Interculturalism within the tech-sector: Successful integration of Asian satellite offices

Offshore offices – particularly in Asian countries – are a common and often essential part of many Western organizations. Cultural differences between home and satellite offices might be subtle; however, for successful collaboration and a prosperous work climate, a good understanding of these differences is vital. So how can companies bridge the cultural gap?

Text by Jacqueline White

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Interculturalism within the tech-sector: Successful integration of Asian satellite offices

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The concept of the offshore office is nothing new within the world of business. As long as inter-regional or inter-continental commerce have existed, traders and companies have invested in offshore representation. While the notion of overseas staff has been a constant, one thing that has changed has been the purpose and location of that staffing. For centuries, offshore offices were either focused on establishing and broadening a company’s foreign sales potential or managing and processing raw resources at the source, before importing the finished or semi-finished product to Western markets.

All this changed with the globalization of technology, standardized education and the growth of English as the commercial and technological lingua franca. Since the 1980s, a new and increasingly ubiquitous offshore office has developed. This office is neither a sales hub nor a warehouse or factory, ...