Small Business Today Magazine APR 2014 MONTGOMERY ROTH | Page 35
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Doing Business with the Indonesian Culture
Therefore, whenever speaking with your Indonesian counterpart,
you must pay careful attention to body language to see if he/she
is expressing the affirmative or the negative reply. It is important
when speaking to never let your voice get loud whether in anger
or happiness because Indonesian culture is very soft-spoken.
Physical appearance and interaction is also very important
to the Indonesians. Unless otherwise indicated by their company, Indonesian men will wear a coat and tie. Women will usually
wear long-sleeved blouses and skirts that cover their knees. It is
important to research your counterparts beforehand and dress
accordingly. Physical contact should never be made between a
man and a woman, which extends to the exclusion of a handshake. Elders are treated with great respect so no one should
ever have their back to an elder as it is very disrespectful. Much
like with business cards, only the right hand should be used to
pass objects, eat, or touch things as the left hand is considered
unclean. In addition, hands should never be placed in pockets
during a conversation.
Proper meeting etiquette must be followed. Indonesians
are known for being late to meetings so don’t be surprised
by this. Nevertheless, you will be expected to be on time so
demonstrate patience and never mention the fact that the meeting began late. If you are already present when your Indonesian
counterparts arrive, always rise to meet them. It is impolite to
remain seated.
While Indonesian culture has not historically been at the forefront of business, it is certainly one of the most active and emerging cultures today. One would be remiss in not trying to engage
in such a promising opportunity especially with such a responsive
people. With a modicum of cultural study and effort, you can be
successful conducting business with Indonesians.
As a graduate of the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Houston,
Ludmila (Mila) Rusakova Golovine, Founder, CEO, and President of MasterWord
Services, Inc., started her company with a vision of seamlessly connecting people
across any language, any time, and any culture. She understands the complexities of
the global marketplace and excels at providing language solutions based on creative
thinking and strategic planning. Mila can be reached by phone at 281-589 L L