Introduction

Most of the time people think about cultures in terms of another national culture, culture when you go abroad. However, that is more the exception than the rule, the rule being that we deal with culture all the time in our day-to-day life. In the e-book on individual culture (Culture 6) I discussed the idea that our thinking and acting is influenced by all the cultures we are or have been part of. Multicultural society (Culture 3) and organisational culture (Culture 4) are other examples.

This e-book takes the international context of many jobs as a starting point. Within the EU nearly all jobs have an international context; e.g. the EU rules on labour conditions. Although most EU legislation is incorporated in national legislation, it still sets European wide standards that often appear quite relevant. Outside the EU the effects of the international context are stronger than most people realise; e.g. the application of human rights agreements in business.

Overview

After a brief introduction of the international context of organisations, the consequences for a staff member are discussed: collecting and evaluating relevant information, advising the board, establishing and maintaining contacts, raising internal awareness of the international context, helping with co-operation and travelling (although the latter is not even required). The cultural aspects are different for each organisational context but a series of examples show how much culture is an integral part of the unavoidable international context. The key message is that no organisation can afford to neglect the international context with all the related cultural aspects.