Before this study abroad program, I had never really been in a real world situation where I had to convey a message without speaking English. Trying to recall verb conjugations and words I hadn’t thought of since high school spanish to communicate with people for basic conversations was more difficult than I expected. This was an eye-opening experience for me because it made me realize how difficult this can be for non-English speakers in America and how difficult cross-cultural communication must be for businesses.

Cultural Barriers are Much More Than Different Languages

I remember reading the culture map and thinking about how simple and obvious some of Erin Meyer’s observations were. To me, they all seemed like common sense and if every business leader read her book, they would have no difficulty with cross-cultural business.

Our site visit to Quadpack quickly changed my mind. Our presenter discussed challenges in communication among their Barcelona group and even more so with the global business. Just getting everyone on a phone call is incredibly difficult because of time, language, and especially the different ways cultures do business. This made me realize the difficulty of alignment for a company.

If you can’t even get them on a phone call, imagine the difficulty of trying to communicate business mission and values, especially when cultures differ a lot in values. I see how difficult this can be for business and have a much better understanding of worldviews. Most of all, I appreciate Erin Meyer’s observations much more.

The Key to Succeeding in Business is Empathy

As I struggled to piece together Spanish phrases for simple tasks like ordering food, the one thing I noticed was how patient the native speakers were and how willing to switch to English they were. They saw me struggling and accommodated to me to make me comfortable. If anything, they appreciated my attempt to speak their language.

The empathy they showed made me much more comfortable abroad and less frustrated. I understand how important this is for business. Our visit to Global Healthcare built on this when our presenter spoke about the difficulty of expanding the business in Africa. She gave one instance about waiting for several hours to meet her potential client before being told to come back the next day. The next day, the same thing happened; she had to wait and was told to come back another time.

This was clearly a very frustrating situation, but empathy got her through. She recognized the cultural differences and put herself in her client’s shoes. This kind of empathy is what makes ore breaks a business relationship.

Overall, I do feel more globally intelligent. Being the one who doesn’t know the language put me in a new situation. I realize how difficult it must be for non-native English speakers in places like the US. I see that aligning a global business is very challenging and you have to have a good worldview to put it all together. Most of all, you need to be understanding and empathetic of those you do business with. These are the keys to success.

Taking foreign transit out of the cities in Spain may seem scary at first. You’re surrounded by a language you don’t understand while you frantically try to locate your train or bus. The idea sounds intimidating, but where you end up is worth the hassle. My daytrips were some of my favorite days in Spain. For that reason, I fully recommend future students try daytrips. Specifically, I recommend Segovia and Montserrat.

Segovia is in an Entirely Different World Than Madrid

A short thirty-minute train ride or hour-long bus from Madrid is Segovia. Segovia is an easy to access town north of Madrid that has many sites worth seeing to fill your day. The first of these is easily the massive roman aqueduct.

Still standing even after a thousand years of wear and tear, this aqueduct is one of the coolest sites I saw in Spain. Standing at over 28 meters tall, the aqueduct dwarfs all who stand in front of it for a picture.

The surrounding medieval style city and old castle walls make this an easy area for students to lose track of time in. Other sites to see in Segovia are the cathedral and Alcázar de Segovia which inspired Walt Disney for his Disney Castle.

Overall Segovia was easily one of my favorite places to visit, but the best views were in the mountains just outside Barcelona.

Montserrat Has the Best Views in All of Spain

An hour-long train ride out of Barcelona at nine in the morning might not sound appealing, but the hassle of getting to Montserrat is made worth it once you get up the mountain. Montserrat is a popular hiking area and site seeing attraction northwest of Barcelona.

Noteworthy attractions are the Monastery and the museum, but the best part of the trip is the hike. You are free to go at your own pace up the mountain, but beware the runners who will make it look easy as you lug yourself up the steps. The hike usually takes about one to two hours depending on pace and stops.

The hike up the mountain offers spectacular views, but they are no match for what you see at the top. All of Catalonia is within your view at the peak of the mountain; this is the reward for all your hard work.

Even if neither of these daytrips appeal to some students, I encourage they look for daytrips right for them. Some require more planning than others, but they are worth it to see how Spain differs from Madrid and Barcelona. Culturally and geographically, these places can be very different. They offer new perspectives on Spain and challenge your views and expectations. I encourage all students to step outside their comfort zone and find the daytrip that is right for them.

“Uncompetitive” and “low risk” are two ways to describe Spanish businesses. They also happen to be characteristics that were predicted by the Hofstede dimensions. Although I never expected Hofstede to be wrong, I never expected to see much of a difference between Spanish businesses and US businesses either. However, there were clear differences in two of the Hofstede Dimensions: Masculinity and Uncertainty Avoidance.

