Tag: culture-customs

Doing Business in Mexico To many outside Mexico, the country often seems “exotic.” Described as “surreal,” endless description about the inner soul of Mexico (the ” Mexico Profundo,” or the “Deep Mexico”), complex, traditional, contradictory, passive-aggressive are just but a few words often heard when referring to Mexico. No doubt, the pre-Columbian heritage has added to […]

Doing Business in Mexico Empowering employees in Mexico presents a different series of challenges than in the United States. Mexico’s hierarchical and authoritarian tradition makes it extremely difficult for managers to delegate responsibilities to their employees—something any manager or director must do to run an efficient business. Empowerment in Mexico can be successful, though, if […]

Doing Business in Mexico Favors are done in every culture, but how favors are given and received differs among cultures. Comparing the mainstream U.S. culture and Mexico regarding this issue, we find striking differences, which often lead to important misunderstandings among people. In the U.S., informal favors are seen as voluntary actions, which nevertheless create […]

Doing Business in Mexico Like many other authors, I have often commented about the “trust” issue in business. According to author Francis Fukuyama, “trust” is a human capital that determines the way society develops business. “Trust,” according to Fukuyama, is the probability within a culture that two people who do not know each other are […]

Doing Business in Mexico A reality of any manager’s life is attending and calling staff meetings. Another reality is that most managers complain staff meetings are a “waste of time.” When meetings involve Mexican and Anglo-American managers (including most Canadians in the second group), the issue of time-management becomes salient, and in my experience, one […]

Doing Business in Mexico When U.S. executives are sent to Mexico, they soon hear that Mexicans are “indirect” and “will not give you a straight answer, “especially if what needs to be communicated is unpleasant.” Thus, the generalized statement about the Mexican “vagueness” is often heard among foreigners residing in Mexico. But vagueness is only […]

Doing Business in Mexico The topic of business ethics is one that too often ends up on the back burner, unless you happen to be a social activist. In business circles, the topic arouses as much interest as a turtle race. The logic of business, chiefly concerned with profit maximization, usually places ethics within the […]