How Being A Foreigner Is A Competitive Advantage
by Valeria Martinez
February 25, 20
“Competitive advantage is what makes an entity’s goods or services superior to all of a customer’s other choices. While the term is commonly used for businesses, the strategies work for any organization, country, or individual in a competitive environment.”
When studying business, your professors try to engrave the word ‘competition’ and its importance on your brain. This is mainly because nowadays the world is extremely competitive. Therefore, us, business students, are pressured to have something that makes us stand out, or in other words, a competitive advantage.
As a first-year international student at Northeastern University, I recognized the difficulties being foreign came with, for instance, having to adapt to a completely new environment. However, throughout the semester, I discovered that what I thought was a personal setback could actually be my competitive advantage.
Why is being a foreigner advantageous?
1. Cross-cultural experience
Foreigners can use their cross-cultural experience to their advantage in the business world. Cross-culture is defined as “a concept that recognizes the differences among business people of different nations, backgrounds. and ethnicities (…)” (M.Kopp, 2021). Experiencing different cultures allows foreigners to have an upper hand on international workings, as they are more open-minded to other cultures and understand their importance.
2. Connecting markets
Most companies struggle to internationalize successfully, nonetheless, foreigners have the ability to connect markets. If a company wants to expand to a distinct market, foreign employees that have experience and knowledge of that market are seen as valuable, as they facilitate, and strengthen, the connection to the market.
3. Accessing distinct networks
Being foreign means having networked in more than one country and having access to distinct networks. Access to connections is crucial in business, possibly one of the most defining attributes of success. It builds you a better reputation, and opportunities, increasing confidence, and more. Therefore, having connections internationally is incredibly beneficial, and most companies see this as very valuable for their international workings.
4. Embracing risk
Foreigners tend to embrace risk with more ease than non-foreigners. Having left their home countries to better their career is seen as risky but brave. Being a risk taker is an attribute that is needed in the business world.
5. Diversity and Inclusion
If you are foreign, you instantly promote diversity and inclusion, two factors many companies deem as crucially important, “Equitable employers outpace their competitors by respecting the unique needs, perspectives, and potential of all their team members. As a result, diverse and inclusive workplaces earn deeper trust and more commitment from their employees.” (Bush, 2021)
Despite this, there’s arguments that being foreign is a disadvantage rather that an advantage…
Why is being foreign seen as a disadvantage?
People tend to see being foreign as a disadvantage rather than an advantage. There are many explanations for why this occurs, but it could be argued that it’s mainly due to the difficulties of merging different cultures. Firstly, there could be communication barriers. Even if the same language is spoken, every culture has different ways of communicating, which could lead to miscommunication and create confusion in the workplace. Additionally, different cultures in many cases mean different personalities, therefore, a foreign employee could struggle to connect with non-foreign employees. Lack of connection is critical because it leads to a less engaged team, which complicates the work dynamic.
Having in consideration the previously mentioned, it can be said that being foreign is beneficial solely if you know how to convert it into a competitive advantage.
How I converted being foreign into a competitive advantage
During my first semester at Northeastern University, I had the opportunity to work on a real-life Case Consulting project with the guidance of Professor Ivy. This semester-long group project consisted of consulting a company in the expansion to a new market. Academically, I learned to analyze countries’ economic, political, legal, and geographical advantages and disadvantages, along with the countries’ markets, to determine the best fit for the company. Nevertheless, this opportunity helped me realize how advantageous being foreign is when working not only on an international project but also with people from different cultures.
I’m from Peru, so growing up I’d never had an opportunity to work with people from distinct backgrounds and cultures. At first, I was a bit worried about how our difference in cultures and ways of working would impact the group dynamic, but everything went smoothly. We connected well and the project was done with ease. Throughout the makings of the project, I identified how being foreign gave me an upper hand when working with non-foreign and foreign peers. I understood the difference and uniqueness in every culture, as I have my own culture that I feel very proud of. I utilized my cross-cultural experience to connect with other foreign students and made an effort to communicate well with my team members. Overall, it was the perfect experience for me to know how to convert being foreign into a competitive advantage.
In synthesis, being foreign might seem like a disadvantage, but it’s quite the opposite. Being foreign opens a lot of opportunities and the skills one has, simply because of life experience, are very valuable. Nonetheless, you must learn how to convert it to a competitive advantage, just as I did.
About the Author
Valeria Martinez is an Undergraduate Student at Northeastern University majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and Business Analytics.
