Abstract
Today, most companies operate in the international market. Small and medium sized firms that export to the big multinationals, all have to deal with foreign partners. For these relations to be constructive, it is essential to understand the cultural context of the targeted country. Indeed, this context strongly conditions the behavior. That's why we will try to understand the various dimensions of national cultures with the Hofstede theory. Then, we will study in depth the differences that companies and employees can face with the French and German cases. Finally, we will give recommendations to succeed in certain foreign professional contexts.
An organization will work correctly only if its members share the same values. In multinational organizations, the people who do not belong to the dominant culture must be bicultural to succeed. However, the subsidiary company's staffs do not need to be bicultural; only the leaders of the subsidiary company need to, because they are the interface between the national staff and the international superstructure.
International organizations, like the United Nations and the European Union, cannot, by definition, have recourse to the use of a dominant national culture. The only viable way to manage such organizations lies in the creation of strong under-organizational culture based on trade, rather than on a national identity.
