When I started working in the intercultural field, I thought the main objective of cultural learning was relatively simple: to help people from different cultural backgrounds work effectively together. While that is still important, over the years I have realised it’s so much more than that.​
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Recently I had an interesting conversation with Dr. Yaacov Tzori about where culture is "located." When he asked me, "Where is culture?" I confidently said, "In the mind," basing my argument on Hofstede's work and the well-known metaphor: "Culture is the software of the mind."
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What is more important: following the rules or making your customers happy?

And how is that related to culture?
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Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a thought-provoking session organized by SIETAR Europe about the value of cultural dimensions.
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How do you resolve conflicts?

And how does culture influence your strategy?
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A few months ago, I attended a parents-teachers meeting at my 7-year-old son’s school. One of the teachers, a Singaporean Chinese, began the meeting by saying how deeply impressed she is with my child’s academic progress and inner motivation to learn. A wide smile began to appear on my face but that warm feeling did not last long, as her tone of voice suddenly changed, and she noted:
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