April 15, 2008 -- When the hijackers flew those airplanes into New York's World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Americans were -- briefly -- united in their horror and outrage.

That outrage led the U.S. into two wars -- in Afghanistan, and in Iraq. The American reaction turned world support for the country as a victim of terrorism into widespread condemnation of heavy-handed tactics.

American companies doing business overseas had to face the consequences of these emotions -- on the part of business customers, partners, and even employees.

Today, the protests over the Beijing Olympics related to various political issues around the world are creating a similar problem for international companies. Foreign companies doing business in China -- and Chinese companies doing business overseas -- may find themselves acting as representatives for their respective nations, or even called to answer for vocal minorities or individual politicians.

In China, local employees may disagree vehemently with foreign managers -- and foreign employees with local managers. And employees in China may disagree with employees based elsewhere in the world. Whether the discussions take place during working hours or in the evenings, during lunch outings, or on weekends, they can hurt internal morale and can cause divisions that may hinder cooperation and communication.

Americans and Europeans have long been used to plurality in the workplace -- plurality of opinion, of politics, of religion and gender and ethnicity.

U.S. companies often have policies discouraging discussion of politics, religion, sex, and other sensitive topics. It's hard to work comfortably with someone after he or she has expressed an opinion that seems idiotic or crazy or evil and malicious. The bad feelings can fester and eat away at workplace relationships, sapping productivity, and leading to increased turnover.

It's even worse when you're working for an organization that may have to make a decision about a politically sensitive issue. For example, a company may have to decide whether continue to sponsor the Olympics, or promote the Olympics in its marketing, if the protests escalate. What should be a purely economic decision can easily become charged with political meaning -- and offend business partners, regulators, politicians, customers, employees, and other constituencies.

Planning ahead is always a good idea. Discussions about the criteria used for making such a decision should involve as many parties as possible, focus on the business impacts of the decision, while remaining sensitive to the emotional implications.

It's not an easy balancing out.

For international companies in China, it is likely to only get harder as the Olympics get closer.