Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Busiess Judgment

One of the by-products of cultural awareness is an improvement in our ability to make sound judgements. When we become aware of the biases that sway us and realize that they are derived from our cultural background, our language and our nationality we are well on the way to being culturally aware. The best way to overcome our cultural biases is to travel, to stay for an extended period in another country and to learn another language. The more we are exposed to different points of view the more able we will be to :judge" right from wrong. Indeed, we may learn that culture presents us with more "dilemmas" than "problems." Dilemmas need to be reconciled, not resolved.
The ability to make good judgments yields high returns in global business. It is a vital ability which is not necessarily learned in business school. A good marketer needs to be able to consider things from the perspective of other people. So too, global managers need to be able to make judgements through the eyes of other people and their cultures.