Between rubles & scruples

by Dean Foster
December 2006

Having a basic understanding of Russian culture is essential to successful business in Moscow, so here are some fundamentals to get you started:

You will need to build a trusting relationship-both personally and professionally-with your Russian colleagues. Be suspect of business deals that develop faster than personal trust. Anything that seems too good to be true really is.

You should also practice patience when your Russian colleague tells you all the reasons why something won’t work: Seeing the glass as half empty is a learned-and sometimes correct-response to the traditionally autocratic Russian experience.

Those essential trusting relationships are built, more often than not, over vodka. Vodka is the vehicle that allows honest words to flow, and therefore is drunk at any hour of the day or night when such talk is required. Be prepared to drink it in one shot, and your glass will be refilled. You can refuse the inevitable third and fourth refills that follow the initial toasts. (Your host makes the first toast, and you must make the second. Say “Nastrovye,” make direct eye contact and knock back the drink.)

Always take pains to admire Russia’s great historical achievements, and in no way should you refer to the demise of the Soviet state as evidence of the victory of the west over communism. Most importantly, recognize that Russians, major U.S. allies in World War II, suffered unbearable losses during that war and the Stalinist period that followed.

Russians, as is the case with many Eastern Europeans, typically do not smile openly at the beginning of casual conversation. Don’t look for signs of warm friendliness right off the bat in a country where smiling at strangers could be a dangerous business; Russians prefer to form deep and long-lasting friendships, instead of practicing casual friendliness.

If you are invited into a Russian home for a meal, there will be more than you can eat. Bring a bottle of good wine or vodka with you, as well as lots of little gifts for the children (books, CDs, toys, etc.). When you leave, your Russian host may spit after you, but don’t be offended: The gesture is meant to wish you good luck and a safe journey home.

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dean foster is principal of Dean Foster Associates (learnaboutcultures.com) and an expert in intercultural management for global business. Email Dean at editor@executivetravelmag.com.