Australians

http://www.homestaynetwork.org/public/living-in-australia

 It is considered polite to blow your nose into a handkerchief or tissue but it is not polite to sniff.  It is considered polite to eat your meal quietly without noise and with your mouth closed.  Australians will be offended if you make noises when you eat or drink.

http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Business-Meetings-in-Australia.html

Punctuality is considered a virtue in Australia — but having said that meetings often start five or ten minutes late. In addition, it is customary to go through a few minutes small talk before getting down to the key issues of the meeting (sport is a very common theme of these discussions.)

Australia can be classified as a ‘post-planning’ culture which means that relatively little preparation is done for meetings (with the exception of client-facing meetings). Meetings are often viewed as the forum for the open debate of an issue and that, during that open debate, a route forward will be found — this approach obviously sits well with the Australian egalitarian approach. When the route forward is agreed upon in the meeting, then a detailed work schedule will be implemented for completion after the meeting. Being 'over-prepared' for meetings can result in certain negative feelings towards those who have prepared in advance as they can be seen to be trying to dictate and force their ideas on other people.

If agendas are produced, they tend to be followed loosely. If something important arises during the open debate it will not be excluded simply because it does not occur on the agenda.

http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Australian-Business-Structures.html

A key Australian characteristic would be egalitarianism. It is very important that people do not give the impression that they 'think they are somebody'. It is much better to be seen as a 'good bloke' or a 'good mate' than somebody who is overtly proud of themselves and their achievements.

Coupled with this trend towards an egalitarian interpersonal approach is the influence exerted on Australian business thinking of US business modelling (- some people would argue that this influence has been too slavishly followed whilst others argue the need for a more US-style entrepreneurial, risk-taking attitude amongst Australian business people.)

The combination of these two factors leads Australian organisations to be fairly non-hierarchical in their structure. Little attention is paid to titles and rankings within organisations, with status being ascribed through achievement rather than organisational position - you are only as good as your last decision or action!

Thus any international organisation looking to set up operations in the country would be well advised against introducing a mirror of the hierarchical structure they may employ in the country of origin - this could lead to annoyance on the part of Australian colleagues. Similarly, do not be too surprised if Australian business contacts seem wilfully disrespectful of hierarchy when working internationally - they are not being rude, merely acting in a consistent Australian manner.

http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Australian-Management-Style.html

Managers are not expected to see themselves as in any way superior to their colleagues — people just have different jobs. Therefore an authoritarian style of management will be received very badly by most Australians and such an approach may provoke outright hostility.

It is much better to adopt a consultative style of management which is inclusive of every person’s opinions and which encourages an open debate of ideas. Indeed, challenging the ideas of the boss in open meetings is not seen as rude or disrespectful but the sign of a fully committed, professional approach. Pragmatism is seen as a key attribute; getting the job completed quickly is more important than the niceties of protocol or hierarchy.

In keeping with the Australian direct style of communication, debates between senior and junior executives may appear from the outside as confrontational and occasionally acrimonious — they rarely are. This style of interaction is merely viewed as the most effective way of attaining the end goal.

Australian managers to not remain aloof from members of their team — they usually want to be ‘one of the boys’ and be seen as ‘a good bloke’. The idea of managers only socialising with other managers would be viewed as very affected and would be likely to result in alienation.

http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Business-Teams-in-Australia.html

Being seen to be a good team player is an extremely important part of the Australian psyche — to be a maverick or a loner will invariably ostracize a person from their colleagues. Creating a positive, collegiate feel in a department or project group would be seen as a key management function and ‘bonding’ sessions (often including food and drink) are actively encouraged.

It goes without saying that anyone who tries to make themselves out to be better than their colleagues does not make a good team player — nor does anyone who wishes to be successful at the expense of a colleague. A competitive edge should be directed towards the other ‘team’ (the competition) rather than being internally focused.

http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Australian-Business-Communication-Style.html

Although Australia is a polyglot nation, with over 100 languages being spoken by those sections of the population who have emigrated there from all over the world, English is the official and by far the most commonly spoken language.

Australians tend to put directness before diplomacy and therefore can be considered quite blunt on occasions — especially by people from those cultures in which the majority are wary of speaking plainly for fear of creating a negative emotional impact upon the people they are talking to. Directness is cherished in Australia and failure to say what you mean and mean what you say can be mistaken for evasiveness and even hypocrisy.

It is important not to be too self-promotional when presenting to Australians. A hard sell approach can often be misconstrued as bragging and can provoke a very negative response. Remember that people do not like to make out that they are better than others — the same probably applies to products and services. A factual description of issues will be far better received than a more hyperbolic approach.

Australia is one of the very few cultures in which humour is all pervasive in business situations. Not only is humour acceptable in all situations, it is expected in all situations. Never underestimate an Australian senior manager because he or she uses humour at what you might feel to be an inappropriate time.

First names are invariably used in all business situations in Australia. It would be very unusual to call a business contact by their surname. Similarly, educational titles play relatively little part in business situations (other than in the medical or academic worlds.)

http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Australian-Business-Dress-Style.html

In corporate Australia, standard business dress is still very much the norm.

Dark suits and ties are the standard dress for management level businessmen with women wearing business suits with either skirts or trousers. (More informal attire is often preferred if doing work outside the major cities.)

Remember that, for much of the year, Australia is a very hot country – so make sure that your clothing is lightweight and cool during those periods.

 Try to avoid excessive jewellery and accessories which may be viewed as too 'flashy' and therefore unprofessional.

http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Doing-Business-in-Australia.html

Some small talk is usually engaged in before the meeting proper starts. This stage of the meeting is, however, rarely protracted (five minutes or less.)

Australians prize their egalitarian approach to life- people should not try to make out that they are better than others.

Managers try to develop a 'matey' relationship with their colleagues and would be viewed negatively if they tried to seem aloof from subordinates.

Everybody expects to have an input into the decision-making process even if, in the final analysis, the boss still makes the decision. If the boss makes the decision with no prior consultation, it unlikely that people will be very keen to ensure implementation.

Decision-making meetings can be quite animated and it is expected that people will say exactly what they think without necessarily having to defer automatically to the boss' viewpoint.

Although Australians will say that they value punctuality as a professional necessity, do not be surprised if people appear five to ten minutes late for a meeting.

http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Meals-and-Entertaining-in-Australia.html

People will very often 'go Dutch' over a meal - this means that the bill is split equally amongst those present at the meal. If you wish to pay, make sure you make this clear before the meal to avoid any embarrassing debates when the bill is presented.

If invited to a pub or bar for a drink, it is very important to make sure you pay your 'shout' - that means that everybody is expected to pay for a round of drinks. It is unadvisable to develop a reputation as someone who does not pay for his or her fair share of the drinks!