Costa_Rica

Costa Rica Culture of Costa Rica Costa Rica is heavily influenced by Spanish culture. The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish. English is the first foreign language and the second most taught language in Costa Rica. Due to its increasing presence in the demographics and popular culture of the United States, Spanish is widely considered to be the most beneficial second language for a native speaking English. Roman Catholicism is recognized as the most popular religion in Costa Rica with 76.3% of the population who identify with it. But it is total freedom for Cults. http://www.tourism.co.cr/costa-rica-art-and-culture/costa-rica-cultural-heritage/costa-rica-culture.html Costa Rica has been considered to be the most stable nations in Latin America. The high standard of life and education has attracted the United States and other countries to name them the most hospitable. This has helped Costa Rica become a multicultural society. There are also Jewish, Chinese communities and Immigrates from Nicaragua. Like the United States their political constitution “guarantees equality according to law, for citizens”. The form of government is a democracy that has abolished the army in 1949, now there are more Teachers than Policemen. They are free to attend public school for free and those who can afford to send their children to Private school do so. Costa Rica has a presidential election every 4 years as does the United States. Many Costa Rica’s health services are controlled by the state. http://www.tourism.co.cr/costa-rica-art-and-culture/costa-rica-cultural-heritage/costa-rica-culture.html Economic and Business Climate Costa Rica's dependency on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports has kept their economy stable. Poverty in Costa Rica has been at an estimated 20% for nearly 20 years. The Nicaraguans estimated to be in Costa Rica legally and illegally are an important source of (mostly unskilled) labor, but have become a concern for the government’s increased demands on the social welfare system. How to reduce inflation remains a difficult problem due to rising import prices, labor market rigidities, and fiscal deficits. The Business climate for Costa Rica remains attractive to foreign investors who are impressed by the country's political stability and high education levels, and tourism continues to bring in foreign exchange. The current administration has made it a priority to pass the necessary reforms to implement the US-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). This implementation has resulted in an improved investment climate. The tax laws and financial security issues are governed by a consistent and pro-US stance taken up by the financial institutions and the Costa Rican government itself. There is free trade already in many countries in Latin America including Mexico. The biggest motivator that has lots of big companies ready to do business with Costa Rica is that it is a tax free economic zone. There are companies like Intel, Acer and Western Union who are paving the path for others as they have already made substantial investments. Most importantly to the United States, Costa Rica has also grown to become an internet hub in Latin America which provides access to many services across Costa Rica. http://www.costaricainvestment.com/ Common Practices for doing business in that culture Thinking of doing business in Costa Rica' Well this is the come. Unlike some Latin American countries, it is not obligatory to have a native Costa Rican as a partner in the establishment of any type of business entity. Old practices in Costa Rica are changing rapidly because new laws that impact corporate life have recently been passed and more are on the way. The strictness of these laws reflect the government’s desire to restructure its house in such a way as to benefit the Costa Rican people and begin to move away from uncertainty. Unfortunately there are some unscrupulous people wanting to do business, hopefully, the new laws will deter these people from doing business here. http://www.cocori.com/library/life/strtbsn.htm Management and Leadership practices The Leadership expectation is that everyone takes responsibility for everyone in their group. This dimension indicates that Costa Rica has a Collectivist style of Leadership. (Thomas & Inkson, 2009) Compared to the United States who we find are people who are individualists. They operate on a one on one base, where as Collectivists performed their activities in a group. Collectivists form long-term relationship and make decision as a collective group. Individualists rely on their own judgment to make decision. (Lane, pg 33) Using virtual approaches is growing between many organizations and countries including United States and Costa Rica. Virtual approaches increase access to learning opportunities for people who want to lead more effectively in a global society. Managing practices are constantly improving around the world as electronic technology and access to the internet is increasing every day. Costa Rica relies on innovation to strengthen their leadership and management practices. http://www.msh.org/projects/lms/Results/upload/2010-06-08-Strategic-Evaluation-Virtual.pdf Status of and Cultural expectations for women in the Culture Costa Rica’s government encouraged women to study Education, Nursing and Secretarial careers. This was not always allowed. There were several associations led by women workers and activists. It wasn't until 1948, however, that women were given the right to vote. These are surprising facts when one considers that a country that boasts equality between men and women, such as the United States, has never had women aspiring to or holding such high political offices. In Costa Rica they Ran low in masculinity according to Geert Hofstede’s work. It shows that the females and males are treated equally. (Hofstede, 2009) Women in Costa Rica are extremely educated, especially when compared to the female population in other countries. Educational reforms which guarantee free and obligatory education, have enabled most of the population (93%) to be literate. Like the United States, women in Costa Rica can be professionals in any career, although tensions still exist in those jobs that have been traditionally for men. As more positions are being filled by women executives, they must be prepared as does any leader who wants to globally succeed in a global culture. (Lane, et al, 2009) As I analyze the implications of leading in another country or leading a group of people that are different from you, it is difficult when faced with language barriers. Involved in the overall performance of a virtual team that is located in Costa Rica, this team process and perform customer service duties for Payroll in the United States and Canada. (Lane, et al, 2009, pg. 103) My cultural behavior has allowed me to stay mindful in order to continue to build the trust of my Costa Rica team, but the cultural background of the people has allowed me to become lack when it comes to learning Spanish. My Costa Rica virtual team is bi-lingual, speaking Spanish, French and English. To increase my Cultural Intelligences (CQ) I developed a strategy to ask more questions about their culture along with asking them to repeat certain sentences and/or standards in Spanish so I can begin to learn the language. For example, I start off simply with “Good Morning”. This makes them feel that I am beginning to engage more on a personal level and taking the time to learn a new culture. This creates high-performing teams that build on developing knowledge by learning to interpret different contexts. If you do not make an effort to do this misunderstandings can lead to serious conflicts. (Lane, et al, 2009, 106). As a Leader I must gain the trust of my virtual team. References Lane, Henry, W., Maznevski, Martha, L., Distefano, Joseph, J., Dietz, Joerg, 6th Ed., International Management Behavior, Leading with a Global Mindset, A John Wiley and Son, Ltd., Publication Thomas, D.C. and Inkson, K, 2nd ed., (2009), Cultural Intelligence, Living and Working Globally,Berret-Koehler Publishers, Inc., San Francisco, a BK Business Book http://www.tourism.co.cr/costa-rica-art-and-culture/costa-rica-cultural-heritage/costa-rica-culture.html http://www.costaricainvestment.com/ http://www.cocori.com/library/life/strtbsn.htm http://www.msh.org/projects/lms/Results/upload/2010-06-08-Strategic-Evaluation-Virtual.pdf http://www.therealcostarica.com/costa_rica_business/business_resources.html http://www.infocostarica.com/people/women.html