In a rapidly expanding global economy, employers and employees at all levels need to distinguish themselves from the competition. Educating existing employees or new recruits in the area of protocol and etiquette provides the tools that give you an advantage in situations where business maybe promoted or conducted.

Culture colors people's sense of identity and their perceptions of others. Difference in management style and organizational behavior can often be traced back to cultural influences.  Cultural miscommunication is very costly. This could be intimate, such as two co-workers interacting or it can take place in a more public arena i.e. an advertising campaign.

Skill acquisition is important, but it only has meaning when it is part of the altered process of how we think about business. An attitude and awareness are necessary which convert the 'where' the company does business to 'how'.

Most of us are hardly conscious of the cultural assumptions, which form the basis of many of our actions and words until they are challenged. This is what leads to those uncomfortable feelings known as 'culture shock' when we visit or live in a culture other than our own.

For the failure of cultural diversity to play an important, strategic role for many companies, is because we have treated it as something apart from the organization's lifecycle. Culture may play a role in marketing and advertising.  It may have a recognized effect on the formation and operation of multi-cultural functional teams.

The conflicts generated by value differences, however are less likely to be so easily amenable to reconciliation. There are conflicts that are also most likely to form around crucial issues of leadership, organization and communication in a company trying to operate as a true transnational:

Leadership is about how power and authority are distributed

Organization is about how people and systems come together to get things done

Communication is about the methods and manners of sending / receiving messages.

All of the above organizational elements are highly influenced by the values of a particular culture.

In emphasizing on relational skills, the objective is to place an importance on maintaining a rapport between individuals at every level of the organization.  By approaching cross cultural training as the development of process skills we are developing individuals' effectiveness in a global business context. Leadership is also equipping the organization to deal with the issues of cross culture and to use a process to generate internal change.

Nothing has so rapidly and brutally, forced organizations to change as increased, international competition. Structures, processes, relationships, and above all mindsets all need to be in sync. This is where training and development comes into play, but only if it is a part of the strategic need and at the right stage in the organizations life cycle.

Training would consist of three elements:

• Developing a global mindset
• Working through a model of cross-cultural reconciliation 
• Emphasis on relational skills

Nowadays, there is a greater recognition that cultural differences affect all facets of international business. Due to this, the industry is challenged to provide information in the form of literature and training aimed at making the business professional more productive in culturally diverse environments.