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Estonia |
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Facts and Statistics
Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia Capital: Tallinn Climate: Maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers Population: 1,341,664 (July 2004 est.) Ethnic groups: Estonian 65.3%, Russian 28.1%, Ukrainian 2.5%, Belarusian 1.5%, Finn 1%, other 1.6% (1998) Religions: Evangelical Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Estonian Orthodox, Baptist, Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Word of Life, Jewish |
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Language in Estonia
Estonian is the official language of Estonia. It is spoken by about 1.1 million people in the country itself and then thousands of others outside it too. Estonian is a Finno-Ugric language and is closely related to Finnish and distantly to Hungarian. It has been influenced by German, Russian, Swedish and Latvian, though it is not related to them. Estonian Culture & Society Religion o During Soviet administration religion became a form of silent protest for most Estonians. o Since independence religious organizations have again begun to appear. The largest church is the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church. o In 1989, the largest churches established the Council of Estonian Churches (CEC) with the purpose of uniting the different churches to promote spiritual development for all Estonians The Role of the Family o The family is still the central focus of social life. o The make up of the family is usually "nuclear" in cities and "extended" in rural areas although this is a slight generalisation. o Family ties and very close which means newly weds will often live with parents until on their feet and the old are generally looked after rather than put in care homes. Hierarchy in Estonian Society o Estonia is a hierarchical society. o Age, experience and position earn respect. o Older people are generally viewed as wiser and as a result revered and honoured. Elders are introduced first and in general are treated much like royalty. o Those in senior positions bear the responsibility to make decisions in the interest of the group. o Due to seniority titles are very important when addressing people. o It is expected that you will use a person's title and their surname until invited to use their first name. Cultural Traditions o Estonian culture as an identity is very strong. o Oral traditions especially have played a key role in preserving traditions, stories and customs during Soviet administration. o Singing is a very Estonian activity and the Estonians are known to have sung their way to freedom during the "Singing Revolution" of 1989-91. Manners o Estonians on the whole are quiet and reserved. o They tend to speak softly and do not like to draw attention to themselves. o Being rational, calm and not going to emotional extremes are all qualities that respected. o At first Estonians can come across as aloof. Once a relationship warms up this becomes less so. Etiquette and Customs in Estonia Meeting and Greeting o Greetings can come across as rather formal and rather reserved. o Men should initiate greetings with women and the younger person always greets the older person. o When meeting someone make sure you are stood up, offer direct eye contact and give a nice firm handshake. o The most common greeting is "tere" ("hello"). Titles are very important. "Härra" is for Mr, "Prova" is Mrs and "Preili" is Miss. All should be followed with the surname. o Only use first names once you have been invited to do so. Gift Giving Etiquette o Gifts are usually exchanged for birthdays and at Christmas. o Gifts need not be expensive as it is more about the thought than monetary worth. o If you are invited to an Estonian's house, a decent gift is a bring a box of chocolates or flowers. o Flowers should be given in odd numbers. o Gifts are usually opened when received. Dining Etiquette o Arrive on time. Punctuality is expected. Call if running late. o Check to see if shoes are being worn in the house. o Do not expect a tour of the house - homes are private. o Dress conservatively. o Try and offer to help the hostess with the preparation or clearing up after a meal is served. This will be turned down but is nonetheless polite. o Do not discuss business. o Reciprocate any hospitality received. Table Manners o Table manners are relatively formal in Estonia. o Remain standing until invited to sit down. o Table manners are Continental, i.e. the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating. o Do not begin eating until the hostess starts or someone says "head isu" ("good appetite"). o Avoid resting your elbows of the table. o Compliment the hostess on the meal. o Try to finish everything on your plate. Business Etiquette and Protocol Meeting & Greeting o Estonians are quite formal and may not come across as quote cold or even friendly to people from more informal cultures. This should not be interpreted so. o Once the relationship warms up the communication style becomes a lot less stiff. o Shake hands with everyone at the meeting. o Remember it is rude to greet someone while seated. o Handshakes should be firm and confident. o Maintain steady eye contact while shaking hands. o Try and wait for a woman to extend her hand. o Address businesspeople by their professional title and their surname. o If someone does not have a professional title, use "Härra" to address a man and "Prova" to address a woman. o Wait until invited before moving to a first name basis. Business Card Etiquette o Business cards are exchanged without any fuss or ritual. o Present your business card so it is readable to the recipient. o Treat someone's business card with respect. o Having the other side of your card translated into Estonian is a nice gesture. Communication Style o Estonians mean what they say and do what they say they will do. o They expect foreign businesspeople to keep their word. o Failing to do so can cause irreparable harm to a business relationship. o They are generally polite and courteous speakers. o Estonians are somewhat pragmatic and reserved, especially in the early stages of developing a business relationship. o Estonians are not emotive speakers. o If you are from a culture where hand gestures are robust, you may wish to moderate them to conform to local practices. o Soft voices are the norm. If you have a booming voice, you may wish to moderate it when conducting business with Estonians. o Estonians do not always respond to what has been said, especially if they are uncomfortable with the subject or if they need more time to organize their thoughts. o