Communicating Across Cultures

Do you really understand
Do you really understand? Communicating across culturesImagine a situation. You have just received a memo from your CEO (you work for a huge global organisation). In the memo, the newly appointed CEO states his vision for the company, and the core values he will be implementing as part of his new strategy. The core values are: Freedom, Respect, Integrity. Very simple values and easily understandable. In fact there is little doubt what he is looking for......or is there?Are you really sure that you have the same definition of respect, freedom and integrity as your CEO?

Some examples might help, one I have lifted shamelessly from Mijnd Huijser (Author of “The Cultural Advantage”). An American newspaper published an article denouncing the levels of freedom and democracy in Singapore. It cited laws banning smoking in public places, consumption of chewing gum, the seemingly hereditary post of Prime Minister, the authoritarian manner of policing, and dictatorial government style. The conclusion of the article was that Singapore was not a free country, and the US government should be pressurising Singapore towards democratic reform. This article prompted (unsurprisingly) a large response from Singaporeans – one in particular was highlighted by Mijnd Huijser, which pointed out that if you were to walk two blocks from the Post building after dark you had a very high chance of mugging. Americans may well have the freedom to smoke and chew gum in public, but Singaporeans had the freedom from the fear of mugging (Singapore has one of the lowest crime rates in the world) and a very stable government that is able to present a consistent style. For the American “freedom” is “freedom to....” – to the Singaporean, “freedom” means “freedom from....” Which interpretation is correct?

What about “respect”? For Western cultures, respect is largely a two-way process, that allows each person to value the others, to listen carefully, be polite, but it allows a certain amount of conflict (i.e. providing I am constructive and polite, I reserve the right to criticise, disagree, and ignore). In Asian cultures “respect” is one way – from the bottom to the top. In other words, your boss gets all your respect, whether you like him or not, whether you are work or not. Fons Trompenaars (one of the founding fathers of intercultural theories) uses a dilemma – would you paint your bosses house if he asked you to? To us Westerners, once you had removed the expletives, the answer would be “no”. However studies show that, for example, in China almost 70% of the workforce would definitely paint their boss’ house!Again, we can ask, which interpretation is correct?

Integrity is another grey area. I suspect I am not shaking any idealist too much if I claim that everyone lies to some extent in their day-to-day life. However we try to remain true to our concept of integrity – honesty in our negotiations and relationships. Trompenaars uses the dilemma of a car crash which is entirely your fault, but witnessed by your friend. How will you expect your friend to describe the event to the police? In many cultures (covering approx. 80% of the world’s population) they would expect the friend to tell a huge lie to protect your driving licence. In Britain we would probably expect our friend to avoid the truth, by saying for example, they couldn’t really judge the speed, or they hadn’t noticed me drinking etc. In Switzerland 97% of those asked said they would tell the truth (that I was over the speed limit and had been drinking) – in fact there is a joke about the Swiss: Why is the crime rate so low in Switzerland? Because breaking the law is illegal!Is it fair for the Swiss to judge the remainder (80% of the world’s population) as dishonest liars? Is it fair for a Venezuelan (70% of whom would tell a lie to protect their friend) to judge the Swiss as traitors to their friendship? Again, who is right?

If we return to our imaginary CEO and his equally imaginary memo above, we realise that he (or she) has a huge problem. If his core message cannot be communicated clearly, he is going to have to explain to his shareholders that he has failed in setting a new strategy for the company.Again a hypothetical situation: a company wants to tap into the success of the Coffee shop franchise and make its chain of small coffee shops more “upmarket”. The CEO sends a memo to the local franchisees around the world– bring in some class to your operations. In New York the coffee shop brings in Styrofoam cups with lids on, and speeds up the service time. In Germany, they bring in recyclable cups. In Italy, the franchisees invest in bone china, expensive furnishings and artwork. In Britain, they put the price up. Unsurprisingly the CEO is horrified out how his employees have completely missed his point!

Intercultural communications skills focus on ensuring that your meaning is the same as the meaning as perceived by those who hear your message. We have to remove our assumptions of comprehension and become more explicit. Testing and retesting comprehension (obviously in a culturally sensitive manner – no one likes being patronised!). Learning how to transfer a message across cultures is one of the most important skills an international manager can have!


(Sources: The Cultural Advantage, Mijnd Huijser; The World’s Business Cultures, Tomalin/Nicks; Riding the Waves of Culture, Fons Trompenaars)

Secure in the knowledge

Personal security and safety are, for many assignees and frequent business travellers, two of the most important considerations overseas. In certain regions of the world and in specific countries national values of security and safety may be well below the norm expected by assignees.

Informed approach
A professional and informed approach to personal safety awareness should assess driving hazards, maintenance and safety in national airlines, the capability of fire services, effectiveness of medical support, attitudes of national police and the impact of judicial processes.
Individuals who have never lived or worked abroad may feel exposed and vulnerable. They will need help on how to get professional advice and security support. Large multinationals usually have retained on-board security advisers but many companies or agencies do not.

Potential threats
The cost of locating and maintaining expatriates overseas is extremely high and, therefore, it is important to avoid unnecessary risks which might end an assignment prematurely. It is prudent for corporations to invest in time and funds to provide security support for expatriates. The level of budget commitment will obviously depend upon the level of threat to be faced. In many countries in Sub-Sahara Africa problems of political instability and severe civil unrest are predictable, as are security costs. Others like Indonesia more recently, are potential threat areas for expatriates with unforeseen costs and risks which may accelerate.

Expatriates and business people may live and operate in countries of high unemployment and severe poverty where social and medical services are non-existent. These conditions usually lead to serious levels of crime: on the street, in vehicles and against residential and commercial property. A further problem may be the doubtful support of the police who may have low morale and be poorly paid. In many countries it is the army and not the police that quickly responds to problems of civil unrest and militant strikes. Other areas of concern for executives are pressures from corrupt business practices and the involvement, however remote, with persons in government who are connected with drug trafficking.

The most vulnerable period for expatriates is the first three months after arrival when the executive is heavily committed to taking over a job and the family unit is left to cope with a bewildering and sometimes risky domestic environment.

Who is at risk?
Profiles of multinationals, individual job positions and the working environment will also affect the threat spectrum. For example, marketing executives will attract considerable attention to themselves and their families. Oil company executives are generally regarded as opulent, bankers are at higher risk and food production companies generally create a bland image for their executives. Social support agencies will usually be accepted at face value and have a relatively trouble-free lifestyle except in conditions of severe unrest and civil war when they are very exposed to hazards. Fortunately the great majority of individuals and family units, using common sense and accepting advice, have uneventful visits overseas.

Family security
The objective of the short Security Awareness modules offered on briefings at Farnham Castle, where relevant, is to provide a general, balanced approach to security (and safety) problems in the country of assignment.

The working partner may be based in one country but also involved in much internal travel or frequent visits to other countries. This can leave the family unit alone for days or weeks. Therefore, the bottom line of the Security Awareness module is the well being and security of the family unit.