The Blog for Culture Vultures

Every culture has its approach to conflict.

In this blog we’ll be exploring Iranian culture and how the people approach conflict, communication and resolution.

Work with Iranians or doing business in Iran?

Learning about another culture is much more than learning about dos and donts; it’s about understanding their values and their mindset.

Once again, tensions between America and Iran are high; inspiring the usual flurry of media accounts keen to elaborate on the cultural and political differences between the two countries.

While, in the West, we depict the USA as ‘free’ and democratic, Iran, is typically reported as oppressive, authoritarian and in the grips of ‘crazed’ mullahs.

President Trump’s recent speech outlining his stance on the Iran nuclear-deal has caused outrage among Iranians, not for his position on the deal and potential new sanctions, but for his knowledge of geography.

When referring to his decision to withdraw presidential certification for the Iranian-deal, Trump stated that Iran’s regime “harasses American ships and threatens freedom of navigation in the Arabian Gulf and in the Red Sea.”

Training business professionals prior to going to Iran gives us excellent insight into the misconceptions, stereotypes, fears and worries many foreigners hold. Here's the 10 most common. Deadly not because they can cause death; deadly in that they are based on ignorance and falsehood and lead only to misunderstanding.

Iran regularly features in global news; bandied around by governments arguing the potential benefits or drawbacks of doing business with Iran. 

It’s nearly a year since the restrictive sanctions imposed on Iran were lifted. These sanctions were not only applied by the UN, EU and US but also included sanctions from third party countries. The lifting of these sanctions has therefore been long-awaited by many and sets the stage for exciting times for those companies who have identified potential opportunities in Iran and who are keen to now pursue them.

Although our administration takes place in the sleepy South West of England, we witness global movements and trends first-hand. There’s not much we don’t know about what’s happening with our global neighbours.

Having received great feedback on my blog about the place of "tarof" in Persian culture, a few people have requested a brief guide to doing business in Iran for companies making the journey over.

So here goes....

Despite current tensions with Iran, the demand for Iran cultural awareness training continues to surge and, as the senior Iran cultural trainer, I spend a lot of time helping businesses understand the nuances of Iranian culture. 

One topic that attendees always struggle with, is the cultural concept 'ta’rof'.  It's essential that anyone travelling to Iran understands this principle in detail - as not to do so will risk potential offence.

Zoroastrianism is one the oldest religions in the world.

It is definitely one of the first monotheist religions. It was founded by Zoroaster and it believes in one God, Ahura Mazda.

There are very few Zoroastrians in the world today but it still holds an important place. A large part of their population is divided between Iran and India. The Zoroastrians living in India are called Parsis.