The other language

Communicating across cultural differences

Allen Montrasio – PR and Communications consultantallenm@alice.it

Different cultures, different meanings

The need for intercultural communication Following the end of WWII (1945), and the US’s extended

influence on the Western world, English became the international language of reference

Following the end of the cold war (1989), economies have rapidly moved from in-country/local capitalism or communism to global capitalism

Businesses (especially American corporations) increased their global operations assuming that – because everyone used English – what was good at home was good everywhere else

Intercultural communication principles Cultures are shared

systems of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations and behaviours

Intercultural communication serves the purpose of exchanging meaningful and unambiguous information across cultural boundaries

What is intercultural communication? Communication for a globalised society Describes a wide range of communication

problems appearing in organizations made of different educational, social, ethnic, religious backgrounds

Also defined as cross-cultural communication, it focuses on how different cultures perceive each other and the world around them

Language is key A common language is a strong link but can also

divide, as it tends to flatten other cultural differences

Two great nations separated by a common language (G.B. Shaw)

Why it is (ever more) relevant Improvements in technology (Web 2.0; mobility)

and travel (lower costs) have created the possibilities for different cultures to meet in unstructured situations This is positive but can lead to misunderstanding, distrust,

defensiveness, but also patronising, excessive fear of causing offence

Globalisation has not reduced cultural diversity: it has highlighted it People cannot be classed as a homogeneous market One product/brand can only appeal to the aspirations of

one group of buyers

Where does the short-circuit occur? Different cultures encode and decode

messages differently The first step is to recognise this and assume that

others’ thoughts and actions are not like ours Not doing so, inevitably leads to

The causes of misunderstanding Rights, values, needs

Some cultural traits are easily identified, other are assumed, implied, unspoken

Assumptions People can misinterpret each other’s motives – e.g.

companies need to protect their IP and may not be open about motives in an interaction

Situations Excessive pressure leading to emotion Prejudice Fear, anger

Intercultural communication competence The ability to communicate successfully with people

from other cultures A combination of three basic components

Knowledge – information needed to interact effectively Motivation – positive attitude towards other cultures Skills – the correct behaviour necessary to interact

effectively Intercultural communication is relevant in many

fields Business Healthcare Government NGOs Academic institutions

Is culture a big or small word? Cultures differ between nations or continents, but

also within the same company or even family Culture is multi-layered and multi-faceted

The same individual can participate in many cultures Cultural identity is based on a number of factors

Geography Ethnicity Morals Ethics Religion Politics History

Cultural context Cultures can be broadly divided in two categories: high and

low context High context

Strong interpersonal bonds Extensive networks with group members

Low context Compartmentalized relationships Need lots of background information

High context Japan China Korea Latin/hispanic cultures African cultures

Low context Germany Scandinavian cultures US UK

How different are cultures? Cultural differences were studied extensively by Dutch

sociologist Geert Hofstede starting from a research of cultural differences across IBM subsidiaries in 64 countries

The research was further extended to include students, elites, airline pilots, upmarket consumers and civil service managers

Four indicators were considered, plus a supplementary one Power distance Individualism Masculinity Uncertainty avoidance (Long term orientation)

Detailed info on http://www.geert-hofstede.com/

Power distance A measure of how less powerful members of society

accept the fact that power is unequally distributed It measures how much inequality is endorsed by the

followers It represents social inequality as measured from the

bottom up It is also an indicator of social mobility (low ranking =

high social mobility) Some scores

Austria 11 Germany 35 US 40 UK 30 Arab countries 80 EU average 45 Italy 45

Individualism It is typical of societies where each one is expected to

decide for himself and is opposed to collectivism Collectivist societies are characterised by people

integrated into strong, cohesive groups (e.g. families), usually throughout their lives

In individualistic societies team work is considered important, but each has a right to their own opinion and are expected to contribute it

Personal ties are looser in individualistic societies Some scores

Germany 67 US 91 UK 85 Guatemala 6 EU average 61 Italy 70

Masculinity It refers to the distribution of roles between genders Women’s values appear to be more constant across

cultures Men’s values vary widely across cultures from

assertive and competitive (farthest from women’s values) to caring and modest (nearest)

