Communication in crosscultural professional interaction

 

In intercultural communication people face a lot of problems across culture nature. Understanding what the aspirations of people in different cultures are is important. It's essential to be as open-minded as you possibly can. You come across different kinds of cultures and they affect business in different ways. You should be aware of a number of things: there are different attitudes towards work, time, towards resolving problems, working in teams and so on. In an Anglo-American culture, they emphasise action, doing things and achieving things. But when you're dealing with people who are much more comfortable with consensus, in discussion, then you shouldn't dismiss that as time-wasting. You should have a very open attitude to how people approach work. The simple things like inappropriate food, alcohol, etc. are much easier to deal with than these more subtle things.

To be more marketable in today's economy you have to develop cross-cultural awareness and 'your attitude' (ability to see things through your partner's eyes). Every country has its own customs. Also you shouldn't assume that because you understand the culture of the capital city you also understand the culture in the provinces and other areas in the country. For example, in Colombia where you have a very sophisticated group of people working in Bogota, their lifefestyle, their way of life, their culture if you like is quite different from, for example, one of the provinces a long way from the city where the Government and the Government culture in the capital has had very little chance to spread.

When speaking about different nations we use stereotyped definitions. Do you agree with the definitions given below? What definitions could you add? How could you define your nationality?

The Germans — hardworking, ambitious, successful, aggressive, arrogant, etc.

The Japanese — successful, ambitious, clever, hardworking, etc.

The Americans — successful, ambitious, aggressive, modern, etc.

The British — boring, humorous, arrogant, aggressive, etc.

The French — stylish, modern, arrogant, humorous, lazy, etc.

The Italian — lazy, stylish, helpful, humorous, aggressive, etc.

The Russians — openhearted,emotional, spiritual, alcohol-abusing, etc.

 

Have you personally noticed any differences in the way business people behave themselves in other countries? What nationalities do you tend to associate with the following characteristics?

1. They insist on sticking to a strict agenda.

2. They can't see any further than next month's sales figures.

3. They like to get to know you before they do business with you.

4. They're pretty disorganized as a rule.

5. They avoid confrontation at all costs.

6. It takes a while to win them over.

7. They keep changing their minds.

8. They say what they mean and they mean what they say.

9. They seem to argue for the sake of arguing.

10. They tend to dominate meetings.

11. They see meetings as an opportunity to exchange information and share ideas.

12. They see meetings as an opportunity to get things moving.

 

3. Read the descriptions of some different social and business customs. Can you identify which nationality group they refer to? Match each description with one of these nationalities:

the Japanese the French the Germans

the Italians the British the Spanish

A. They are happy to borrow manners and style from anywhere as long as it is useful and, above all, elegant. They love new things and their homes and offices are full of gadgets. Interactive video telephones, high speed trains, and modern architecture cause excitement not shock.

1. The French

3. The Japanese

2. The Germans

4. The British

В. They leave work as punctually as they arrive and rarely take work home. They work hard, but statistically they put in fewer hours than fellow Europens.

1. The Spanish

3. The British

2. The Germans

4. The Japanese

С Lunches and dinners are an important part of business life. They are used to create a personal relationship, and to make sure that people can trust each other. Until the coffee is served, they must not discuss business.

1. The Japanese

3. The Spanish

2. The Italians

4. The British

D. It is impolite to be exactly on time. For social occasions this means arriving between ten and twenty minutes after the arranged time. Sometimes invitations specify, for example, 'Come at 7.30 for 8.00', which means you must not arrive later than 7.50.

1. The Japanese

3. The Spanish

2. The Germans

4. The British