Traveling to Spain Expanded My World Lens

I chose the photo showing the view of Montserrat as the cover photo because I believe my experience in Spain provided me with a new lens to view other cultures. The trip provided opportunities for me to expand my world view, cultural curiosity, understanding of global mission and values, and knowledge of collaborating across cultures. 

Spain’s Restaurant Service Altered My Interactions Across Geographies

I have never had to adapt my behavior to changing cultural contexts before. I expanded my cultural curiosity with my first encounter in a sit-down restaurant. I noticed important changes to the restaurant experience that I was willing to make. A group of us went to El Ruedo where I quickly realized how flexible time was in Spain’s restaurants.

Jon Carman’s blog explains the first experience with the employees having to use low context hand gestures to assist us. I expanded my world view through the adaptions in my communication style. I needed to adjust to the high context method where signals to the waiters are used instead of direct contact with them like in the United States. The Culture Map says, “messages are both spoken and read between the lines” in high context cultures. I transitioned to using high context signals for the waiters and gained an appreciation for the longer dinners. 

Hewlett-Packard Showed the Importance of Maintaining Mission and Values

The site visits at global companies provided me opportunities to see how important a company’s mission and values will span across borders. All employees at Hewlett-Packard are encouraged to promote innovative ideas. This changed my sense of alignment. I expected the values to change to adapt to cultures when instead it is important to keep a consistent message. 

The photo above shows the 3D printed medical products. It really changed my view on the importance of global values. I realized that being able to get employees behind your ideas will enable them to create amazing things. I found more interesting information about HP’s values on its website. I learned that a company’s focus on its values can overrule a country’s culture like Spain’s typical top down approach to decision making.

Tetuan Valley Promoted Collaboration Across Cultures

The Tetuan Valley site visit speakers provided an opportunity for me to understand why collaboration across cultures is important. The speakers explained their focus on developing people not projects. I had never considered how collaboration skills can be more important than the projects themselves. I found more detailed information of Tetuan Valley’s focus on collaboration on its website. 

The site visit speakers emphasized how everyone from the same culture could think an idea is really good but someone else from another background could see a fault in the idea that could ruin the entire project. I gained various experiences from site visits and classwork that changed the way I approach a new culture and the need to understand the unique contexts of each. 

Spain’s Collective Culture Focuses on the People and Groups 

I knew that Spain was a collectivist culture, but I never imagined how this actually impacts daily life and businesses. Our site visit at Tetuan Valley provided key insights into understanding how community and collective culture are promoted on the business side of Spain as companies place direct focus on the people and not the projects. Additionally, visiting Retiro Park allowed me to understand how community is shown at the iconic landmarks like in the photo above and also in the open areas in the rest of the parks and plazas.  

Tetuan Valley Promotes Group Activities and Spain’s Collective Culture

The Tetuan Valley speakers expressed how important community and collective culture is to Spain. The speakers first showed this when they explained the role of their organization. The site visit speakers explained that it is all about the people working there. The focus is on building collaboration skills and enabling team learning. It was interesting to hear them talk about developing people not ideas. For more information on Tetuan Valley’s focus on communities visit its website.

The photo above highlights the sense of community promoted by the Tetuan Valley speakers. They explained how Spain does not have personal space and invited all of us to move closer to each other. The one site visit speaker said that Tetuan Valley is now our home and that we should remember it as a place we can go to if we return to Madrid. This connects directly to Hofstede’s insights on collectivism versus individualism where the website states, “in collectivist societies people belong to ‘in groups’ that take care of them in exchange for loyalty.” Tetuan Valley provided this access to the ‘in group’ for us after we established our loyalty through our presentations on business strategy. 

Retiro Park Highlights the Social Air of the Plazas and Parks

Visiting Retiro Park further emphasized the community and collective culture in Spain. I knew before coming to Spain that the parks and plazas were used as social squares; however, I never could have imagined how unique the social interactions in the parks could be. The Spain is Culture website provides additional detail into the surface level social aspects of plazas and parks in Spain. 

The photo above shows families enjoying lunch and the overall atmosphere of the park. The important thing to note that surprised me was noticing all of the group activities that were taking place outside of the iconic landmarks in Retiro Park like the crystal palace. This contrasts with Western culture as Erin Meyer in the Culture Map states, “a common tenet of Western philosophies and religions is that you can remove an item from its environment and analyze it separately.” When visiting Spain, you have to look how people interact with more than just the individual landmarks in the parks and plazas to appreciate Spain’s community and collective culture. 

