Bow when I bow: Business etiquette all the way?

Can't blame corporations for packaging culture. Anything to make a deal. It's that slight edge that you get in knowing that you cannot discuss business over dinner in Argentina or that it's not done to address your Korean client by her first name. Nuances infuse relationships. Missed nuances apparently can cost you your contract or sour your business partnership. In fact, management gurus and experts have done a great job in infusing paranoia about cultural misunderstandings in the business circuit...

"...the single greatest barrier to business success is the one erected by culture." Edward T. Hall and Mildred Reed Hall

Metaphors lace this paranoia:

"Culture is like an iceberg. The tip of the iceberg is easy to see. This includes the visible aspects and do's and taboos of working in other cultures. The remaining huge chunk of the iceberg hidden below the surface includes the invisible aspects of a culture such as the values, traditions, experiences and behaviors that define each culture. Venturing into different cultures without adequate preparation can be just as dangerous as a ship maneuvering icy waters without charts, hoping to be lucky enough to avoid hitting an iceberg. The difference is that the ship will know immediately when it hits an iceberg."

So sure, there is some validity in learning business etiquette but at what expense? It is dangerous to condition oneself before hand on "Arabic" or "Mexican" business "ways" as it negates several essentials:

1) Business people across the world are more forgiving of cultural faux pas when it is evident that you're outside their cultural zone

2) Sometimes, your ignorance can be turned to an advantage where you use this opportunity to LEARN about your partner and ask freely questions regarding their culture; it not just demonstrates that you're interested in them as people but also in their culture. Business is NOT just about making DEALSl its about establishing relationships.

3) People from a particular culture are rarely consistent and true to their cultural "expectations;" Crossing cultural lines can be liberating from the stranglehold of a particular "cultural" business practice.

4) Misunderstandings when confronted and resolved can actually lead to stronger bonds and ties in business; conflict and resolution deepens relationships at times.

5) Adhering to a cultural cliche can actually be perceived as stereotyping and can be seen as an insult

The bottom line is to be in the moment. The unknown should be looked upon as a treat to a new world versus something to be feared.

Fear never sells.