1. Finpro
Market Opportunity Day
Communicating
Across
Cultures
Matt Cobb
22nd October 2013

2. Complexity
Backgrounds
Thinking
Interaction
Work
patterns
Behaviours
Motivators

3. Era of Cs
 Communication
 Complexity
 Collaboration
 Cultures
 Co-creation
 Change
 Community
 Chance
 Cooperation
 Confusion
 Competence
 Chaos
 Commitment
 Competition

4. Agenda
What is culture?
Who am I?
Who are you?
Who are we?

5. What is Culture?
dress
arts
food
media
festivals
language
time
trust
norms
values
communication
ethics

6. What influences who you are?
National
Regional
Professional / Educational
Gender
Class
Religion
Generation
Ethnicity
Corporate
Personal

7. Significant Link Between
Culture and Business
Core beliefs and values influence:
 outlook and world view
 communication styles
 concepts of space and time
 attitudes to authority and leadership
 notions of team-work
 motivation factors

8. Communicating
Across
Cultures

9. Effective intercultural
communicator (I)
Titles, greetings
Tuning into the other person
Content/topics - suitability
- Communication style
Directness, indirectness
- Cultural background
Handling opinions
- Knowledge level
Interrupting (or not!)
- Prejudices, baggage
Showing interest, follow-up Q’s
- Sensitivities
Giving something of yourself?
- Intelligence level
Ego control, not showing off
- Professional background
Giving compliments
- Interests & non-interests
Congratulating and
commiserations
Listening/speaking balance

10. Effective intercultural
communicator (II)
Delivery
Listening skills
- Considerate
- Concentration level, focus
- Speed, accent
- Acknowledge
- Slang, vocabulary choice
- Own filters
- Clarity
- Reading between the lines
- No irritators
- Limited ’fillers’
Positive, level of enthusiam
Smiles (cultural level)
(Appearance)

11. Effective intercultural
communicator (III)
Avoiding contentious issues
- ask questions, listen
- avoid own opinions
- generalise, be vague
- perspective, history
- not informed
- 3rd party ’blame’
- be measured
- opinions as facts (NO)
- not putting someone in a
difficult position (giving face)

12. British
“Hmm, that’s a very interesting idea.”

13. USA
“You gotta be kidding.”

14. India
“I will try”

15. German
» “I don’t agree”

16. French
“I don’t see the logic in your
argument!”

17. Italian
“Let’s go and have a Campari
and talk about it tomorrow.”

18. Japanese
“I agree.”

19. Swedish
“Let’s arrange another meeting.”

20. Finnish
“…………………”

21. Managing Stereotypes
 Accurate
 Be consciously aware of them
 Describe, do not judge
 Be ready to revise them
 Initial preparation for what you MIGHT face
 Be ready to abandon them!!
National culture is still a useful level of analysis

22. Cross-cultural communication
– stages (I)
1. Pre-contact
2. Reputation
3. Arrangements

23. Pre-contact
Do some thinking / your reseach!
 Which context, place, situation?
 Who should be involved (from your perspective)?
 Who needs to be involved (from theirs!)?
 How can you get information about the people
involved?
 Cultural factors at this stage: attitudes to status,
working roles, time, efficiency, deadlines

24. Reputation (& trust)
 You, your team, your organisation, country
 Cumulative, easily lost / destroyed
 Great asset (culturally) – means you have a better
(or worse!) chance of being trusted at the start
 Positive referral by trusted source?
 Introduction by trusted 3rd party
 Cultural factors at this stage: stereotypes, status,
hierarchy, relationship vs. professional orientation

25. Arrangements - planning
 Timing, dates – sensitivity (national holidays, busy
periods, lucky/unlucky dates)
 Communication channels (email, phone, face-toface, virtual)
 Cultural factors at this stage: amount of time
allocated, getting confirmation, data vs. dialogue
orientation, motivation factors

26. Cross-cultural communication
– situations
1. Manners and taboos
2. Meetings
3. Presentations
4. Negotiations

27. Manners, taboos and culture
Greetings, titles, handshakes
Introductions
Directness/indirectness
Criticism
Time-keeping, punctuality
Body language, eye contact
Professional – personal topics
Class rules
Social events: fomality,
informality
Hosting and toasting
Sensitive conversation topics
(religion, politics, history)
Gifts
Boasting
Colours & numbers
Phones
Dress codes
Smoking

28. Meetings and culture
Communication style
Body language, eye contact
Speech – content, type, facts,
opinions, verbal/non-verbal,
Low/high context, pauses,
silence, direct/indirect,
challenging? (intellectually or
emotionally)
View of time (speed of process,
thinking, planning, action),
timing, punctuality, breaks
Hierarchy and status, WHO is
there?
Professional and personal time
– separate or overlapping?
Protocol, procedures
Storytelling, sayings, proverbs
Agenda, order
Preparedness
Facts, data
Paper, slides, speech?
Relationships
Dress, formality
Roles & value – expert?
Experience?
Decision-making – individual,
collective, now/later?

