Recently, I read a book written by a Cultural Analyst
specializing in Mexican culture. I was impressed when he made the point
that though you might have the highest degree of spoken fluency in
Spanish and have excellent cultural fluency, when "push comes to
shove," maybe having a Mexican partner, mentor, or advisor to accompany
you would be best. What I think he meant was when you want to transact
anything under the sun in Mexico, having a Mexican at your side would
get things done a lot faster, more smoothly, and as hitch-free as
possible.
This makes perfect sense in light of the Mexican
culture. We Americans are the "me" society. Our culture is geared
toward the individual. Everything is based on procedures, methods,
deadlines, and an anal-retentive regard for time. We want our meetings
to go without a hitch. We want them fast. We want to get down to
business immediately-no messing around!
Mexicans are the "us"
society. Their culture is based on groups. They have a group
orientation toward everything in life. Relationships within the groups
(any sort of group) is how this society functions. The culture is, in
that regard, very much like the Japanese and Oriental cultures.
Someone
told me, "I've sent email after email to a Mexican real estate agency
and have never gotten a response." A possibility, I told this person,
is that business conducted by phone, fax, or email is not personal. You
don't build relationships this way. Business here is conducted face to
face. One is impersonal. The other is relational.
Let's face it:
as Americans, we lack in the relationship-building department. This is
something often commented on by Latinos. One put it: "Americans, while
technologically advanced seemed not very socially evolved."
Mexicans,
on the other hand, are experts at knowing how to build relationships so
that a transaction of any kind can go down as hassle-free as possible.
They know how to complete a transaction based on a relationship and not a piece of paper (contract).
