Style Switching: Bridging Cultural Gaps in the Workplace

CULTURAL HARMONY: WORKING IN A MULTI-CULTURAL COMPANY 1

©2017 ITAP International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 11

Style Switching: Bridging Cultural Gaps in Workplace

©2017 ITAP International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.



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Cultural Values Motivate Behavior

• Understanding the cultural values that motivate behavior in the workplace is a competitive advantage– It allows people to understand and anticipate their

colleagues’ behavior

– It allows people to adjust their behavior so that it would elicit the desired response from the colleagues, and lead to a desired business outcome



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Style Switching

• Changing one’s behavior to align with the preferences of others is called “style switching.” It is the topic of this presentation

• Organizations that have managers and employees who can “style switch” has a competitive advantage over organizations in which people do not possess this skill

• Before we explore style switching, we’ll define cultural values



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Hofstede’s Framework

• As in previous ITAP presentations, we define cultural values by drawing on Prof. Geert Hofstede’s framework

• In Hofstede’s framework, cultural values are organized along six dimensions– Each dimension is a continuum– At each end of a continuum is a distinct value

orientation



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1. Individualism (Individual or Group Orientation) - the degree to which action is taken for the benefit of the individual or the benefit of the group

2. Power Distance (Hierarchical or Participative Orientation) - the extent to which the less powerful expect and accept that power is distributed unequally

3. Certainty (Need for Certainty or Tolerance for Ambiguity) - the extent to which people prefer rules, regulations and controls, or are comfortable with ambiguity

Hofstede’s Dimensions



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4. Achievement (Achievement or Quality of Life Orientation) - the degree to which we focus on goal achievement and work, or quality of life and caring for others

5. Time Orientation (Long- or Short-term Orientation) - the fostering of virtues that promote a long-term (perseverance and thrift) or short-term time horizon (preserving present benefits)

6. Indulgence (Indulgence or Restraint) - the tendency to allow relatively free gratification or the conviction that such gratification needs to be curbed

Hofstede’s Dimensions



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Cultural Dimensions in the Workplace

• As we mentioned, each dimension is a continuum:For example, the Individualism Dimension has

Individual Orientation at one end of the continuum, and Group Orientation at the other end

Colleagues whose values lie at opposite side of a continuum might encounter some challenges working together

Each also has an advantage



Advantages of Each Orientation

Individual OrientationSelf-reliance

Group OrientationInterdependence

Hierarchical OrientationDiscipline

Participative OrientationAcceptance of Responsibility

Need for CertaintyPrecision

Tolerance for AmbiguityInnovation

Achievement OrientationEfficiency

Quality of Life OrientationCustom Outputs & Personal Service

Long-Term OrientationDeveloping New Market Opportunities

Short-Term OrientationFast Adaptation

Individualism

Power Distance

Certainty

Achievement

Time Orientation



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Scenario: Procurement Team

• Imagine a global workplace in which some people have a Short-Term Orientation and others a Long-Term Orientation. Tasked with choosing a vendor, they might have a difficult time coming to an agreement



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• Managers with a Short-Term Orientation will tend to prefer vendors who promise gains in terms of quarterly profit

• Managers with a Long-Term Orientation will tend to prefer vendors who talk about advantages that will be realized over the longer term such as increase in market share



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• The managers’ conflicting preferences would make it difficult for them to select a vendor

• And this is just one example of how colleagues with contrasting cultural orientations might have a difficult time getting work done



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Advice for Working Effectively Across Cultural Differences

• Working across cultural differences is a challenge• The next few slides present advice to managers on

how to work with colleagues who behave differently than expected

• Some of the advice asks managers to anticipate the preferences of others and consider changing their behavior accordingly—in other words to consider style switching



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Individualism…If your values align with Individual Orientation and you are interacting with someone with a Group Orientation….

Learn that others will respond after considering the group interests and impact of your expectations…

…and that they may expect and require consultation before making or acting on a decision.

