Global Engineering Professional
Seminar
Cultural Difference and Communications
Week 13 Spring 2010
• Pictures now in Tools “root directory”
• Profiles due on GlobalHUB today
• Supplemental seminars end April 23
Culture: Style Difference
› Interacting: What is polite?
–
Direct versus indirect—is “silence” a “yes” or
a “no”?
–
What is “personal”—age, family, health,
income?
–
What shows respect—first name?
–
Gesture “thumbs up”, ok?
–
Attire--Wear a suit or roll up sleeves?
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Culture: Style Difference
› Time: What is polite?
–
Is time a commodity—can it be saved?
–
What is “late”? How long is “dinner”?
–
Is “multi-tasking” ok?
–
A “New York minute”?
–
Is there “enough”?
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Culture: Style Difference
› Space: What is polite?
–
What is a conversational distance?
–
Where is “off-limits”—where is “behind the
counter”?
–
What is “personal”—touching?
–
Is the office door closed?
–
Where is “first”—is this a line?
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Culture: Value Differences
› Power: What is right?
–
Less powerful members accept that power is
not equally distributed, that is expected and
accepted.
–
Not everyone is “born to lead.”
–
Challenge: We are all human, “created
equal.”
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Culture: Value Differences
› Individualism: What is right?
–
Ties between individuals are loose:
individuals should take care of themselves.
–
Maturity means independence and selfreliance.
–
Challenge: Everyone needs help sometime;
and, we are, indeed, “our brother’s keeper.”
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Culture: Value Differences
› Achievement/masculinity: What is right?
–
Work is more important than personal
relationships.
–
Getting ahead is more important than being
liked.
–
Challenge: Don’t miss out on what really
matters—friends and family.
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Culture: Value Differences
› Uncertainty Avoidance: What is right?
–
Unstructured situations are threatening and
important to avoid.
–
Finding out how to do something correctly is
critical to success.
–
Challenge: Nothing ventured, nothing
gained.
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Culture: Value Differences
› Long-term orientation: What is right?
–
Future is more important than present.
–
Do not be distracted by immediate results.
–
Challenges: Tomorrow never comes.
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Hofstede: US
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Hofstede: China
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Hofstede: Comparison
http://www.geert-hofstede.com/
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Cultural Dimensions--Hofstede
Power Distance—how much inequality is there? Is inequality
good or bad?
Individualism—how much responsibility do people have for
themselves? How much for others?
Masculinity—is it important to succeed at a task or at a
relationship? How different from “femininity”?
Uncertainty Avoidance—how “closed” is the system? How
much consensus is there on “right answers”?
Long Term Orientation—How far in the future do you look
for outcomes? How far back to you look for guidance?13
Implications for effective
communication….
› 1. Assuming “universality” is hazardous—the
“universal” is an extension of “self.”
› 2. Assuming “superiority” can limit learning.
› 3. Focus on “outcomes,” observations—
functionality of behaviors helps understanding.
› 4. Experience conditions interpretations—and
can make interactions easier & more effective.
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Example: Discovering what matters?
› High or low context:
–
Low-context: words, documents, data,
contracts, not what you wear or who you
know
–
High-context: who you are, what you do,
where you are “now”
› Hofstede terms: low—emphasis on individual,
equality, taking on risk, short-term high—
collective, status/rank, minimal risk, long-term
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Case study example--next
› “Chinese Negotiation”—Harvard Business
Review, describes “shortfalls” in typical
understandings:
– Etiquette, surface accoutrements—e.g.,
attire, presentation issues as with business
cards assumed sufficient
– Wider, deeper appreciation of context is not
available to sustain interactions
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Chinese Neg. : Major Concerns
› Recognize Chinese “agrarian” roots: holistic,
communal, millennia living close to soil (still 2/3
of population); commerce is (only) “branch,”
agriculture is the “root.” Mao’s “Cultural
Revolution” was attempt to return to the virtues
of rural life.
› Recognize Chinese reverence for authority:
family hierarchy (loyalty, obedience) underlies
seniority in organizations.
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Confucian heritage
› Harmony achieved by defining relationships in
terms of hierarchical authority—father over son,
husband over wife, etc.
› Obedience and loyalty exchanged for security.
› Reverence for kinship and scholarship,
conserving the past and present for the future.
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Significance of “the path,” “the way”
› Emphasis on “means” rather than “ends”
› Emphasis on the “whole,” the larger context
› Contrast with “fighting for principle”
› Contrast with insisting on “truth”
› Note: These authors interpret a “haggling” as a
way to “find” true value, a highly valued means.
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Two sides of Negotiation
› American
› Chinese
› Individualism
› Collectivist
› Egalitarian
› Hierarchical
› Information oriented
› Relationship oriented
› Reductionist
› Circular
› Seeks the truth
› Seeks the way
› The argument culture
› Haggling culture
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Approach to meetings
› Americans
› Chinese
› Quick meetings
› Long courting process
› Informal
› Formal
› Rely on information
(“cold calling”)
› Draw on
intermediaries
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Information exchange
› Americans
› Chinese
› Full authority
› Limited authority
› Direct
› Indirect
› Proposals first—
data/information
› Explanations first—
context/explorations
› Aggressive, impatient
› Questioning, enduring
› Seeking “good deal”
› Seeking long-term
relationships
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Chinese Negotiation (HBR)
› Oil delivery contract—failed, too short,
emotional
› Software contract—succeeded via
intermediary
› GM send CEO—deep formality of status,
succeeded
› Computer mfg—needed week of sight-seeing
first…
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Another “difference” visual
Individualist
Collectivist
_______________________________________________________
US UK F G
R, I, S
ME M A SEA/China
A-Africa, C-China, F-France, G-Germany, I-India, J-Japan, M-Mexico MEMiddle East, R-Russia, S-Spain, SEA-Southeast Asia, UK-United Kingdom,
US, United States
Source: Craig Storti, Figuring Foreigners Out, Intercultural Press, 1998, p.
52.
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Germany and the U.S.
› Both “high context”
–
Germans go to lunch
together, eat in same
cafeteria (IDV)
–
Germans more formal,
take minutes at
meetings (UAI)
–
Germans ready to
“wait” for long-term
merger
benefits….(LTO)
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Actually: “peaches” and “coconuts”
› working language” = English?
› Address co-workers by first name?
› Different cafeterias/garages?
› Executives w/o passports?
› Compensation differing by 35 to 1?
› Uncertainty about understanding/reluctance to
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act.
High Context plus High Context
› U.S. and Germany—Daimler Chrysler merger
–
Managing uncertainty (Germans, more rulebased), informality (U.S. more informal),
meetings (Germans, used more written records
and reviews), compensation (U.S. greater
disparity).
–
Potential for new synergies: harness diversity
(intercultural differences) to construct innovative
business models with application across diverse
markets.
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Chrysler, less than a decade later…
› Private equity group, Cerberus Capital
Management, purchased 80% of Chrysler ,
› As of January 20, 2009: remaining 20%
owned by Daimler is on the market.
› The challenge of integrating a GermanAmerican colossus, with very different
corporate cultures, …consumed the time and
energy of DaimlerChrysler's top executives.
New York Times, July 2005, reporting resignation of Schrempp,
who was replaced by Dieter Zetsche.
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