The efficiency-versus-etiquette tension is real, but it is usually framed wrong: cultural respect is not the tax on speed, it is frequently the fast path. In relationship-first business cultures, the tea, the small talk, the unhurried first meeting are not delays before the work; they are the work, and skipping them means restarting from zero later with less trust. Plenty of rushed deals have died precisely because someone optimized away the parts they thought were ceremonial.
That said, fast-paced environments do force choices, and a workable hierarchy helps. Never compromise on the respect fundamentals: names, greetings, dignity in how people are addressed and corrected, honoring religious and dietary needs, and the serious taboos of your counterpart's culture. These cost seconds and their violation costs relationships. Be flexible on the ceremonial middle layer, meeting length, formality of documents, number of courtesy rounds, and negotiate it openly when time is short; most cultures accept abbreviated ritual gracefully when the constraint is acknowledged with courtesy rather than imposed silently.