The impact of culture on NZ companies

Now here’s a piece of news close to my heart!

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) commissioned a report to examine “why New Zealand can be so innovative, yet enjoys only mediocre economic performance”.    It was released yesterday.

The report clearly states

–  how national cultural traits impact on New Zealand businesses’ performance,

–  5 cultural values or practices that represent barriers to increased value and wealth for NZ businesses

and my favourite part:

–  how to use NZ culture as an asset to drive business success.

These three sections of the report mirror the approach I take in my cultural awareness workshops and executive coaching for people doing business globally.

The report offers 5 very concrete ways of “working smarter”.

Generally, the biggest challenge for all of us lies in implementation – modifying our actions based on this new knowledge or our increased awareness.

A helpful question to ask oneself is:  What’s in it for me?  Or, What is the benefit I can gain from applying these new ways of approaching my business?

Have a look at the NZTE report here.