Do you ever wonder how Europeans think and act in business? Could you imagine that every part of Europe has its own similarities and differences in running business? Check out more about Eastern European business culture!
Similarities:
- in the majority of these countries workforce is highly educated
- all the countries prefer face-to-face communication and address each other formally using their educational or office titles
- lateness of up to 15mins is generally acceptable but frowned upon
- student placement still doesn’t receive enough support from the business community in most of these countries even though universities are working hard towards changing this
- Facebook is the most popular social networking site across all Eastern European countries
Differences:
- the biggest differences are mainly in the 3 areas of Eastern Europe: Baltic countries, Central Europe, and Balkan countries; e.g. a more friendly attitude to foreign nationals in Balkan countries can be observed; there are several linguistics groups like Slavic, Baltic, Romanian, and Finno-Ugric
- Poland has 38 million inhabitants, Romania 21 million; Czech Republic and Hungary about 10 million; Bulgaria 7 million; Slovak Republic 5 million; Lithuania 3 million; Estonia around 1 million people
- Czechs are generally non-confrontational while a Slovak or a Pole will be more straightforward and outspoken with their opinion
- only Slovakia and Estonia use the Euro while the rest of the countries in this region are still using their local currency
- Poles and Estonians are more formal and written-detail oriented while Slovaks and Czechs prefer a good presentation and a longer negotiation process
Have you spotted those similarities and differences in East Europe during your business travels and company management? Tell us about your experience!
Our Partners from Eastern Europe:
PS If you want to join Thalento® International, please visit the website thint.eu/becomeapartner and contact us! 🌐