Spanish Businesses Are Relaxed in the Workplace

Upon entering El Corte Ingles, our first Spanish business site visit, it was very clear from the start that the atmosphere was very relaxed. The head office was located in an actual retail store.

Something like this would likely never happen in the US today because we feel the need to eliminate very distraction possible in our offices. The US is very competitive in the workplace and full of political moves and requires you be on your toes at all times. This is not so in the Spanish business world from what I have seen.

Uncompetitiveness is of course shown in their low masculinity score. Masculinity in this case does not refer to men but to masculine traits, such as competitiveness. Although Spaniards still look for better jobs and have aspirations to move higher in the company, they are more focused on the comradery and enjoyment of doing what they do. The presenters at El Corte Ingles echoed this fact. In the words of our presenter from Global Healthcare, the workplace is “very chill.” She had worked in America herself and could easily point this difference out.

Spanish businesses are more worried about enjoying their life than stressing about work. This is perhaps a reason why they have a longer life span than Americans.

Spanish Businesses Are Naturally Risk Averse and It Shows

Spaniards’ risk aversion is reflected in their high uncertainty avoidance score. During two site visits, it was abundantly clear that Spanish businesses and people do not like risk. The first site was Tetuan Valley which may be surprising because they are so heavily invested with startups. Tetuan Valley focuses on helping startups actually become businesses, but this process can take a long time. Our speakers told us that just creating the business charter itself can take a year or longer. This is an incredibly long period of time for some people to wait; especially Americans who like to start businesses right away right out of their garages.

Risk aversion was also clear in our presentation from Pau Vergili, a Spanish investor and business owner. He expressed difficulty in finding investors in Spain because of their risk aversion and the slow process of creating the business.

Spaniards like to be smart with their investments and will take the time to see that they succeed.

Spanish businesses are very different from American businesses. In America, we compete and take risks. In Spain, they relax and think things through. Hofstede had it figured out, but I had no idea how right he was.

If you’re looking for a place to travel back in time, La Venencia is the bar for you. A single step through the front door will show you what the Spanish Civil War looked like in the 1930s. Known for sherry and its old-timey feel, La Venencia displays both Spanish history and tapas bar culture in a way much different than any other place around.

La Venencia’s Civil War Roots are Still Prominent in the Business
70 years ago, La Venencia was a meeting ground for old Republican soldiers and anti-fascists. Additionally, it served as an old haunt of Ernest Hemmingway where he would get the latest information on the state of General Franco’s rule. Decorated with old pictures, posters, barrels, and bottles that have seemingly been collecting dust for decades, the rustic interior of the bar reflects its age.

The walls, wood, and metal fixtures display the toll that cigar and cigarette smoking have taken over time. They remain stained and peeling from the history of past customers. Luckily, smoking is no longer allowed; this is one of the four rules of La Venencia. The other three rules are displayed on a sign as you walk in and take their roots from the civil war. The first rule is don’t spit on the floor. This is for the sake of hygiene. The second rule is no taking photos. This rule was enforced to prevent anti-fascists from being incriminated by spies during the war. The third rule is absolutely no tipping. This rule stemmed from the pride customers and staff took in being equal workers. Knowing these four rules is key to not getting kicked out.

La Venencia is a Great Bar to Experience Spanish Sherry and Tapas
The drink menu at La Venencia is easy in the sense that you only have five choices, and all of them are sherry. With your drinks, you can also expect free tapas. The typically silent bartender will scribble your order down on the bar in chalk; this adds to the traditional experience.

La Venencia is Cheap and Only One Short Bus Ride Away
Planning your trip to La Venencia is easy and flexible as it is open every day of the week.

From the Novotel Madrid Center, La Venencia is only about a 10-minute drive or a 20-minute bus ride.

The buses usually run every 4 to 15 minutes, although buses after 11:30 pm run every 15 to 35 minutes depending on the day of the week.
Once you arrive, drinks at La Venencia are not too expensive. Customers usually spend less than 10 euros.

An Amazing Cultural Experience Awaits You
I expect to travel back in time at this astonishing landmark during my visit. My only concern is the lack of sweet sherry. Every sherry at La Venencia is dry.
La Venencia is an exciting way to see the history of Spain and experience its wine and tapas culture.

Abertis is an international market leader in the toll road industry headquartered in Madrid, Spain. Formed by the merger of two great Spanish road building companies in 2003, Abertis is an international toll road management company owning over 8,600 km of toll roads in Europe, Latin America, and Asia with over 12,000 employees worldwide. Although most of its revenue now comes from other countries, Abertis’ roots are in Spain with its 40-year road-building history and status as the largest toll road owner in Spain.

