Company success and employee satisfaction depend on social ties that are hard to forge in a globalized era.

George Macartney had a bad day at work. The deal he was sent to close was rejected, despite months of advance negotiation. He followed the agreed-upon protocols, though they made both parties uncomfortable. He returned home feeling misunderstood and empty-handed.

Macartney did not fly home on a jet, scouring business magazines for a refresher on international business etiquette. It was 1793. He had a long journey home by ship, and months to muse on the failure of the first British diplomatic mission to China.

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