Doing business between two countries can be interesting and profitable. Many of us have had our lives enriched by the contact with another culture. But there are times when misunderstandings can occur as a result of cultural differences.

I read an article somewhere about two businessmen who were trying to put together a transaction. The Mexican--we'll call him Jose--was to visit the office of the American, whom we'll call Sam. Sam invited Jose to come between 4:00 and 5:00 on a certain day, expecting that they would talk for an hour, and then, if all went well, arrange to get together again. This was Sam's usual way of operating.

What Jose understood was that he was to arrive at some time between 4:00 and 5:00 and that the two of them would spend some time getting to know one another, perhaps going out for a drink and maybe even having dinner together. That's how it would have been done in Mexico where the ending time of an appointment would not be specified. So Jose arrived at 4:45, ready for a leisurely conversation.

Sam was annoyed because he had made another appointment for 5:00 and only had 15 minutes to talk to Jose. He felt that Jose was inexcusably rude to have arrived so late.

Jose was taken aback that Sam was so abrupt with him, hurrying him away after only a few minutes. Sam had seemed so friendly when they made the appointment; Jose couldn't understand why he had apparently changed his mind about wanting to do business together and was now so rude.

Obviously there were deep differences in what each man expected from the other, which caused a promising transaction to go sour when they weren't met.

A more trivial difference that can still cause some frustration is the matter of daily schedules. In the U.S. most offices open at 8:00 and close at 5:00. Lunch hour is from 12:00 to 1:00. Americans like to leave work early enough that they can spend the evening with their families.

In Mexico, the noon meal is the one spent with families. Mexican businesses usually open later, take a 2- or 3-hour lunch break, and then stay open later in the evenings. So let's suppose that Sam needed to get in touch with Jose in Mexico. He got to his office one morning at 8:00 and tried to call Jose, only to find his office not open yet. So he turned to something else on his agenda. Returning to the office after lunch he remembered Jose and again tried to call. This time Jose was on his lunch hour. Sam tried again at 3:00 and left a message for Jose to call him.

When Jose got back to his office he didn't have a chance to call Sam right away, but at 5:30 he tried and was told Sam had left for the day. Next morning at 9:00 he called again, but Sam was in conference, and when Jose called back at 12:10, Sam had gone out for lunch. And so it went.

Attitudes are another area in which differences can be seen. Mexicans often find U.S. business people impatient and pushy. They tend to want things done NOW. Mexicans are more willing to wait, to come back, to try again the next day or the next week. These feelings are tied to cultural concepts of the proper way to get from Point A to Point B. Americans value directness. It's obvious to them that a straight line is the most efficient pathway. Mexicans value subtlety more than directness. They would rather approach a subject by going first one way, then another, only gradually getting to the desired point. This tendency can be found in the language itself. If you examine any article in El Futuro, you will notice that the Spanish version is almost always longer than the English version.

As an example of the value Mexicans place on courtesy, consider that if Jose asked Sam to do something and Sam couldn't do it, he would tell Jose NO right away. But Jose could never be so rude. If Sam asked him to do something he couldn't, Jose would consider it more polite to say yes and not do it than to refuse outright. Another Mexican would understand this and not expect it, but Sam would believe Jose meant to do it and would feel let down when he didn't.

Obviously awareness of these differing cultural expectations can help all of us to understand each other better and thus do business more effectively.

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