El Corte Inglés Stories Outline Cultural Dimensions

The site visit at El Corte Inglés provided insights into how Spain’s culture differs on the communication scale, trusting scale, and collectivism. The stories from the site visit speakers outlined the differences without them clearly stating it. I noticed small details on the services El Corte Inglés provides that highlights the cultural dimensions. 

Spain’s High Context Phrases Provide Deeper Meaning in Fewer Words

One of the site visit speakers had difficulty explaining how the buyer’s experience in Spanish translates to English. She was explaining that in Spanish the phrase “the buyer’s experience” has more meaning attached to it. This ties into the communicating scale in The Culture Map by Erin Meyer. Meyer states, “high-context cultures tend to have a long shared history […] where networks of connections are passed on from generation to generation […]. This shows how Spain’s shared history helps us understand how more meaning can be behind a simple phrase. 

The photo above shows people shopping in the El Corte Inglés department store from our site visit and ties into what the site visit speaker said. She mentioned how the buyer’s experience is more than just a simple transaction and involves a personalized experience with the cashiers and other employees. 

Spain’s Shoppers Want a Relationship with El Corte Inglés Employees

The other site visit speaker at El Corte Inglés mentioned how shoppers want to build a relationship with the guests. While The Culture Map explains how the trusting scale is typically used in understanding how employees build trust, it can actually be used to understand how shoppers establish trust with the workers. 

The photo above shows the personal shopper experience where buyers can have other personal shoppers to comment on dress styles and designs while also tailoring the clothing based on the style preferences of the shopper. This shows that people in Spain truly value relationship-based ways of gaining trust as the shoppers do not just want a quick transaction. For more information on the personal shopper experience and availability visit El Corte Inglés. 

Spain’s Tapa Sharing is a Collective Experience

The end of our site visit at El Corte Inglés concluded with one of the speakers explaining how eating in the restaurants in the store is a collective experience. The tapas offered are meant to be shared with families and are not designed for the individual person like most places in the U.S. For more information on tapas and how it’s a shared experience visit Totally Spain.

The photo above was taken from the restaurant where the site visit speaker mentioned that families will share tapas. The concept of sharing tapas and being part of a shared experience outlines Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimension of collectivism and individualism. Spain is more collectivist relative to the United States and other European countries. The tapa sharing experience outlines Spain’s cultural roots of spending time with family and friends. 

Plaza Mayor Replaced a Previous Plaza

Plaza Mayor’s design was started back during the reign of Phillip II. Phillip II initially started the planning in 1560; however, construction did not actually begin until 1617 when King Phillip III had an architect by the name of Juan Gómez de Mora start the project. King Phillip III’s statue is shown in the photo above. I was surprised to discover that Plaza Mayor was constructed on a previous Plaza by the name of Plaza del Arrabal. There have been multiple fires throughout time that led to renovation projects of the parks by Juan de Villanueva. The photo below highlights the modern look of Plaza Mayor. 

Plaza Mayor Offers a Coin and Stamp Market

I am quite interested in visiting Plaza Mayor for the historical significance of the site. One interesting fact I discovered was that Plaza Mayor was completely reconstructed three times 1631, 1672, and 1790 all due to fires from the wooden structure. I am also interested in visiting Plaza Mayor for the coin and stamp market that takes place every Sunday morning.

The photo above shows people experiencing the coin and stamp market in Plaza Mayor. I am quite fascinated by how significant of an event this is in Plaza Mayor. I am expecting to see large crowds on Sunday mornings and am excited to take part. 

Plaza Mayor is 30 Minutes from Our Hotel

Plaza Mayor in Madrid is roughly 30 minutes from our hotel using the metro transit and additional walking. After you walk out of our hotel NH Madrid Ventas, head south on Calle de Biarritz until you reach Avenue de los Toreros. At this point, you will see the renowned Las Ventas bullring and should walk towards the south side of the stadium where the metro station will be. You should take the Green Line 5 west to the Ópera station where the cost is 1,50€ or $1.68 per trip. After arriving at the Ópera station, head east on Calle del Arenal and turn right onto Calle de las Fuentes. You should continue that direction until you can turn left onto Calle Mayor. Finally turn right onto Calle del Siete de Julio which leads directly to the destination of Plaza Mayor. More information on Madrid’s Metro system can be found on its website and a photo of the directions from Apple Maps is provided below.

Plaza Mayor Is Free to Visit and Offers Paid Tours

Plaza Mayor is free to access when you are not attending special events or live concerts. For more information on the concerts visit songkick. Plaza Mayor is open to the general public Monday through Sunday 9:30am to 8:30pm Central European Summer Time. Plaza Mayor offers both walking tour options that also include experiencing other parts of Madrid. The prices vary but offer experiences as low as $20. Additional information on the paid walking tours can be found on Trip Advisor. 

