Australia

Doing Business in Australia

‘Dynamic’ and ‘vibrant’ are words that accurately describe the promising entrepreneurial destination that is Australia. The forward-thinking business climate of the relatively geographically isolated country recognises the importance of international trade for the nation’s future well-being and as an antidote to the country’s lack of a large domestic market. The complete spectrum of Australian industries and the Australian skilled workforce welcome foreign competition with open arms. This coupled with Australia enjoying a huge amount of economic freedom, virtually no government interference in foreign investment and a healthy, expanding economy means there has never been a better time to do business in Australia.

Establishing a business in Australia is an extremely efficient and often seamless process with the country being supportive of enterprising professionals. Despite this and Australia being deemed easy to do business in by The World Bank, challenges can arise when running a business if Australia’s egalitarian approach to business is misconstrued. The democratic practices in Australian business are evident in the non-hierarchical, meritocratic, consultative management styles and use of humour in virtually all business settings, including meetings where debate is welcome. Just because Australian managers may employ humour in a manner that might be deemed inappropriate in one culture however it does not mean one should make the mistake of underestimating them.

When doing business in Australia it is also important to remember that there is a strong ethos of team spirit and modesty. Bragging about one’s achievements is likely to have a negative impact on the way Australian colleagues respond to a person new to doing business in Australia. Likewise, whilst pre-planning is viewed as good practice in some countries, too much preparation prior to meetings may be interpreted as clashing with the Australian value of equality and seen as dictating one’s ideas to their co-workers.

On the surface the country is an attractive location to establish commercial ties but dig a little deeper and it becomes clear that just like any other country doing business in Australia is not without its unique obstacles. To help you overcome any commercial complications and receive the best reception in Australia, the World Business Culture website provides an extensive collection of pragmatic tips and insights.

Author

This country-specific business culture profile was written by Keith Warburton who is the founder of the cultural awareness training consultancy Global Business Culture. 

Global Business culture is a leading training provider in the fields of cross-cultural communication and global virtual team working.  We provide training to global corporations in live classroom-based formats, through webinars and also through our cultural awareness digital learning hub, Global Business Compass.

This World Business Culture profile is designed as an introduction to business culture in Australia only and a more detailed understanding needs a more in-depth exploration which we can provide through our training and consultancy services.