Central Europe has a majestic natural landscape. Countries range from Poland in the north with its Masurian Lake District to Slovenia, the so-called ‘land of forests’, in the south. Every individual country has a proud and fascinating culture that offers many opportunities for the business visitor, but etiquette within each one also varies significantly:
Poland
Evidence of Poland’s turbulent history can be felt not only in its surviving monuments such as the Wolf’s Lair, a fortress near Gdansk that was once Adolf Hitler’s headquarters, but also in the country’s culture. It celebrates the anniversary of its independence from the German, Austrian and Russian Empires on the 11 November each year.
Although Warsaw is Poland’s capital, other cities include pretty Krakow with its UNESCO World Heritage-listed old town square, and Wroclaw, a former European Capital of Culture.
As perhaps befits its history, Polish people tend to be conservative in dress and demeanour and have a high need to adhere to rigid codes of belief and behaviour. They also have little tolerance of unorthodox behaviours and ideas. The culture is one of hard work over innovation, restraint over indulgence and security over risk-taking.
When working in Poland, be careful to use people’s formal titles until invited to do otherwise. Individuals have a strong ‘inner circle’ with whom they consider themselves close enough to use first names, and there is even a ceremony to celebrate the transition into this status.
Austria
Austria is known for its winter sports, which sees skiers flocking to its Alpine regions such as Arlberg and Innsbruck each year. But nearly a third of the country’s population live in its cities, which include the cosmopolitan capital of Vienna with its beautiful baroque architecture.
Austria has had a colourful and eventful history as a result of being bordered by Germany and the Czech Republic. This history has had a profound effect on its culture and, as a result, its people dislike hierarchies, preferring a more participative than autocratic style of leadership. Many organisations also have a decentralised structure in place and employees expect, and are expected, to be involved in decision-making processes.
As a footnote, Austria is the only other country, apart from Germany itself, where German is the main language.
Hungary
Hungary’s population of 20 million was reduced by less than half after the First World War due to a long period of Soviet occupation. It only became an independent democracy in 1989, with membership of the European Union following in 2004.
In the country’s capital Budapest, it is possible to see evidence of much of its eventful history in the stunning architecture of places such as the Buda castle quarter and Andrássy Avenue on the banks of the Danube river. In fact, Unesco describe the city as one of the world’s most outstanding urban landscapes.
After the collapse of Soviet rule in 1989, Hungary’s culture changed from being based on a strong national consciousness to one where people took on a more individualist outlook. In similar vein to many Western countries, Hungarians are now more inclined to consider the needs of themselves and their immediate family before society as a whole.
In the workplace, employees expect career progress to be the result of individual skills and merit rather than a system that relies on pre-existing relationships. There is also a strong ‘survival’ culture in Hungary, with an emphasis on competition and performance.
Slovakia
Like Hungary, Slovakia has been formed and re-formed, invaded and ruled by foreign powers. It became independent in 1993 when it peacefully separated from the Czech Republic.
A relatively small country that can be crossed by car in a single day, its capital Bratislava was once the capital of Hungary. Slovakia describes its mountains, which stretch from the High Tatras – Europe’s smallest Alpine mountains - in the north to the waterfalls and gorges of Slovak Karst in the south, as its most valuable natural resource.
The country’s culture has an extremely high power distance, which means that Slovakians accept the fact that some people have more power than others and, therefore, expect hierarchies to be in place. But that is not to say that everyone will accept others’ power over them without question as it is widely felt that respect needs to be earned.
Slovakia is also classified as being a highly masculine culture. In other words, status symbols and achievements are favoured over more ‘feminine’ considerations such as work-life balance.
Slovenia
Sitting at the base of the Eastern Alps, Slovenia joined with five other Slavic countries – Boznia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia - at the end of the First World War to become the state of Yugoslavia. It broke away and declared independence in 1992.
A two-hour drive in this country of contrasts will take you from a Mediterranean coastline to Alpine peaks. Slovenia calls itself the ‘green part of Europe’ and its capital Ljubljana is one of the world’s most verdant.
The majority of people here identify as Slovenes and Roman Catholicism is the main religion. In contrast to the West, the culture is still oriented towards the extended family, a situation that extends into business life too.
In Slovenia, you are more likely to develop effective business relationships through personal acquaintance, mutual contacts and developing associations over time rather than going in cold or rushing it. It is also worth bearing in mind that Slovenes’ attitudes towards work are quite different to those of people in other nearby countries such as Slovakia.
Slovenia has a strongly feminine society, which means that its people are more focused on wellbeing and happiness than competition. Perks such as holiday and flexible working are valued over promotion and overtly showing off status symbols is generally frowned upon.
Paul Russell is co-founder and director of Luxury Academy London, www.luxuryacademy.co.uk a multi-national, privately-owned training company with offices in London, Delhi, Visakhapatnam and Mumbai. The organisation specialises in leadership, communication and business etiquette training for companies and private clients across a wide range of sectors.
