| Overview
& cultural perspective |
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The history of Poland dates back to the middle
of the 10th century. During the 16th century Poland
had its golden age but during the following centuries
it lost more and more its strength. In the 18th
century Russia, Prussia and Austria divided the
country in small parts and annexed them to their
kingdoms. After WW I Poland regained independence
but was occupied by Germany and after WW II became
a satellite state of the Soviet Union.
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| In the 1980s, the independent
trade union 'Solidarity' was created, pressuring
the communist government to hold partly free elections.
This led to the election of a non-communist government
in 1989; the first amongst eastern European emerging
democracies. |
| After 1990, Poland pursued a
policy of a free market economy. In 2006 the GDP
grew by 5.3% and Poland's entry into the EU in 2004
promises further growth and a booming private sector.
Although the economy is growing, Poland still has
to cope with high unemployment. |
| A great majority of the 39 millions
Poles are Roman Catholics (89.8%) and are very proud
of their country and celebrities such as Pope John
Paul II |
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| Context & cultural awareness |
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When doing business in Poland, be aware that
it is a relationship driven culture, sincere trust
does not usually extend beyond the family circles.
The family or the relationship will usually take
precedence over work, rules and decisions. Therefore
a key to success in the country depends on a strong
relationship based on mutual benefit and trust.
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Polish management style is of
hierarchical nature, consequently during a meeting
you will know if it is possible to explore information
or to take a decision. The presence of the decision
maker usually implies that a decision can be made.
Greetings will be with a firm handshake and eye
contact, which is important; it is appreciate to
address everybody individually when meeting a group. |
| Business meetings tend to be
brief and presentations should be a mixture of information
backed by statistics and case studies not forgetting
to emphasise your personality, work experience and
future relationship between you and your business
partner. |
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| Effective cross-cultural communication |
| Polish communication style is
open but not necessarily direct. The influence of
the Roman Catholic Church is high and society tends
to be conservative. Poland is a rather formal and
hierarchical culture. As a result first names are
rarely used initially in the business context, people
address themselves with 'Pan' (Mr) and 'Pani' (Mrs)
plus the surname. First names can be used when the
relationship has been established but always await
the other party to signal that this is the case.
It is important to show special consideration to
the elderly. |
| Relationship is often consolidated
over food (and vodka). Talking business usually
has no place at such occasion unless it is brought
up by your polish host. Time should be used to get
to know your counterpart better and vice-versa.
When invited to a restaurant, the host usually pays
the bill; however, it is polite for the guest to
offer. |
| Where people know each other
or have done business together for some time, allows
there to be some physical closeness such as backslapping. |
| Small talk is welcome and common
at the beginning of each business meetings and helps
to develop the fundamentals for doing business. |
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