The How This Works show

Talking to 100 people who've never stopped asking why

Cultural strategy in global business, a conversation with Dr. Chui Chui Tan - episode 34

Tuesday, March 11th, 2025 at 4:15 AM bicultural identity user experience global markets business consulting international teams ai analysis culture map erin meyer cultural differences business growth cultural frameworks malaysian perspective market research cultural adaptation business strategy four-bucket framework product localization ux research netflix spotify cross-cultural insights cultural intelligence market entry strategy chui chui tan international business global expansion cultural strategy

In this episode of the How This Works show, cultural strategist Dr. Chui Chui Tan discusses the complex interplay of culture, user experience, and global business strategy. From her journey as a Malaysian-born Chinese professional to becoming an advisor for companies like Spotify, Netflix, and Bumble across 50 countries, Chui Chui shares practical frameworks and insights that help businesses navigate cultural nuances for successful global expansion.

You can listen in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts: https://www.howthisworks.show/034-dr-chui-chui-tan. Or watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Q9mC2bykxuo.

Our conversation explores:

  • Her transition from mechanical engineering to international user experience, sparked by a PhD project helping visually impaired people
  • Moving from Malaysia to the UK and navigating between Eastern and Western cultural perspectives
  • The innovative "four-bucket methodology" for organizing market knowledge when entering new territories
  • Why the same cultural values manifest differently across product contexts (comparing Spotify vs. Asana in Japan)
  • Critical analysis of cultural frameworks like Erin Meyer's Culture Map and Hofstede's dimensions
  • The limitations of AI in cultural analysis and why human insight remains essential
  • Her personal philosophy of "caring less about things that aren't important" in both work and life
  • The fascinating origins of cultural differences and her plans for exploring this in future writing

Throughout our discussion, Chui Chui emphasizes that successful products require looking beyond user behaviors to understand the broader cultural ecosystem including history, infrastructure, politics, and economic factors. Her approach helps businesses avoid stereotyping while making strategic decisions based on validated insights rather than assumptions.

You can find Chui Chui at beyo.global, on LinkedIn as Chui Chui Tan, and on YouTube @chuichuitan. Her books "Research for Global Growth" and "International User Research" provide additional insights into cross-cultural strategy and research methodologies.