Working across Cultures

Working, entertaining, negotiating and corresponding with colleagues from different cultures can be quite difficult. One misunderstanding could have a negative effect on months of work. Understanding intercultural differences can help communication with colleagues from other cultures. According to Hofstede, if we compare the key factors in our own culture with those in another culture, we can predict possible difficulties.

Hierarchical or egalitarian?

Some cultures, like Malaysia and Indonesia, are hierarchical with a caste or class system; and there is often a big difference in wealth between individuals. At work, employees respect authority, don't usually take responsibility and have a formal relationship with their manager. Other cultures, like Australia and Denmark, are more liberal and egalitarian. Managers give their employees responsibility and often socialize with them.

Individualistic or collectivist?

Individualistic cultures, such as the US and the Netherlands, think that individual rights and freedom of speech are important. Personal goals, choices and achievements are encouraged. In more collectivist cultures, such as Korea and Colombia, this self-centred approach is discouraged. The group, such as the family, has a big influence on people's lives and is often seen as more important than business. Companies have a strong work group mentality and praise is given to teams rather than individuals.

Masculine or feminine?

In 'masculine' societies, like Brazil and Mexico, the male dominates the power structure. Competitiveness and assertiveness are encouraged, and the accumulation of wealth is important. Many employees 'live to work' and take short holidays. In 'feminine' societies, such as Sweden and Finland, family, personal relationships, and quality of life are more important. Conflicts are resolved through negotiation, and people 'work to live', enjoying longer holidays and flexible working hours.

Cautious or risk-taking?

Some cultures, especially those with a long history such as Greece and Portugal, are quite cautious. They often have religious backgrounds and resist new ideas. At work, people prefer to follow strict rules and do things as they always have been done. Other cultures, like Jamaica and Singapore, often have a younger history and are willing to take risks. They are more open to new ideas, are less accepting of rules and regulations, and are more likely to welcome change.

Text 5

Read the following text and speak on the main differences between high-context and low-context cultures. Which cultures from Text 4 can be called high-context and which ones low-context.

In a high-context culture, (Japan, India, Middle East etc), people rely less on verbal communication and more on the context of nonverbal communication, actions and environmental setting to convey meaning.

In a low-context culture, (Scandinavia, US, UK, Germany) people rely more on verbal communication and less on contextual cues.

In lower-context cultures, businesspeople try to reach decisions as quickly and efficiently as possible. They are concerned with reaching an agreement on the main points, leaving the details to be worked out later by others. However, this approach would backfire in higher-context cultures because, there, executives assume that anyone who ignores the details is untrustworthy.

Cultures differ in their tolerance for disagreement when solving problems. Low-context businesspeople typically enjoy confrontation and debate, but high-context businesspersons shun such tactics.

Members of low-context cultures see their negotiating goals in economic terms. To high-context negotiators, immediate economic gains are secondary to establishing and maintaining long-term relationships.

However much we learn, we can still get intercultural communication in the global workplace wrong and if we sense we have made an error, it's probably a wise thing to apologize quickly.  Acknowledgement of any mistake is halfway to solving it.  Working internationally offers many challenges. We need to be aware of not only what we say and how we say it, but also what our business colleagues expect from us. We must ensure we translate our message into the context of our listeners, and not just our words.  The more we know about our own language and our own core values, and how to flex these, the more our colleagues will understand, and be able to take an active part in the interaction. The more we understand the cultural dimension, the greater our chance of hitting home with the message we want to give, on the level that the listener understands and feels comfortable with.

It's important to be able to really look at a company's specific needs when it comes to developing clear cross cultural communication skills for your workforce.

Task II. Pieces of advice to travellers

Text 6

1. Before reading the text “Intercultural communication in the global workplace” share your point of view and comment on the following statements: a) Your ability to communicate across cultures is shaped by your intelligence, knowledge and up-bringing. b) Cross-cultural dimensions should be studied and analyzed by scientists. c) Culture and communication are stipulated by each other.

2. After reading compare your answers with the author’s ideas and name four main types of cultural differences. Exemplify your answer.