Central Europe has a majestic natural landscape. Countries range from Poland in the north with its Masurian Lake District to Slovenia, the so-called ‘land of forests’, in the south. Every individual country has a proud and fascinating culture that offers many opportunities for the business visitor, but etiquette within each one also varies significantly:
Poland
Evidence of Poland’s turbulent history can be felt not only in its surviving monuments such as the Wolf’s Lair, a fortress near Gdansk that was once Adolf Hitler’s headquarters, but also in the country’s culture. It celebrates the anniversary of its independence from the German, Austrian and Russian Empires on the 11 November each year.
Although Warsaw is Poland’s capital, other cities include pretty Krakow with its UNESCO World Heritage-listed old town square, and Wroclaw, a former European Capital of Culture.
As perhaps befits its history, Polish people tend to be conservative in dress and demeanour and have a high need to adhere to rigid codes of belief and behaviour. They also have little tolerance of unorthodox behaviours and ideas. The culture is one of hard work over innovation, restraint over indulgence and security over risk-taking.
When working in Poland, be careful to use people’s formal titles until invited to do otherwise. Individuals have a strong ‘inner circle’ with whom they consider themselves close enough to use first names, and there is even a ceremony to celebrate the transition into this status.
Austria
Austria is known for its winter sports, which sees skiers flocking to its Alpine regions such as Arlberg and Innsbruck each year. But nearly a third of the country’s population live in its cities, which include the cosmopolitan capital of Vienna with its beautiful baroque architecture.
Austria has had a colourful and eventful history as a result of being bordered by Germany and the Czech Republic. This history has had a profound effect on its culture and, as a result, its people dislike hierarchies, preferring a more participative than autocratic style of leadership. Many organisations also have a decentralised structure in place and employees expect, and are expected, to be involved in decision-making processes.
As a footnote, Austria is the only other country, apart from Germany itself, where German is the main language.
Hungary
Hungary’s population of 20 million was reduced by less than half after the First World War due to a long period of Soviet occupation. It only became an independent democracy in 1989, with membership of the European Union following in 2004.
In the country’s capital Budapest, it is possible to see evidence of much of its eventful history in the stunning architecture of places such as the Buda castle quarter and Andrássy Avenue on the banks of the Danube river. In fact, Unesco describe the city as one of the world’s most outstanding urban landscapes.
After the collapse of Soviet rule in 1989, Hungary’s culture changed from being based on a strong national consciousness to one where people took on a more individualist outlook. In similar vein to many Western countries, Hungarians are now more inclined to consider the needs of themselves and their immediate family before society as a whole.
In the workplace, employees expect career progress to be the result of individual skills and merit rather than a system that relies on pre-existing relationships. There is also a strong ‘survival’ culture in Hungary, with an emphasis on competition and performance.
Slovakia
Like Hungary, Slovakia has been formed and re-formed, invaded and ruled by foreign powers. It became independent in 1993 when it peacefully separated from the Czech Republic.
A relatively small country that can be crossed by car in a single day, its capital Bratislava was once the capital of Hungary. Slovakia describes its mountains, which stretch from the High Tatras – Europe’s smallest Alpine mountains - in the north to the waterfalls and gorges of Slovak Karst in the south, as its most valuable natural resource.
The country’s culture has an extremely high power distance, which means that Slovakians accept the fact that some people have more power than others and, therefore, expect hierarchies to be in place. But that is not to say that everyone will accept others’ power over them without question as it is widely felt that respect needs to be earned.
Slovakia is also classified as being a highly masculine culture. In other words, status symbols and achievements are favoured over more ‘feminine’ considerations such as work-life balance.
Slovenia
Sitting at the base of the Eastern Alps, Slovenia joined with five other Slavic countries – Boznia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia - at the end of the First World War to become the state of Yugoslavia. It broke away and declared independence in 1992.
A two-hour drive in this country of contrasts will take you from a Mediterranean coastline to Alpine peaks. Slovenia calls itself the ‘green part of Europe’ and its capital Ljubljana is one of the world’s most verdant.
The majority of people here identify as Slovenes and Roman Catholicism is the main religion. In contrast to the West, the culture is still oriented towards the extended family, a situation that extends into business life too.
In Slovenia, you are more likely to develop effective business relationships through personal acquaintance, mutual contacts and developing associations over time rather than going in cold or rushing it. It is also worth bearing in mind that Slovenes’ attitudes towards work are quite different to those of people in other nearby countries such as Slovakia.
Slovenia has a strongly feminine society, which means that its people are more focused on wellbeing and happiness than competition. Perks such as holiday and flexible working are valued over promotion and overtly showing off status symbols is generally frowned upon.
Paul Russell is co-founder and director of Luxury Academy London, www.luxuryacademy.co.uk a multi-national, privately-owned training company with offices in London, Delhi, Visakhapatnam and Mumbai. The organisation specialises in leadership, communication and business etiquette training for companies and private clients across a wide range of sectors.
