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Managing Cross-Cultural Differences Working on Cross-Cultural Communication, Business Development and Project Management Challenges |
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By: Anastasia Bibikova and Vadim Kotelnikov
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"Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves." – Abraham Lincoln |
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What is Culture? Culture in general is concerned with beliefs and values on the basis of which people interpret experiences and behave, individually and in groups. Broadly and simply put, "culture" refers to a group or community with which you share common experiences that shape the way you understand the world.
The same person, thus, can belong to several different cultures depending on his or her birthplace; nationality; ethnicity; family status; gender; age; language; education; physical condition; sexual orientation; religion; profession; place of work and its corporate culture. Culture is the "lens" through which you view the world. It is central to what you see, how you make sense of what you see, and how you express yourself. Four Cultural Dimensions Cultures – both national and organizational – differ along many dimensions. Four of the most important are:
Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges Culture is often at the root of communication challenges. Exploring historical experiences and the ways in which various cultural groups have related to each other is key to opening channels for cross-cultural communication. Becoming more aware of cultural differences, as well as exploring cultural similarities, can help you communicate with others more effectively. Next time you find yourself in a confusing situation, ask yourself how culture may be shaping your own reactions, and try to see the world from the other's point of view.
10 Rules of Effective Listening
By: Linda Eve Diamond
Maintain eye contact. In the US, not making eye contact has the
connotation of someone untrustworthy. But realize, too, that steady eye
contact in some cultures is considered impolite or aggressive...
More 6 Attributes of Successful CEOs
Case in Point Eye Contact
In some cultures,
looking people in the eye is assumed to indicate honesty and
straightforwardness; in others it is seen as challenging and rude.
In USA, the cheapest, most effective way to
connect with people is to look them
into the eye.
"Most people in Arab cultures share a great deal of eye contact and may
regard too little as disrespectful. In English culture, a certain amount of
eye contact is required, but too much makes many people uncomfortable. In
South Asian and many other cultures direct eye contact is generally regarded
as aggressive and rude."8...More
If something we said can be interpreted two ways, and one of
the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.
Foreign films are best left to foreigners. (Unless it's
Bruce Lee or some war flick where it doesn't really matter
what they're saying anyway.)...
More Culture Shock Failure to identify cultural issues and take action can lead to a culture shock. In order of priority, the most often found symptoms of culture shock are3:
Not coping with culture shock symptoms when they appear can lead to a very negative situation. Respecting Differences and Working Together Anthropologists discovered that, when faced by interaction that we do not understand, people tend to interpret the others involved as "abnormal", "weird" or "wrong"5. Awareness of cultural differences and recognizing where cultural differences are at work is the first step toward understanding each other and establishing a positive working environment. Use these differences to challenge your own assumptions about the "right" way of doing things and as a chance to learn new ways to solve problems.
Discovering Opportunities: "Why? What If?" Questions
Case in Point DuPont A US-based multicultural team at DuPont gained around US$45 million in new business by changing the way decorating materials are developed and marketed. The changes included new colors that team members new, from their experience within other cultures, would appeal more to their overseas customers.6 Building Trust Across Cultural Boundaries Research indicates4 that there is a strong correlation between components of trust (such as communication effectiveness, conflict management, and rapport) and productivity. Cultural differences play a key role in the creation of trust, since trust is built in different ways, and means different things in different cultures. For instance, in the U.S., trust is "demonstrated performance over time". Here you can gain the trust of your colleagues by "coming through" and delivering on time on your commitments. In many other parts of the world, including many Arab, Asian and Latin American countries, building relationships is a pre-requisite for professional interactions. Building trust in these countries often involves lengthy discussions on non-professional topics and shared meals in restaurants. Work-related discussions start only once your counterpart has become comfortable with you as a person. Cultural differences in multicultural teams can create misunderstandings between team members before they have had a chance to establish any credibility with each other. Thus, building trust is a critical step in creation and development of such teams. As a manager of a multicultural team, you need to recognize that building trust between different people is a complex process, since each culture has its own way of building trust and its own interpretation of what trust is. 9 Signs of a Losing Organization
Harnessing the Power of Diversity Diversity is a specialized term describing a workplace that includes people from various backgrounds and cultures, and/or diverse businesses. You can find a strategic competitive advantage in an organizational and cultural context by seeking to leverage, rather than diminish, opposite forces. "An important but widely overlooked principle of business success is that integrating opposites, as opposed to identifying them as inconsistencies and driving them out, unleashes power. This is true on both a personal level (the balanced manager is more effective than his or her peer at one end of the control spectrum) and on organizational level as well.
Cultural Consciousness... Guidelines for Multicultural Collaboration... Concepts Related to Bridging Cultural Differences... Ten-Step Yoga Approach to Conflict Resolution... Integrated Diversity... Color Intelligence... Understanding Perceptions... Mental Maps... Cross-cultural Communication... Tao of Influencing People... Tao of Creativity... Tao of Value Innovation... Management by Consciousness... Emotional Marketing... Case in Point General Electric (GE)... Case in Point Coca-Cola... Case in Point Steelcase... Case in Point HP... Case in Point A Female Color...
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► Eastern vs. Western Philosophy ► Achievement Management ► Managing Cultural Differences ► Organizational Culture ► New Management Models from Different Cultures ► World Cultures, Philosophies and Religions
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Bibliography:
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"Working on Common Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges", Marcelle E.DuPraw and Marya Axner
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"Waging Peace in Our Schools", Linda Lantieri and Janet Patti
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"Breaking Through Culture Shock", Elisabeth Marx
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"Building Trust Across Cultural Boundaries", Ira Asherman, John W. Bing, Ed.D., and Lionel Laroche
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"Conflict Resolution in Intercultural Settings: Problems and Prospects", Kevin Avruch and Peter Black
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"Developing a Culture for Diversity", Chris Speechley and Ruth Wheatley
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"Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind", Geert Hofstede
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"Language Is More than Just Words", Alix Henley & Judith Schott
