PACE 2 CANADIAN CULTURE CASE STUDY Bill Miller Cross-Cultural Case Study: When is it time to do business? Bill Miller, a top American salesman with a major information technology manufacturer, sits in his Mexico City hotel room, head bowed, running his hands through his hair in frustration. Will his hosts ever get down to talking business? Don't they know he has only a few days in their city? There is a deal to be made. The preliminary negotiations, conducted from a distance, have gone well. Yet, now, two days into his trip and with only twenty-four hours left, he feels he is no closer to "closing" than he was when he arrived. It's not that his Mexican hosts are hostile. On the contrary, they are extraordinarily good-natured. They smile broadly at him, take a personal interest in him, and certainly look after his needs; the hotel, for example, is excellent. It is just that the Mexicans show very little interest in talking business. The manager who has been assigned to look after Bill is a good host but is not a party to the deal Bill wants to negotiate. On the way from the airport, when Bill brought up the subject of his sales presentation, which he had carefully prepared in the U.S. before the trip, the man seemed surprised that Bill wanted to talk about it. "Plenty of time for that later," he advised. "For the moment, you must be tired from your flight. Why not relax for a day or two and do some sightseeing first? I can look after you." Bill spent his first day being shown around Mexico City, struggling to conceal his impatience. On the second day, however, his host introduced him to the senior managers concerned with the proposed purchase and suggested that he make his presentation on the third morning. Again, they reluctantly agreed to an after-work discussion at 5 pm. Bill prepared carefully and arrived promptly at the meeting room with his PowerPoint display. There was no one there, just a cabinet of drinks and nibbles ready-prepared. Gradually, however, the executives drifted in. They engaged Bill conversationally in English and began to ask questions. But the questions were not Robertson College - PACE 3-A Case Study: Bill Miller 1 about the equipment Bill had to sell, but about his company - its history, its plans, and its future expansion in Latin America. Next they moved on to Bill himself, his background, his history in the company -- even his wife, family and hobbies. Bill was still impatient. He wanted to get on with his presentation, but he did not want to offend his hosts, so he answered their questions and waited for a break in the conversation. Eventually, during a pause, he said, "Thanks - I am so grateful for your hospitality. Now, I wonder if we might sit down and let me go through my presentation. I think we have a real good deal here for your company. There was an embarrassed silence. Then the deputy CEO said slowly, "Unfortunately, I think Mr. Alvarez may already have gone home." Sure enough, he had disappeared. Alvarez was the CEO, and without his signature there could be no deal. "Maybe..." said the deputy CEO, "maybe tomorrow? In the meantime, why not come out to dinner, so we can get to know each other better?" This time, Bill pleaded fatigue. How on earth, he wondered, did these people ever sell anything to each other, or buy anything from each other, let alone from him? Back at home, Juan Alvarez lit a cigarette carefully. The American had looked so ill at ease, so much in a hurry that Juan didn't feel like sticking around. He had wanted to try to build a business relationship, establish the basis for many years' worth of deals, not just one. How on earth, he wondered, did they ever learn to really trust each other in business? Source: The case study is from Thomas, C. T., & Inkson, K. (2004). Cultural intelligence. San Francisco, CA: Berret-Koehler Publishers, Inc., pages 1-2. as published in Gear-Up Advanced: ESTEC for Engineering, Diversity in the Workplace, Worksheet W1-5; Waterloo Region District School Board. Robertson College - PACE 3-A Case Study: Bill Miller 2

Give an example of how Bill is being individualistic.

Describe one strategy Bill Miller and Juan Alvarez could follow in the future to promote better understanding and cooperation.

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An example of how Bill is being individualistic in the case study is when he ex... View the full answer