| Overview
& cultural perspective |
|
The Turkish Republic was formed in 1923 when
nationalist resistance forces led by Mustafa Kemal
(Ataturk) defeated the occupying allies after
WWI. Turkey is a country of diverse influences,
being connected to both, Europe and the Middle
East. However, the country is oriented towards
the West, becoming a member of the NATO in 1952.
In 1996 a customs union with the EU was established
and since 2005 accessions negotiations were opened,
which are likely to continue.
|
|
Turkey is a secular democracy and its economy
is made up of modern and traditional industries.
Major exports include clothing and textiles with
a booming private sector. Its geography and the
attractive business environment places Turkey
in an important position on the global market
with many potential opportunities.
|
|
99% of the Turkish population are Muslim; the
two ethnic groups represented are Turks (80%)
and Kurds (20%), the latter mostly settled in
the south-eastern part near the Iraqi border.
|
| Islam features strongly in
the Turkish culture, even though many of the larger
cities have been influences by western behaviour,
Islamic culture still influences many components
of modern Turkish society. |
|
| Context & cultural awareness |
|
In common with southern countries, the most essential
unit in Turkish culture is the family. Relations,
family life, friends and community influence opinions
and outlook substantially. Many Turkish businesses
are family owned and loyalty plays an important
role when doing business. Implicit in this structure
is a tendency to hierarchy. Trust has to be established
before doing business and working relationships
often overlap with private and family life. The
establishment of a good personal relationship
with you business partner is essential for a successful
outcome any project.
|
|
Senior managers or owners are highly respected
and often only meet the business partners once
a relationship and trust have been established
by their employees. Decisions will often only
be made by these senior business people who will
consider carefully all groups involved in the
decision and the potential consequences for them.
|
|
In Turkey time is polychromic, meaning that people
tend to do many things at the same time. This
could also mean that while engaged in a discussion
or negotiations, your counterpart might answer
the phone or talk to someone else about another
topic.
|
|
| Effective cross-cultural communication |
| Turkish people are cordial and
value a good personal relationship. At any occasion
it is important to greet your Turkish counterpart
with a firm handshake, a man should await a woman
to extend her hand first. Always use the right hand
for greeting and for eating. As a sign of respect
you should greet the most senior person first. It
is correct to address somebody with his or her title,
which also means their occupation (i.e. Mr Lawyer
Özel). However it is also common when meeting
for the first time to address the person with 'Mr'
or 'Mrs' followed by their first names.
|
|
Small talk plays an important role in Turkish
culture. It has its place at the beginning of
every business meeting and allows people to get
to know each other and is the base for a personal
relationship. In discussion with someone it is
important to keep soft but involved eye contact
to show interest and sincere intentions. Turks
do not have much culture of personal space; consequently
they may interact far more closely than you are
familiar with. Gestures like backslapping are
normal.
|
|
Dress code is conservative. Men should wear a
suit and tie; women should avoid short skirts
or shorts and low-cut blouses.
|
|
Be aware that punctuality is taken seriously
in all business context; visits should be organized
in accordance with Islamic holidays and the hours
of the five prayers.
|
|
