The scientific literature provides various ways of explaining the influence of cultural differences on the management of organizations. Three main positions may be distinguished : universalistic, contingent and interpretativist. Based on the in-depth analysis of a Beninese company exporting its products to Europe, we explore the extent to which the latter position can help to understand how African organizations may achieve sustainable performances. In our analysis, the combination of Western and local cultural components does not guarantee, as such, efficacy; a much more relevant explanation refers to the way in which managers can reduce, thanks to a genuine translation work, the dependencies of the organization vis-à-vis its various environments.