Masculine traits Assertiveness, materialism, self-centredness,

power, individual achievement Some scores

Germany 66 US 62 UK 61 Netherlands 14 EU average 59 Italy 65

Uncertainty avoidance It measures a society’s degree of tolerance towards

uncertainty and ambiguity It indicates degrees of comfort or discomfort in

unstructured situations, it is also a measure of flexibility

Uncertainty avoidance sees societies try to minimise unstructured situations through strict regulation and enforcement and – on an ethic and religious level – through the belief in absolute truth

Some scores Germany 65 Singapore 8 Denmark 23 US 46 UK 30 EU average 74 Italy 70

Long term orientation This is a supplementary indicator, added in an attempt to

classify cultural differences between the East and the West, it indicates the importance attached to the future versus the past and present

In long term oriented societies, people value actions and attitudes that affect the future. In short term oriented societies, people value actions and attitudes that are affected by the past or the present.

Long term orientation Persistence Observance of status Thrift Sense of honour

Short term orientation Personal stability Protecting your “face” Respect for tradition Reciprocation of favours

How we (Italians) are seen from abroad Fashions and fashion design are trademarks of Italy.

Therefore, in the business world, good clothes are a signature of success

Men should wear fashionable, high quality suits Shirts may be colored or pin-striped, and they should be

paired with an Italian designer tie Women dress in quiet, expensive elegance Slacks are generally not worn by either sex Quality accessories such as shoes and leather goods will

make a good impression with the Italians Italian history has played a crucial role in the modern

business world. Some of their contributions include banking, insurance, and double-entry bookkeeping

"Time is money" is not a common phrase in Italy

How we are seen from abroad Foreign businessmen/women should be punctual for business

appointments, although the Italian executive may not be Handshakes are common for both sexes, and may include

grasping the arm with the other hand Do not expect quick decisions or actions to take place, as the

Italian bureaucracy and legal systems are rather slow Italian companies often have a rigid hierarchy, with little

visible association between the ranks It is common for everyone to speak simultaneously at Italian

gatherings. This applies to business meetings as well as social events

Do not exchange business cards at social occasions; but it is the norm at business functions and meetings

When entering a business function, the most senior or eldest person present should always be given special treatment

How we are seen from abroad When invited to someone's home, bring gift-wrapped chocolates,

pastries, or flowers. Flowers must be given in odd numbers, except for a dozen (12) or half-dozen (6), especially if roses

If you bring wine as a gift, make sure that it is of excellent vintage, as many Italians are wine connoisseurs

Avoid giving anything in a quantity of 17, as 17 is considered to be bad luck, or a doomed number

Italian is the official language, although there are many diverse dialects

English is spoken by many businesspeople Avoid talking about religion, politics, and World War II At social gatherings, it is considered bad manners to ask

someone you have just met about their profession Good conversational topics include Italian culture, art, food, wine,

family, and films

Reducing the impact of cultural differences Cultural diversity in an organisation is a challenge,

but can also become a competitive advantage This requires a conscious effort in identifying the

advantages… …and applying the levers that are required to achieve

them Building awareness

Of own culture Of cultural differences

Developing knowledge of the relative strengths and weaknesses of different cultures

Building skills Adapt behaviours to achieve effective results in different

cultural settings

What does it mean in an organisation?

Power distance Low = higher acceptance of responsibility

High = Discipline

Individualism High = management mobility

Low = Employee commitment

Masculinity High = efficiency, mass production

Low = Personal service, custom building

Uncertainty avoidance

Low = innovation High = Precision

A framework for developing multi-cultural teams

What

How

Strategic business imperativ

es

Specific team

goals and objectives

Critical areas for

action

Understanding differences

• culture• personal

styles

Strategy for managing

diversity in the team

Implication of differences

• strenghts• weaknesses

• Purpose• Objectiv

es• Values• Roles• Processe

s

Potential team

contribution

Managing change in multi-cultural teams

Unfreezing Moving Refreezing

• Communication of issues

• Development of awareness and understanding

• Top leadership commitment and example

• Action learning by solving real business problems in multinational teams

• Review and sharing of learning

• Design team selection process

• Building teamworking processes

• International teamworking at many levels

• Recognition and reward

Cultural differences

Western culture: Good!

France: One

India: All the best

Arabic countries: [# @µ£ò

Western culture: OK!

Korea/Japan: Money

France: Worthless

Greece/Turkey: µ§µ£ò

Other cultural differences

Affectionate or inappropriate? Intimidating or benevolent?

