While riding the Arlanda Express train from Stockholm city to its international airport, I glanced at a local publication targeting Swedish business travellers.  I noticed a surprising yet entertaining article called “The Do’s and Don’ts in Texas.” This brief sidebar piece was providing some last-minute advice on the cultural norms of Texas, presumably because the oil-rich Nordic region sees a lot of business people making their way to Houston.  Tips like “Read up on the latest football game, and preferably basketball. Business meetings often begin with sports talk” made me smirk as I visualized a Swedish businessperson fervently checking ESPN before leaving her hotel room.  Yet, I quickly recognized the advice as being cultural more than technical.
 
Having lived in Singapore for two years doing business across Asia Pac, I have come to appreciate the importance of getting culture right.  It is a critical aspect in developing successful business relationships in all environments.  The deeper the relationship, the greater the expectation for respecting cultural norms. This is true whether the business is international or domestic, private or public, small or large.
 
Culture in business is about priorities, communications and operating styles, more than anything.  And as important as culture is when working with outsiders, there is no place where it matters more than in the boardroom.  Alignment around what is most valuable to the organization, how the key topics will be discussed internally and externally, and the behaviors that are expected of everyone help boards be more effective.
 
Cultural compatibility, however, doesn’t mean sameness.  Diverse boards are often culturally aligned and made even stronger by their respect for their differences.  In fact, compromising board composition in the interest of cultural unity comes with significant downsides.  Thus the number of boards that still don’t pursue diversity “in the interest of maintaining culture and effectiveness” is surprising.
 
So how does a board find cultural compatibility, especially when diversity and effectiveness should be equally important goals?  Inaction is the greatest risk to achieving success.  Instead, boards should avail themselves of the tools that help determine needs and assess fit  (or lack thereof).  The most progressive organizations have demonstrated that collecting the data, refining the analysis and developing a model for success is within our abilities.  
 
Achieving cultural alignment and benefiting from a diverse board are not at odds with each other. The risk of not doing both could be a board’s true downfall.