If you meet resistance, passive or active, identify the common interests and outcomes up-front; make the collective case…

Be patient; learn to trust the team to deliver when they have collectively worked out how…

Know that others may expect you to put the team interests before their or your own self-interests, and that is OK…



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Recognizing Style Switching Advice

• In some cases, it might be wise to style switch, and communicate or behave in a manner that would align with the preferences of others

• What style switching advice is found in the previous slide?______________________________

______________________________



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Style Switching Advice

• In the next slide, there is the following advice to a person with a Hierarchical Orientation who wants to work more effectively with someone with a Participate Orientation: “They know you have power; you don’t

have to always use it; allow others to make decisions and guide them if they go wrong”



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Power Distance...If your values align with Hierarchical Orientation and you are interacting with someone with a Participative Orientation…

Learn that others expect to be consulted and required to contribute before the decision; that helps make things happen…

…so be sensitive to irritation and hang on a bit, ask opinions, encourage ideas and show that you’ve taken them seriously.

They know you have power; you don’t have to always use it; allow others to make decisions and guide them if they go wrong.

Recognize that others are happy to access the lower levels in the business if that works; your clients may not need you if someone in your team can do it for them…

Know that others may not see that their loyalty will be reciprocated; they may not trust you to protect them if they take the hit.



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Recognizing Style Switching Advice

• What other advice about style switching is found in the previous slide?_______________________________

_______________________________



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Style Switching Advice

• Which of the advice about style switching that you have been exposed to thus far applies to you?______________________________

______________________________



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• For more insight about working effectively across cultures, contact ITAP

• ITAP is one of only 2 companies worldwide endorsed by Dr. Hofstede and approved to represent his research

"This [approval] is due to their professionalism and deep understanding

of my work.”• An Ivy League university partners with ITAP

to certify its coaches in the CWQ.




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ITAP CWQ database includes over 8,000 respondents.Results correlate highly with Hofstede’s data. The CWQ is

currently available in:– English– Latin American Spanish– European Spanish– French– German– Korean– Chinese – Questions and instructions only (not the report) are in

Danish and Japanese




Your results compared to country averages

Explanation of your results

Individual orientation

Group orientation




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QUADRANT CHARTS:• The CWQ application can produce quadrant charts that compare the results of a group of people along any two cultural dimensions• The quadrant chart to the right compares the Individualism and Power Distance scores of a group of people.• The chart includes country scores ©2017 ITAP International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.



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Hofstede Country Culture

Analysis Australia


Analysis

Germany

Hofstede Country Culture Analysis

Mexico


Analysis China


Analysis India

Hofstede Country Culture AnalysisUnited Arab Emirates




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• One time licensing fee for organizations with 1-10 employees is $2,500 and includes certification of 1 person (virtual certification is fine)

• Embedded in this fee are 25 free uses of this tool ($1,750 value)

• The usage fee is $70 / user

• Use is required to retain license (at least once every 12 months). If there is no usage within 12 months, license renewal is $3,000 / year

• No admin fees: Certification ensures independent access to the on-line tool



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ITAP is prepared to ITAP is prepared to provide demonstrations provide demonstrations of its Intellectual of its Intellectual Property to qualified Property to qualified licensorslicensors


Who licenses the CWQ?•Human Resource professional in large organizations•Consulting firms seeking the capability to assess cultural values at the individual, group and organizational levels



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Improving Competitive Advantage

• Our services focus on:1. Global talent retention and development

2. Effectiveness of the senior team and mission critical global teams

3. Global leader and global workforce development

4. Cross-border transformation and change

• Ensure that culture is an asset, not a barrier in your global business.




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Catherine Mercer BingCEO, ITAP International, Inc.Managing Director, ITAP Americas, Inc.

353 Nassau Street, First FloorPrinceton, NJ 08540 USA(W) +1.215.860.5640(M) [email protected]: CatherineBing


Style Switching: Bridging Cultural Gaps in the Workplace

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