Are the Dutch really addicted to planning?

The Netherlands is a small country with a limited internal market, consequently the Dutch look across their borders for markets. They started out as worldwide maritime traders in the 16th century and today they are still significant players in the global economy.

The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. Everyday life is structured down to the smallest detail. Private life and work are carefully planned and nothing is left to the unexpected. Ad hoc changes are not appreciated.

A typical Dutch cultural thing is the willingness to be ‘in control’. There are even rules to manage the rules. An at random check shows that each kilometer road on average contains about 15 traffic signs.

Unwritten rule in the Netherlands: stick to the planning, don’t be too late for your appointment.

Intercultural Workshop at Brightlands Event

On Friday, June 29th. we provided an intercultural workshop during the Brightlands event ‘Get Out Of The Building’. Our participants were internationals (living and working in the Netherlands) and representatives of companies and of government. Our workshop ‘Trust in Perception’ emphasized on how being unaware about perception can lead to miscommunication and how ‘giving trust’ can lead to success. The participants were surprised by our ‘creativity with food’ part, leading to nice insights about differences in habits and behaviour.

Cultural diversity; the impact at work

Just a small part of the world scores high on ‘individualism’. This means that most people from all over the world are not familiar with the Dutch way of communication. Culture differences unfortunately often leads to culture clashes and waste of time in the business environment. Just create intercultural awareness and understanding and enjoy the way your employees and colleagues interacting with diversified people. Our message: Trust in Perception!

If you want to learn more about how to adequately interact in an international (business) environment, please contact us.

We support professionals to integrate smoothly in the Dutch work culture. We train and coach people who are interacting with different cultures. We maximize employee potential by harmonizing and building on intercultural competences.