| Overview
& cultural perspective |
| Iran formerly known as Persia
is about the size of France and Germany with an
enormous division between rural and urban living;
the country is overwhelmingly Shi’ite Moslem.
Iran became an Islamic Republic in 1979 – taking
over from the Pahlavi Monarchy. Shi’ite Mullahs
play a major role in state affairs yet politics
is still polarised between liberal and the more
conservative clergy. |
|
Rich
in traditional values and in spite of invasions
and the war with Iraq, Iran has managed to preserve
its language and rich cultural heritage to date.
The main language is Farsi. Turkish, Armenian,
Arabic, and Kurdish are still in use. Iran is
rooted in traditional family values and relationships
are fundamental to a firm foundation for business.
|
 |
|
| Context & cultural awareness |
|
Although Iranians may wish to get down to business
quickly, establishing a relationship and creating
a sense of harmony are prerequisites for doing business.
A good starting point could be the cultural heritage
of which they are so rightly proud. |
| Iran is open to business but
there is an ambivalent relationship with Western
business people especially in public sectors where
conservatism rules. This could particularly pose
a challenge to western business people with industries
such as oil or automobile which are state-owned.
|
| In doing business, remember
the win/lose strategy that Iranians usually adopt.
This could include prices or any terms and conditions
in contracts. Be prepared for some seemingly contradictory
or confusing questions which make perfect sense
to Iranians themselves in achieving the above! However
hard the discussions, politeness and dignity are
never sacrificed! |
| Clothing in Iran is modest.
Men should not wear shorts or short sleeves. Women
should wear headscarf and also ensure that their
clothing covers shoulders, arms and legs. |
|
| Effective cross-cultural communication |
| Awareness of Iranian communication
style will take you far in ensuring a successful
outcome. In business settings, men always shake
hands with each other, however; it is advisable
not to shake women's hands unless they volunteer
to do so. A good sense of humour is widely welcomed
by Iranians but to avoid offending their intricate
cultural values, it is best not to use humour unless
you have had the appropriate cultural awareness
training. Be sensitive to implicit ways of communication
which involves reading between the lines and paying
attention to hints that might not be familiar to
some westerners. |
| Greetings
can take a long time with enquiries after family,
friends and colleagues depending on the level of
familiarity between the business partners. There
should be no rush to get down to business even if
from the Western perspective, greetings can be over
effusive. Observing politeness and discretion known
as 'Tarouf' is fundamental in conversations. It
is also best to avoid any conversation on religion
or religious figures, banned literature or regional
politics. |
|