29. Presentations and culture
Communication style (as
before)
(organisation/team culture)
Listening habits
How is a presentation ’seen’?
•Facts, data, figures, research?
•Use of words, language and
oratorical skills?
•Language skills, listening skills
•Concentration span, length?
•Cultural sensitivity
•Information giving?
•Interactive?
•Persuading, motivating?
•Selling, influencing?
•Impress with charisma?
•Part of longer relationship?
Formality
Dress, personal impressions
Structured, flexible?
Handouts, slides, flipchart
Timing and punctuality
Who delivers it (status)?

30. Negotiations and culture (+
meetings list)
Decision-making (how, who,
how long?)
Reputation (face, company)
Details – overall concept?
Opinions (agreeing and
disagreeing)
Compromising
Contracts (written, oral?)
Fixed, followed or renegotiable?
Influencing & Persuading
Status, honour
Tactics, starting point?
Roles

31. Cross-cultural Communication
Listening habits
Group exercise

32. Cross-cultural Communication
National Communication
Patterns
Group exercise

33. Identifying differences
across cultures
NORTH
EAST
WEST
SOUTH

34. NORTH










Analysis
Planning
Efficiency
Facts
Process
Order
Consequence
Reliable
Cautious
Rigorous

35. WEST










Effectiveness
Results
Action
Task focus
Assertiveness
Fairness
Risk-taking
Newness
Independence
Self-reliance

36. SOUTH










Relationships
Social
Expression
Emotion
Family
Clan
Community
Belonging
Closeness
Intimacy

37. EAST










Accepting
Flexible
Harmony
Balance
Relationships
Networks
Cyclical
Patient
Ambiguity
Paradox

38. RATIONAL
Sweden
Canada
N
Finland
Acting
Germany
Singapore
Hongkong
Netherlands
Norway
Denmark
UK
France
USA
PRAGMATIC
Thinking
Japan
Vietnam
E
W
Australia
Poland
Russia
Hungary
Belgium
Feeling
Italy
S
Spain
China
Korea
Iran
Turkey
Brazil
Indonesia
India
Saudi
Nigeria Arabia
HUMANIST
HOLISTIC
Reacting

39. Strengths of the North
organize
plan and see problems ahead
analyze consequences
hold consistent policies
access rational thought
generate data
challenge us objectively
HEAD
Collaborative :
fast communication, flat hierarchies, openess,
self-managing individuals
Collaborative
coolness, inflexibility, individualistic

40. Strengths of the West
energize
experiment
innovate
focus on immediate future
get results
generate action
take risks
HAND
Collaborative :
speed, drive, action
Collaborative
too quick for discussion, lack of process & rigour

41. Strengths of the South
generate enthusiasm
motivate
sell ideas and persuade
generate a positive social atmosphere
access emotions
generate dialogue
challenge us personally
HEART
Collaborative :
relationship building, warmth, community
Collaborative
hierarchy, disorganised, political

42. Strengths of the East
harmonize
act intuitively
be patient
think and act long-term
access feelings
listen
empathize
Collaborative :
Collaborative
SPIRIT
networking, tolerate ambiguity, meaning and purpose
inequality, high context communication, reactive

43. Cultural Adaptation: North
1. Do one thing at a time, complete action chains
2. Use logic and rationality
3. Stick to facts, prioritise truth over diplomacy
4. Follow rules, regulations, laws
5. Speech is for information
6. Maintain word-deed correlation
7. Stick to agenda
8. Respect officialdom
9. Respect contracts and written word
10.Limited body language

44. Cultural Adaptation: West
1. Talk and listen in equal proportions
2. Be polite but direct, speak up
3. Take your speaking turn
4. Partly conceal feelings
5. Concentrate on the deal
6. Reply quickly to written communication or e-mails
7. Look for short-term profit
8. Be punctual
9. Stay results orientated
10.Compromise to achieve the deal