More cultural differences Americans and Europeans (except

Scandinavians) are embarrassed by long pauses in conversation; Asians are comforatble with pauses and consider it rude to talk too much

Punctuality is religiously observed in Germany, Switzerland, UK, US, Japan; flexible in Italy and Mediterranean countries

In Africa and Arabic countries it is not insulting to tell a woman she has put on weight

In many cultures not looking a person in the eyes is a sign of respect or deference; in the Western world it is a sign of boredom, shame or even deception

Further cultural differences In many Asian and Arabic cultures it is considered

inappropriate to pay the asking price immediately without haggling Similarly, in some Asian countries it is considered rude

to accept a drink immediately In Latin and African cultures it is acceptable to

talk loudly in public places, while it is inappropriate in Northern European countries and rude in many Asian cultures

Kissing in public is considered obscene in African and Asian countries

In Christian and Islamic cultures white is the colour of purity; in Hindu culture it is the colour of mourning

Avoiding misunderstanding Understand different cultural values

Bear in mind that values are guidelines, they vary among individuals

Listen and repeat/paraphrase Ambiguity should be eliminated by re-phrasing what

you heard Delivering the message

Intonation, body language, words should be as neutral as possible

Asking “did you understand?” will always get a “yes”, even if no one has really understood

Develop empathy Your vision of the world may only be “normal” to your

own cultural group

Non verbal communication indicators Face

Primary indicator of emotion Hands

Primary means of showing intensity Touch

The most fundamental part of human experience Space

It is one of the most commonly misunderstood elements of intercultural communication

High context cultures prefer close contact; low context cultures prefer distance

Breaking down language barriers Avoid slang and idioms, use unequivocable words

Native-english speakers tend not to realise that English is probably a second language to the majority of people sitting in the room

Be aware of local communication formalities and watch body language Body language is not “natural”, it is “cultural” Some “innocent” gestures can be insulting in other

cultures, others are meaningless Understand how your culture is perceived by

others Acknowledge perception of your culture to lower barriers

Managing cultural differences You cannot treat everybody the same regardless

of culture without adverse consequences. When Dell Inc. moved into Asia, people told them that their Western concept wouldn't work there. "But rather than tailoring the strategy to fit the culture, we said, " We think our direct model will work cross-culturally. And we're willing to take the risk," writes Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of the Dell Computer Corporation.

"To be sure we do some localization," he continues. “You obviously can't sell English-language computers in China. And from a cultural perspective, customers in other countries are different. We learned, for example, that some Germans aren't comfortable telephoning in a response to an advertisement; they find it too forward. They will, however, respond to an ad that features a fax number. They'll send in a fax, asking for more information, and will provide their name and phone number so that a Dell representative can call them. The conversation that ensues is almost exactly the same as that which would have occurred if the German customer had made the call himself. It was a slight modification that allowed us to adapt to cultural differences without altering our business strategies."

Managing cultural differences Different cultures have different ways of

dealing with criticism or divergence of opinionCredit Swiss Private Banking (CSPB) Copernicus project team developed the Global Private Banking Centre (GPBC), Singapore. The project team comprised 130 individuals with 20 different nationalities. Generally, the multicultural mix of the project was not an issue, because all members were professionals who fit into the culture of the project. However, cultural differences were visible when differences of opinion manifested themselves. For instance, members were expected to be forthright in giving their views on projects and to speak their minds. However, a newly joined IT expert who was Chinese never expressed a candid opinion that a concept was not worth pursuing at the team meetings, but he would unilaterally decide not to work on the concept if he was convinced that it was not going to work. Initially his behavior was seen as disloyal, almost hostile. He was asked why he didn't publicly voice his aversions to specific concepts when they came up for discussion at the team meetings. After he explained his rationale, it became apparent that his behavior was influenced by traditional Chinese values. Traditionally, the Chinese do not like to publicly criticize a colleague. They want to ensure that the person being criticized does not lose face.

Rules and precious metals

The golden rule Do unto others what you

would like done to yourself

The platinum rule Do unto others what they

would like done to them

A final consideration

References

C. Boleman, Communicating Across Cultures M. Higgs, Overcoming the problems of cultural differences

to establish success for international management teams G. Hofstede, Cultural dimensions K. Margolies, Communicating Across Cultures C. Williams, Communication across Cultures Wikipedia