Portuguese cultural standards from Thai perspective

Abstract

Organizations are driven to globalization across different countries and system with ever increasing difficulties of intercultural communication and negotiation. The objective of this research is to identify the Portuguese cultural standards from the Thai perspective by avoiding the problems associated with cross-cultural differences between the Thai and Portuguese respectively. This research is based on a qualitative method using the cultural standards to address differences in perception, norms of sensing, thinking, judging, and acting, all in which can cause critical incidents in cross-cultural encounters. This methodology is based on the technique of narrative interviews. Critical incidents have been analyzed by interviewing fifteen Thai people who live and have working experiences associated with Portuguese. The short stories about critical incidents that interviewees talk most were grouped and analyzed, with results of Portuguese cultural standards from Thai perspective distilled herewithin. Additionally, its cultural dimensions will be described to compare to the Portuguese culture that in which primarily relate to the classical national culture’s research of Geert Hofstede. The result of this research is to provide benefits for Thais to adapt and learn the Portuguese culture and to increase their awareness, guiding them to overcoming the considerable difficulties that arise when negotiating and doing business in Portugal.