture, 3 months is barely enough time to scratch the surface of a foreign culture.

I can say from personal experience that Muth is absolutely correct.  It was my observation, as a student who spent a year of study in Spain, that the students in the semester program left the country just as their language skills were beginning to improve.  After ten months in Spain, I thought, spoke and felt like somewhat of a Spaniard. And yet, year later, after three months in Mexico, I felt that just I was beginning to really learn the local culture and pick up the slang, I had to pick up and leave.  For the person who wants to get into international business, a thorough knowledge of the host country is vital.  “Helicoptering” in, observing a company’s behavior and saying a few words in the local language can be done by anyone.  But to get the deal closed, to get to the heart of the matter easily with foreign colleagues, it is so important to feel at ease in the language and culture in the country where one does business.