Principles for global collaboration

Cultural differences need to be resolved while entering into collaborative arrangements with companies and individuals worldwide. Most of us from Asia generally find it difficult to say no to things that we are not comfortable with; we are especially reluctant to make a negative statement to people who we categorize as elders, religious people or people in what are perceived in Asia as coming from 'noble" professions like medicine, religious people and others like people in high office, well connected people etc. We also try too hard to get a deal going and are willing to negotiate which is perceived as vacillation or resorting to trickery in other parts of the world. I have found additionally differences in approach to doing business in different sectors in the same country. The entertainment industry in general is less structured and organized as other sectors like manufacturing, IT, finance and the like. My recommendation that the best way to handle these challenges is to adopt a structured approach while dealing with people in culturally different locations. Documenting discussions, making out legal agreements, defining roles and responsibilities, insisting on a structured process to doing business are some ways these differences can be bridged. Collaboration is critical to success and perhaps some of these aspects may help us in our journey to collaborate and grow together.