El Corte Inglés is Not Your Typical Retail Chain

El Corte Inglés is not the typical department store you would find in the United States. While it offers the typical products you will find in the U.S., it provides unexpected rooftop restaurant services in many of its retail locations. Its bright green glass store design positions the retailer as a premium department store throughout Europe. 

El Corte Inglés Spans 75 Years of Experience

El Corte Inglés is Europe’s largest department store by net turnover. El Corte Inglés was established in 1935 by Ramón Areces Rodríguez in Madrid. He purchased a tailor shop that was founded in 1890 and established El Corte Inglés. El Corte Inglés has experienced significant growth with over 75 years of experience. El Corte Inglés currently has 94 stores, 92,078 employees, 700 million customer visits a year, and 11.518 million El Cortes Inglés card users. El Corte Inglés’s key statistics show that it is one of the dominant companies in Spain.

El Corte Inglés Offers Latest Fashion and a Rooftop Dining Experience

El Corte Inglés offers a wide range of products and services. I found the typical products that you would find in a department store in the U.S. including the latest fashion clothing, technology, and general home décor. I was quite surprised when I read that El Corte Inglés offers rooftop restaurant services in some of its department stores. 

The photo pictured above shows one of El Corte Inglés’s restaurants located throughout Spain. The restaurant offers various food choices including seafood, pasta, and sandwiches. El Corte Inglés also owns hypermarkets, convenience stores, optical centers, and travel agents. 

Zara Shows El Corte Inglés Must Adapt to the Retail’s Changing Technology

Zara is an international fashion company based in Spain that offers cutting edge technology in the retail fashion industry. Zara has augmented reality shop window sensors in the store that customers can interact with on mobile phones. Zara recently opened the largest of its 2,200 shops in Spain within yards of Madrid’s El Corte Inglés stores. I found an interesting article from Bloomberg in 2017 that explains how the retail model is changing. The article explains how El Corte Inglés offers its own fashion styles and many other products but still needs to adapt to not lose the market to these changes in the retail industry. 

Additional Follow-up Questions for El Corte Inglés

• Do you find El Corte Inglés’s restaurant service to be part of its core range of products and services?
• How does El Corte Inglés manage its various products and services and not lag behind in any of its business units?
• Does El Corte Inglés tailor any of its products or services based on its location in Europe?
• Do you see Zara as a direct threat to El Corte Inglés?
• What portion of Europe is El Corte Inglés most successful in?

I was quite surprised to discover a New York Times article explaining how Spain is having the largest minimum wage increase in over 40 years. I found this to be surprising as the article explained how 95 percent of businesses in Spain are small to medium sized. Spain’s significant increase in the minimum wage comes with its own controversy as employers and politicians debate the overall positive and negative effects of the change. 

Spain is Boosting the Economy at the Expense of its Workers

Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, used an executive order to raise the minimum wage by 22 percent in January of 2019. Mr. Sánchez is hoping to decrease the 14 percent of the population who cannot afford basic necessities. Mr. Sánchez also hopes that the minimum wage increase will boost the economy through the increased flow of spending by the low-paid workers. I believe this executive order has its own controversy as Spain’s largest bank is estimating that over 160,000 jobs could be lost this year alone from the minimum wage increase. 

The photo of Lucio Montero highlights the negative effects and controversy with the increase in the minimum wage. Lucio Montero is a business owner who only employs eight workers and will have to think twice before hiring more. I am curious to take a closer look into the smaller businesses I come across on my first trip to Spain and understand how the minimum wage increase creates issues for the smaller firms. 

The Culture Map Reveals the Controversy of the Minimum Wage Increase

Erin Meyer talks about a story in The Culture Map where a Spanish executive working for an American firm is surprised when one of their team members is laid off and states, “They seemed to feel, since he was underperforming, we could just push him off the boat and pretend we never cared about him” (Meyer 173). I believe this quote shows why the general public is reacting negatively to the minimum wage increase. The Culture Map explains how Spain is more relationship-based on the trusting scale meaning people value relationships before work responsibilities. I find it interesting that a culture that values relationships is being forced to help some workers at the expense of others in direct opposition to the collectivist country. 

The Public’s Opposition to the Minimum Wage Increase Continues to Grow 

The significant minimum wage increase in January of 2019 will continue to create issues as the year progresses. I am interested to watch this event and see how the general public reacts knowing Spain is more relationship-based and has a shared trust among employees who are now without jobs.