Although they are direct communicators, Estonians temper their directness in order to protect the feelings of all concerned. o They are slow to pay compliments and may become suspicious of compliments offered too readily and without sufficient reason. o Passive silence is very much part of the communication style. o Estonians are not fond of conversational overlap and will not think highly of someone who interrupts them while they are speaking. o Estonians value their good reputations. Therefore, be careful not to criticize or embarrass anyone publicly. Business Meeting Etiquette o Meetings generally begin with a welcoming speech from the most senior Estonian at the meeting. The most senior person from your team should respond with a short speech. o It is common to continue meetings over lunch or dinner, although the conversation will tend to be social, rather than business oriented. o These seemingly social occasions are an opportunity for your Estonian colleagues to get to know you as an individual and develop a personal relationship. o Since this is a culture that prefers to do business with friends, consider time spent at meals as important as time spent at the negotiating table. o Although Estonians juxtapose business and social situations, it is important to maintain a formal demeanour at meetings. o Estonians dislike an overly casual attitude towards business, especially from foreigners. o It generally takes several meetings to reach a decision. In most cases, decisions are still made at the top of the company, so unless you are meeting with the top echelon of the company, what you propose will have to make its way up the chain of command for approval. o Older businesspeople are generally only fluent in Estonian or Russian. Therefore, you may wish to have an interpreter with you at meetings. Being a Manager in Estonia The basic business style in Estonia is formal. Although Estonians do not need a personal relationship in order to do business, they prefer to do business with those they know and trust. Therefore, third-party introductions, especially from friends or relatives, can smooth the way in a culture where being reserved and aloof are national characteristics. There is relatively little small talk and cross cultural management should bear in mind that the Estonians prefer people to speak succinctly, not to discuss themselves or their interests, and to focus purely on business. The Role of a Manager First impressions are important and cross cultural management is more likely to succeed if you dress conservatively and use proper etiquette and manners at all times. Foreign businesswomen should have little trouble being taken seriously if they have the proper credentials, since women are an integral part of the Estonian business scene. When implementing new systems or procedures, managers check up on employees to make sure that their instructions are being followed properly. During the last fifteen years there have been a great number of changes to the Estonian workplace and employees take time to learn new behaviours. Estonian managers are slow to praise employees, and refrain from doing so in public. Likewise, they are cautious not to criticize employees publicly. Should they need to discuss a performance issue with an employee, they will do so in private. Approach to Change Estonia’s intercultural adaptability and readiness for change is developing all the time. This country is seen to have a medium tolerance for change and risk. The fear of exposure, and the potential of embarrassment that may accompany failure, brings about aversion to risk and because of this attitude, intercultural sensitivity is going to be required. Failure can be viewed as a personal short-coming and can cause a long-term loss of confidence by the individual as well as by the group. Approach to Time and Priorities Estonia is a moderate time culture and typically there may be some flexibility to strict adherence to schedules and deadlines. When working with people from Estonia, in order to achieve successful cross cultural management, it is advisable to reinforce the importance of the agreed-upon deadlines and how that may affect the rest of the organization. Global and intercultural expansion means that some managers may have a greater appreciation of the need to enforce timescales and as such, agreed deadlines are more likely to be met. Decision Making Subordinates demonstrate their respect of their supervisors and managers by following their directions to the letter. In return, managers provide explicit directions and ensure that their subordinates have the proper materials and understand the appropriate procedures. Boss or Team Player? In post communist countries, there is a tradition of teamwork inherited from the communal aspects of the previous era where groups and work units commonly met together to discuss ideas and create plans. However, those plans seldom resulted in implementation or results, leading to apathy and cynicism among the workers. Today the after-effects are still evident among much of the older generation resulting in a lack of drive and energy. However, there is vibrancy among the younger generation, who seem to be eager to tackle many of the challenges and take the opportunities presented. They will participate in teams and share ideas, but intercultural sensitivity will be needed and it should be understood that they will need to be coached in the process. Communication and Negotiation Styles Treat the negotiating process with the formality that it deserves. Estonians prefer to get down to business quickly. To avoid any possible cross cultural miscommunication have any printed material available in both English and Estonian. Estonians can be direct negotiators who say what they think, however they can often pause for two to three minutes to think. Do not interrupt. Estonians are deal-focused. Avoid hype and making exaggerated claims about your products or services. It will not impress your colleagues and will be construed as bragging. Avoid confrontational behaviour or high-pressure tactics. It can be counterproductive. Once a decision is made, it will not be changed. Estonia Related Links and Resources *Currency - the currency of Estonia is known as the Kroon. Use the free currency converter to compare to dollars, GBP or Euro. * Weather - visit Yahoo!'s up to date Weather for Estonia. * News - check out all the latest Google news on Estonia. * Dialling Code - the international dialling code for Estonia is +372. * Time - Estonia is +2 hours GMT. * History - read about the long and rich history of Estonia. * Hotels - Hotel Reservations in Estonia. |
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