By Ranjini Manian
29/07/2010

 
This week I received two visitors I have known for a decade. They were relocating expats-turned-business partners and lifetime friends. Margaret is American and Suzanne, British.

One headed up Y2K for Continental Airlines, speaks the IT jargon and manages teams in India. The other speaks the Queen's English, is a leader in the book publishing industry and interacts with India regularly for work and pleasure.

I asked myself what makes us all similar, I found at least 90 things; then I asked myself what makes the US and the UK different, and I found a few. So this article will be about the subtle differences in behaviour that strengthen business relationships when dealing with the UK and the US.

The naming game

The British are formal, they like to keep their distance. This has been passed on to some extent to us Indians, and we've added our own emphasis on respect and hierarchy. With the result, we're formal in our interaction with business colleagues; we address them as ‘Sir' or ‘Ma'am' and feel uncomfortable doing otherwise.

In the UK, you have to wait for an invitation to use a person's first name. But the Americans seem almost irritated by this stress on formality, and prefer to be casual. They'll greet you with a “Hi there”, introduce themselves by their first names, and start calling you by yours, or even an abbreviation, from the word go.

To err on the side of caution with business acquaintances, always start with Mr or Ms and the last name; when they sign off with their first names and address you by yours — do likewise.

Business interactions

In the US, while things are pretty direct usually, disagreeing with your boss is done respectfully and indirectly. In the UK, it can be pretty direct. I have heard “I really don't think that would work,” in the UK, while in the US it is more “that is one approach I guess, how about if we did this instead?”

Next comes job titles. In the UK, the titles are few and self-explanatory. You'll be able to figure out easily what a person's responsibilities are and how high he is in the pecking order by looking at his designation. US job titles may be a bit confusing. For instance, an HR Manager may be called People Manager, and a Finance Manager ‘Swaps and Deals Manager'. Also, a job title doesn't automatically indicate importance. A US bank could have many Vice-Presidents. Not so in the UK. If you're to meet the Vice-President of a British firm, you can be sure you're going into a very high place indeed!

Business cards are important in the US and UK. The cards are exchanged early at meetings, and an American may place all the participants' cards in front of him so that he can connect names and faces to positions. He might also jot memos to himself at the back of your card, to help him remember you. Ensure your cards are clean and in good condition. Americans won't hesitate to tell you if they aren't. “You seem to have egg on your card,” said an American to me once. I had placed it in my purse along with a kumkum packet from a temple, which had lightly stained it. I invested in a cardholder that day!

As for the meeting itself, a typical American business meet will last only about a half-an-hour, at the most 45 minutes. But if you're going for a meeting with the

Britishers, be prepared to sit in for an hour or so.

The two countries have different business writing styles. Americans are big on small — they prefer short, clear bullet points (in e-mails too). They attach value to numbers and statistics. A favourite saying in the US is, ‘You can't manage what you can't measure'. Spreadsheets and checklists are much appreciated by the process-oriented US businessman. However, the British may use longer, prosy introductions, followed by key points. Tweak your style to suit the continent and you're sure to be a hit.

Jokes and small talk

At meetings with people from the UK or the US, you'll encounter jokes. The British are known for self-deprecating humour, while Americans use direct humour as ice breakers. Play along with them. But when you make a joke in your turn, remember there may be representatives of diverse backgrounds present, you don't want to offend anyone. “Oh, I'll save that for my second wife,” said an Indian colleague when asked if he would like to go shopping for a faux mink scarf in Russia. It turned out the speaker was a second wife and sensitive about it too.

The British may be well informed on India given our historic ties, but I have heard that only 35 per cent of Americans have passports. So they may not be that aware of the world outside America. In the course of small talk, don't be surprised if you're asked to explain something you think they ought to know about your country.

Dining etiquette

And to round off with a meal — it is much harder work for us Indians in the UK than in the US. In the UK, you eat only Continental style, which means fork in the left hand, pointing down, and knife in the right hand throughout the meal, even if you're eating peas or rice. The American style allows the fork to be transferred to the right hand and used like a spoon, the knife in rest position once you've cut your food.
 

The author is the CEO of Global Adjustments, a Chennai-based company that specializes in relocation and cross-cultural training services, and a columnist with Business Line, the business daily from the Hindu Group of publications.