Abertis Represents Most of Spain’s Road-Building History
Abertis was born from the merger of two Spanish road-builders, Acesa and Aurea. Acesa and Aurea were the parent companies of Autopistas and Dragados, which together represented most of Spain’s road building history.

Autopistas built the first toll road in 1967 and over 550 km of roadway throughout Spain. Autopistas started the toll road industry in Spain and expanded the road network from Zaragoza all the way to the Mediterranean.

Dragados was a construction company that built over 6,500 km of roadways and toll roads in addition to other construction projects throughout Spain. Dragados was known for paving the runways of Spain’s airports and the construction of much of the Spanish infrastructure.
Abertis consists of decades of Spanish construction and road-building history and now controls 1,559 km of toll roads in Spain.

Abertis Controls Several Key Industries of Spanish Infrastructure Other Than Toll Roads
Although Toll Roads are its largest business, Abertis also maintains holdings in Spain’s parking garage, telecommunications, and radio signal transmission infrastructure industries. Abertis controls Spain’s largest parking garage company and owns one of the leading TV and radio signaling infrastructure companies giving it control of over 2,400 satellites. These other services in addition to toll road management make Abertis a major competitor in the global infrastructure market. Its key competitors are Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas S.A. and Construtora OAS Ltda. The former is one of the largest Spanish construction and infrastructure companies while the latter is a global competitor in civil engineering.

International Presence Challenges Abertis to Reduce Its Carbon Footprint
In the last 15 years, Abertis has grown from being a Spanish company with minor international influence to being an international business with 70% of revenues coming from foreign countries on three different continents. This has raised new challenges for Abertis in international financing, global competition, and most importantly, reducing its global impact. Traffic congestion and slow roads are bad for business, but also increase Abertis’ carbon footprint. As of 2018, Abertis has begun initiatives to decrease its carbon footprint and make its roads more environmentally friendly.

Abertis is a historically important Spanish business and key global competitor in the infrastructure industry.

Key Questions For Abertis Representatives:

1) How has international presence affected your financing of projects?

2) What steps are being taken to decrease Abertis’ carbon footprint?

3) What does the future of toll road management look like?

4) What new technologies are being deployed on toll roads?

5) What other services or industries has Abertis looked into entering?

I was scrolling through Spanish news articles when suddenly, one flashed in front of me that was much different than the rest. The article was about the Galician smugglers of Spain and their new rise to prominence as Spain became the second largest cocaine market in all of Europe. The statistic was shocking. I couldn’t believe my first trip to Europe was going to take place in a country where two percent of the population consumed cocaine. However, my concerns were lifted after I did some more research.

The Galician Smugglers Have a Long History with Spain

Hard drugs like cocaine are often smuggled from Columbia to Galicia, the northwestern region of Spain. Smuggling history in Galicia began before the 1950s but became integral to Spanish drug trafficking markets in the 1960s. Columbian cocaine was the main product being moved in Europe and Galicia was the perfect port to smuggle through. Galicia’s strategic location and relaxed border control allowed smugglers to prosper. Between the 1960s and 1990s, Galicia became a massive drug empire under the nose of the Spanish police with a network spanning from the Mediterranean to Africa. As we know from class, Spain has a colorful history with corruption and to no surprise, corruption was a major factor that allowed the smuggling empire to grow.

Bribing officials and border agents has allowed this smuggling empire to continue today despite persistent police efforts for the past thirty years.

We Need to See Spain’s Problems to Understand the Impacts on Its Culture

This topic is important for us to see as a class because we haven’t really looked at the ugly side of Spain. We’ve explored different cultural dimensions and talked about corruption briefly, but not something as serious as drug trafficking or its impact in Spain. The smugglers have made importing more difficult for regular businesses and lengthened the process due to increased scrutiny of imports and thorough searches.

The people have also been caught in the crossfire of drug-related gang violence.
Smugglers caused corruption to grow and take roots in the Spanish government which has hurt ordinary people. The corruption has made it more difficult for people to trust leaders and officials.

This is the side of Spain that we need to see to understand that Spain is a country with problems, just like the United states.

Spain Has Problems Just Like the United States

Researching the smuggling clans of Galicia reminded me that even though we have different cultural dimensions, Spain is just like the United States when it comes to having problems. The United States has one of the largest narcotic smuggling industries in the world, but it has never worried me before. Spain should be no different.

Spain is fairly safe for travelers and the smugglers will be of no concern as we travel. That said, I’ll keep an eye out for smugglers when I get there.