A manager may behave in one way because of cultural upbringing, but it may be inappropriate in a foreign culture. For instance, showing the sole of one's foot is considered to be insulting in some cultures. Consider the impact of an informal U.S. manager who may inadvertently sit back with feet on desk to converse with a subordinate from such a culture. Cultures exist in the minds of people who have learned about them in the past. They vary considerably from one to another, but do have certain similarities.
Cultures tend to persist, though gradually changing and evolving over time.
While some people within a culture react differently than others to a given situation, no one can escape entirely from the influence of a native culture. We can anticipate how others are likely to react to our actions. Culture also provides standards for deciding what is right and what is wrong, good and bad, beautiful and ugly, etc. We learn from culture the knowledge and skills necessary for sustenance and we are able to identify with others who share in our culture. It has been pointed out by Hofstede that nationalism is very important to firms which wish to operate across borders.