BUSINESS CULTURE
The Swedish diaspora in Canada has made a significant contribution to Canada and Canadian diversity. The attitude towards Sweden in Canada is extremely positive. Relations between the two nations are good with many shared cultural affinities, social values and democratic political traditions.
Canadians are seen as polite people and more reserved than their neighbours to the south, The United States of America. Relationship building is essential despite the relaxed approach to business dealings. Multiple meetings and discussions help build trust and help in reassuring buyers that the seller will be available for future support.
negotiations
Canadians are open to discussions and innovation as they are accepting of uncertainty. However, even though Canadians are fairly accepting of uncertainty, Swedes are even more accepting, which means that you may have to be more patient when it comes to introducing new ideas and implementing big changes when dealing with Canadian businesses.
It is not uncommon to find the decision making process in Canada is often collaborative and can be lengthy. Various members across the organization may serve as advisors and influencers to the final decision. Given this, relationship building with multiple members across the organization who are relevant may be useful.
Canadians expect punctuality similar to Sweden, it is observed as a sign of respect and reliability which is important in conducting business.
PREFERENCES
Canadians generally preference working with companies that have already established a presence in the country. It does aid in gaining trust and reassurance to potential Canadian customers if there is a local presence and availability of easy to access support. In lieu of local presence, then an emphasis on continual support and ease of access to this is highly important.
It is important to note that due to Canada being so geographically vast, there are regional differences relating to language and culture. English is the primary language in the majority of Canada and French being more prevalent in Quebec.
Canada and Sweden are similar in the majority of the 6 outlined dimensions of culture identified by Hofstede.
Click here or on the chart above for a detailed explanation of each dimension and how Canada and Sweden compare with each other on these dimensions.
Example: Masculinity: A high score in this dimension indicates that a society is driven by competition, achievement and success (success being defined as the best in field). A low score in this dimension means that a society values caring for others and quality of life. Canada is not high in masculinity and considered rather moderate, however in comparison to Swedes, it is seen that Swedes value quality of life as a sign of success more.
DO'S AND DON'TS
• Whenever possible, schedule face-to-face meetings as this offers the greatest opportunity to build a rapport at the early stages of negotiations; this will also help with further negotiations and discussions at a later stage.
• Schedule business meetings in advance, ideally several weeks to a month prior to visiting.
• Expect to spend a few minutes exchanging pleasantries at the start of a meeting, however Canadians do not generally encourage a lot of small talk.
• It is important to have clearly stated facts and figures to verify your claims and promises when presenting information. Canadians are generally logical and rational and therefor will not be swayed by emotions, passion or feelings.
• Meetings are conducted to brain storm, make plans and review communication decisions and proposals.
• It is common after a meeting to send an email summary of what was decided and the steps moving forward.
• Ensure meetings are well-organised and adhere to a strict time schedule.
• Canadians sometimes like to conduct business meetings while dining. They tend to eat earlier than Swedes, with lunch being around 12:00pm and 6:30pm - 7:00pm for dinner.
• It is useful to include both French and English translations when working in Ottawa (the capitol of Canada) and especially in Quebec as they tend to communicate mainly in French in these areas.
• It is important to keep in mind when arranging meetings to avoid statutory holidays as the majority of businesses and Government offices will be closed. Although there are regional differences, there are generally 10+ statutory holidays during the year which lengthens a weekend. Click here for statutory holidays in British Columbia.
• Some companies may close for the days between Christmas Eve (December 24th) and New Year.
• It may be worth it to consider some local representation if it is not feasible for Swedish personnel to attend as this shows commitment to the business.
• Gifting is generally not done outside of the nominal pen, or other modest marketing materials.