Cultural Differences Between Polish and Russians in Doing Business
1. Introduction
Culture consists of patterns of behavior and beliefs which characterize a group of people at a given point in time. The behavior may relate to religious practices, rituals, food choices etc.
[ Bidney, 1994]. Within the health system, cultural awareness is an understanding of the likely impact of these behaviors and beliefs, on health, illness, care and hospitalization. In the global economy effective intercultural communication is a "must". Business success is now build on understanding and nurturing strong relationships with international and multicultural colleagues, customers and clients.
Working, meeting, dealing, entertaining, negotiating and corresponding with colleagues or clients from different cultures can be a minefield. One wrong movement or basic misunderstanding could ruin or delay months of work.[Kwintessential, 2005]. Understanding and appreciating intercultural differences ultimately promotes clearer communication, breaks down barriers, builds trust, strengthens relationships, opens horizons and yields tangible results in terms of business success.
I decided to write on this subject, because I know how confused I was when visiting Russia this year. I had completely different view about this specific country thinking that it can not be much different then Poland. And that was my mistake.
This essay shows how two Slavic countries (Poland and Russia) can be different, and how useful is to know even just basic information about it while visiting or doing business.
2.Russia and Poland – general information
Poland is the 69th largest country in the world with area of 312,679 km². Poland’s territory extends across five geographical regions. It is situated in Central Europe, between Eastern and Western European continental masses. It has boarder with Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Kaliningrad Oblast. Poland’s population is over 38.5 mln people. It has a
Culture consists of patterns of behavior and beliefs which characterize a group of people at a given point in time. The behavior may relate to religious practices, rituals, food choices etc.
[ Bidney, 1994]. Within the health system, cultural awareness is an understanding of the likely impact of these behaviors and beliefs, on health, illness, care and hospitalization. In the global economy effective intercultural communication is a "must". Business success is now build on understanding and nurturing strong relationships with international and multicultural colleagues, customers and clients.
Working, meeting, dealing, entertaining, negotiating and corresponding with colleagues or clients from different cultures can be a minefield. One wrong movement or basic misunderstanding could ruin or delay months of work.[Kwintessential, 2005]. Understanding and appreciating intercultural differences ultimately promotes clearer communication, breaks down barriers, builds trust, strengthens relationships, opens horizons and yields tangible results in terms of business success.
I decided to write on this subject, because I know how confused I was when visiting Russia this year. I had completely different view about this specific country thinking that it can not be much different then Poland. And that was my mistake.
This essay shows how two Slavic countries (Poland and Russia) can be different, and how useful is to know even just basic information about it while visiting or doing business.
2.Russia and Poland – general information
Poland is the 69th largest country in the world with area of 312,679 km². Poland’s territory extends across five geographical regions. It is situated in Central Europe, between Eastern and Western European continental masses. It has boarder with Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Kaliningrad Oblast. Poland’s population is over 38.5 mln people. It has a