Post on 01-Nov-2014
description
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Crossroads of Culture How to do business effectively in the
Global Marketplace.
Avinash Chandarana Group Learning and Development Director
MCI Group
Avinash.chandarana@mci-group.com
Culture eats
strategy and
processes for lunch!
“I don’t agree”
“Hmm, that’s a very interesting idea”
“Let’s go and have a Campari and talk about it
tomorrow”
“I agree.”
“…………………”
“You gotta be kidding”
What is Culture?
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Influence of Cultural Conditioning
Our Outlook and
World View
Our
Actions
Our concept of Space and Time
Our motivations
Our
Attitudes Our Communication style
Body
language
Our
Understanding
Cross Cultural Misunderstanding
1. Values – core beliefs
– national characteristics
– attitudes and world view
2. Communication patterns – speech styles & listening habits
3. Concept of space
4. Concept of time
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Stereotypes
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In an ideal world..
The policeman would be ..
Car mechanics would be ..
Cooks would be ..
Hoteliers would be..
And the lovers would be ..
English
German
French
Swiss
Italian
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In a living hell ..
The policeman would be ..
Car mechanics would be ..
Cooks would be ..
Hoteliers would be..
And the lovers would be ..
English
German
French
Swiss
Italian
‘Americans are arrogant and unsubtle. And they are overweight and bad dressers."
‘Americans always want to say your name: 'That's a nice tie, Mikko. Hi Mikko, how are you Mikko'
‘Americans are always in a hurry. Just watch the way they walk down the street." ‘Americans are distant. They are not really close to other people -- even other Americans."
‘Once we were out in a rural area in the middle of nowhere and saw an American come to a stop sign. Though he could see in both directions for miles, and there was no traffic, he still stopped!’
‘When my American professor told me 'I don't know, I’ll have to look it up', I was shocked. I asked ‘Why is he teaching me?'"
‘In the United States, they think that life is only work.’
‘In the United States everything has to be talked about and analyzed. Even the littlest thing has to be 'Why, why why?"
Human Mental Programming
USA
© 2001, 2009 Richard D Lewis
Arab countries
United Kingdom
Fog in The Channel.
Continent Cut Off
Germany
China
Guanxi - ( "guan-shee")
關係
关系
Categorisation of Cultures
Linear-Active Multi-Active
Reactive
Interaction - Time
Consuming
Interaction - Satisfactory
Interaction -
Difficult
Introverted - respect oriented listeners
People oriented,
talkative
Task - oriented,
highly organized
‘I have to rush’ says the American, ‘my time’s up.’
- ‘What! Are you about to die?’
replied the Spaniard
Concepts of Time
Linear-active
Multi-active
&
reactive
Cross Cultural Blunders
Cross Cultural Blunders
Cross Cultural Blunders
Drinks advertising campaign
But in Arab speaking countries . .
British Coded Speech (1)
What is said What is meant
Hm….interesting idea
You could say that
We must meet about your idea
We shall certainly consider it
I’m not quite with you on that
I agree, up to a point
What a stupid suggestion
I wouldn’t
Forget it
We won’t do it
That is totally unacceptable I disagree
British Coded Speech (2)
What is said What is meant
Remind me again of your strategy
We must wait for a politically
correct time to introduce this
It has lots of future potential
He works intuitively
He’s our best golfer
Let me make a suggestion
I wasn’t listening last time I wouldn’t
Forget it
It’s failed
He’s completely disorganised
We keep him out of the office
This is what I’ve decided to do
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• Coded speech (British)
• Hype, hard sell (U.S)
• Flexible, creative truth (Latin)
• Silence (Japanese, Finnish)
• Smiles (Asian)
• Humour (British, U.S)
• Verbosity (Latin)
• Loudness (Arab)
• Ambiguity (Asian)
Intercultural Communication -
Problems affecting trust
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Trust variance
Presentation Styles
Audience expectations
Audience expectations
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Motivation
• Linear-active
Money, career challenge, word-deed correlation, punctuality, reliability, result-orientation, speed
• Multi-active
Words, persuasion, warmth, compassion, feelings, personal approach, development of relationships
• Reactive
Protection of “face”, building of trust, modesty, patience, respect, courtesy, avoidance of confrontation
Golden Rules
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ecommendations
When you interact with . .
R
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Interacting with Linear-Actives
• Talk and listen in equal proportions • Do one thing at a time • Be polite but direct • Partly conceal feelings • Use logic and rationality • Interrupt only rarely • Stick to facts • Concentrate on the deal • Prioritize truth over diplomacy • Follow rules, regulations, laws • Speech is for information
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• Complete action change • Stay results-oriented • Stick to agenda • Compromise to achieve deal • Respect officialdom • Respect contracts and written word • Reply quickly to written communications • Restrain body language • Look for short-term profit • Be punctual
Interacting with Linear-Actives
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• Let them talk at length • Reply fully • Be prepared to do several things at once • Be prepared for several people talking at
once • Display feelings and emotion • People and feelings are more important than
facts • Interrupt when you like • Truth is flexible and situational • Be diplomatic rather than direct • Speech is for opinions
Interacting with Multi-Active Types
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Interacting with Multi-Active Types
• Think aloud • Complete human transactions • Digress from agenda & explore interesting
ideas • Seek and give favours with key people • Remain relationship-oriented • Spoken word is important • Contracts may often be renegotiated • Reputation is as important as profit • Overt body language and tactility • Accept unpunctuality
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• Good listening is important • Do not interrupt • Do not confront or disagree openly • Do not cause anyone to lose face • Suggestions, especially criticism, must be
indirect • Be ambiguous, so as to leave options open • Statements are promises • Prioritize diplomacy over truth • Follow rules but interpret them flexibly • Speech is to promote harmony
Interacting with Reactive Types
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Interacting with Reactive Types (2) • Share as much as you can
• Utilise networks • Talk slowly • Do things at appropriate times • Don’t rush or pressure them • Observe fixed power distances and hierarchy • Show exaggerated respect for older people • Go over things several times • Face-to-face contact is important • Work hard at building trust • Long term profit is preferable • Be punctual
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Acquire your ‘CQ’ • Use your “heart”: Commit to overcoming
challenges and believing in your own success
• Use your “head”: Create a learning strategy from observation
• Use your “body”: Adapt your behaviors to customs in another country
• Educate yourself
“Our world has greatly changed: it has
become much smaller.
However, our perceptions have not
evolved at the same pace;
we continue to cling to national
demarcations and the old feelings of
'us' and 'them.’
71
Crossroads of
Culture
How to do business effectively in
the Global Marketplace.
Avinash Chandarana
Group Learning and Development Director
avinash.chandarana@mci-group.com