Cultural Measurements

A wise man once said…

In an ideal world:
-The police are English
-The

Cultural Characteristics

Individualist vs Collectivist
Monochronic vs Polychronic
High context vs. Low context
Perception and

Common misconceptions

Handshakes
US
firm, confident, 2-3 seconds
Africa
limp, several minutes
Display of attraction
Britain: Men ought

Perceptions of Americans

“Americans are stupid and unsubtle. They’re fat and bad

Perceptions of Americans

“In the US, life is only work.”
“In the US,

Cultural Scales

Individualist

Emphasis on the individual
Self-determination (create own success)
Decisive, independent and shows initiative
Everyone

Collectivist

People should identify with and join groups
Groups protect their people
In return,

Monochronic

“One thing at a time”
Emphasis on perfect order, time and place
No

Polychronic

Multitasking
Hold business meeting
Answer phone calls
Send text messages
Things finish when they finish

Low Context

Everything fully and concisely explained
Responsibility on recipients to stay updated
Vulnerable

Low Context

Dependence on what is said or written
Often miss subtle signs
Connections

Low Context

Topics are addressed directly and precisely
Verbal is primary
Non-verbal is background
Speakers

Low Context Cultures

English
American
German
Dutch
Scandinavian

High Context

Close connections maintained over time
Not what, but who you know
Cultural

High Context

Less verbal and written communication
Relationship networks affect business
Communication relies on

High Context

Hidden assumptions
Double meanings
Heavy use of idioms and slang
Cultural gap
Silence is

High Context Cultures

Asian
African
South American
Slavic
Middle Eastern
Romance

High Context vs. Low Context

Japanese think:
Westerners offensively blunt
Westerners think:
Japanese devious, unforthcoming

High Context vs. Low Context

French workers think:
German workers insult French intelligence
German

High Context considerations

When interacting with Low Context
Focus on what is actually

Low Context considerations

When interacting with High Context
Non-verbal communication may be as

Perception of Time

Past Orientation
Traditional values and lifestyles
Conservative management
Slow to change
“Go with

Perception of Time

Present-oriented society
Past has passed
Futures are uncertain
Preference for short-term benefits

Perception of Time

Future-oriented society
Optimism about the future
The future can be controlled
Management

Quantity of Time

Two options
Time is limited; use it or waste it
“Time

Doing Business

Time-limited
No time to develop trust
Mechanisms (i.e. rule-of-law) replace trust
Time-plentiful
Business relies

Power Distance

High power distance
Bypassing structure is unacceptable
Low power distance
Chain of command

Displays of Emotion

Results comparing American and Japanese
Americans ? External display stronger

Emoticons

Japanese convey through eyes
(@_@)
(^_^;)
(--_--)
Americans convey through mouth
:-)
:@
:P

Proxemics (Perception of Space)

Personal bubble
Personal living space

Perception of Friendship

Non-Verbal Communication

Loud voices
Arabic ? Strength (soft = weak)
German ? Confidence/Authority
Thai ?

Non-Verbal Communication

Conversational flow
British: Speak-Pause-Wait-Speak
Finnish: Speak-Long Pause-Speak
High Context cultures (overlapping voices)

Non-Verbal Communication

Politeness
British/American: Please & Thank You
French: ‘tu’ or ‘vous’
Other: Verb form

Non-Verbal Communication

Silence
British/American
With close people: acceptable
With strangers: AWKWARD!!!

Non-Verbal Communication

Smiling (American vs. Russian/Scandinavian)
Gesturing (Latino vs. Japanese)
Head movements reverse (American

Case Study

Client: French Company
Options
American Company
Mexican Company
Who did the French choose? Why?

Case Study

You ? American
Client ? Austrian
Main facts
6 business meetings in 4

Case Study

Businessman: Japanese
Client: Norwegian
Main facts
Japanese: “That will be very difficult”
Norwegian: “How

Case Study

American Businessmen and Japanese Clients
Main facts
Americans make an offer
Japanese say

Case Study

Rebecca works for a Chicago-based company. Abhinav works for an

Two Weeks Later…

Abhinav: We’ve pulled all our resources together and I’m

Case Study

An American executive in London complained that he had taken

Case Study

An Englishman travels to Russia and stands patiently in the

Case Study

A high-ranking US government official accidentally delayed negotiations with the

Case Study

American: We want to take a plane from A to

Intercultural Sensitivity

Denial
Defense/Reversal
Minimization
Acceptance
Adaptation
Integration

Denial

Uninterested in cultural differences
Lack of caring about cultures

Denial/Refusal

Threatened by cultural difference
Highly critical of other cultures
Heavily criticize own culture

Minimization

Find commonalities between self and others
Often superficial

Acceptance

Recognize and appreciate cultural difference
Behaviors
Values
Not necessary to agree

Adaptation

Can perceive world through another culture
Changes behavior to communicate effectively

Integration

Cultural mediators
Help others understand different cultures
Promote unity between cultures

Stupid Cultural Jokes

International Corporations

Traditional Capitalism
You have two cows
You sell one and buy a

International Corporations

American Corporation
You have 2 cows; sell 3 to your company

International Corporations

French Corporation
You have two cows
You go on strike because you

International Corporations

Japanese Corporation
You have two cows
Redesign them so they are 1/10th

International Corporations

German Corporation
You have two cows
You reengineer tem so they live

International Corporations

Italian corporation
You have two cows
You don’t know where they are
You

International Corporations

Swiss Corporation
You have 5000 cows, none which belong to you
You

International Corporations

Indian Corporation
You have two cows
You worship them

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The European Commission just announced that English will replace German as

Ze Langadzh of ze Urop

In the first year, “s” will replace

Ze Langadzh of ze Urop

There will be publik enthusiasm in the

Ze Langadzh of ze Urop

In the third year, publik akseptanse of

Ze Langadzh of ze Urop

In the fourth year, peopl wil be