45. Cultural Adaptation: East
1. Don’t threaten or blame
2. Suggestions, especially criticism, should be
indirect
3. Favour diplomacy over truth
4. Good listening is important; don’t interrupt
5. Speech is to promote harmony
6. Don’t rush or pressure them, go over things
several times
7. Face to face contact is important
8. Observe fixed power distances and hierarchy
9. Utilize networks

46. Cultural Adaptation: South
1.
Be prepared for several people talking at once
2.
Let them talk at length, reply fully
3.
Think aloud
4.
Digress from agenda and explore interesting ideas
5.
People and feelings are more important than facts
6.
Speech is for opinions
7.
Truth is flexible and situational
8.
Be diplomatic rather than direct
9.
Socialise, be relationship oriented
10.
Contracts may often be renegotiated

47. Interaction Styles
NORTH
SOUTH
EAST
Info sources
data
action
dialogue
networking
Discussion style
direct
direct
subtle
affirming
Argumentation
explicit
clarifying
persuasive
implicit
Problem solving
rational
pragmatic
emotional
intuitive
Likes to work
alone
alone
small group
whole group
Attention span

WEST
medium
short
medium
long

48. Practical communication tips
2. Leverage in Communication
Think it though first & avoid obvious
errors
Status, Gender
Pre-empt, deal with history
Competition – internal, external
Beware of assumptions
Pressure (CEO, manager, market)
Don’t forget the human factor
Sponsorship
Language, culture and
communication processes
Perspective – broader, bigger, longer
term, timescale
Use real, concrete, relevant
examples
Hints about the future
Make people feel important in the
process
Strategy (BU, company)
Listen and acknowledge
Defuse - 3rd party ‘blame’
Communication plan + action
Personal favour
Flatter, stress the positive
Patriotism
Choose or change the setting
Change or die

49. Becoming a multicultural
organisation (1)
 Where are you now (monocultural, transitional)?
 Areas of operation, activities, target markets,
where is growth going to come from?
 Daily contact, depth of collaboration
 Is culture and diversity already an issue?
 Do you really want to become more multicultural?
 What are the challenges and benefits for your
organisation?

50. Becoming a multicultural
organisation (2)
Key success factors
 Sponsorship by the board and top management
team
 In line with strategic goals
 Communication, listening
 Systematic approach, targetted efforts
 Involve and engage people, bottom-up approach –
culture is a topic most people have opinions about!
 Training and in-house resources, Knowledge
Management
 Develop metrics & tools to measure change

51. Becoming a multicultural
organisation - checklist
 Lead by example!
 Written policies forbidding discrimination
 Training programmes
 Social events, relationship-building, trust
 Engagement, input from minorities
 Flexible work environment
 Continuous monitoring and development
ROD - ”Return on Diversity”

52. Success Factors for Crosscultural Collaboration
 Be prepared
 Slow down
 Set common ground rules
 Agree on communication rules
 Develop relationships
 Understand own culture
 Curiosity and respect for others
 Build trust

53. Universal characteristics
Everyone wants to be liked and feel that:
Feeling
CC Finland
they are listened to
Excellent, but show it with
body language & affirmation
their feelings & opinions
matter
Speed & frequency of
response – comment!
they are interesting
Personal comment and
follow-up questions
their efforts are appreciated
Clear thanks even when it is
their job
A smile goes a long way!!!

54. The golden rules & action
points!!
1. Know thyself - beware of assumptions!
2. Cross-cultural research to avoid basic errors
3. State of awareness, improved sensitivity
4. Be interested in the differences
5. Effort to learn from experience
6. Enjoy it!

55. Thank you & good luck!
mattjcobb@gmail.com

56. Web resources
 Search strings:
”cross-cultural communication + country name”
 kwintessential.co.uk (good starting point for
national cultural information)
 clearlycultural.com (introduction to Hofstede’s
dimensions)
 everyculture.com (general cultural info)
 worldbusinessculture.com (more business focused)

57. Cross-cultural studies
 Parsons & Shils (1951): Pattern variables
 Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck (1961) Value-orientations
 Edward T. Hall (1966) contact & no contact;
(1976) monochronic & polychronic time concept;
(1976) low & high context
 Geert Hofstede (1980; 1983; 1991; 2001, 2005)
work-related values
 Shalom Schwartz (1987/1992, 1994, 2002)
(Schwartz Value Inventory SVI)
 Fons Trompenaars (1993;1997)
 Alexander Thomas (1989): cultural standards
 Richard D. Lewis When cultures collide (2006)
 Richard Gesteland (1999): combines various
studies