3.05 ADAPT COMMUNICATION AMONG CLIENTS - BRIEFING

Adapt Communication Among Clients Briefing

Culture and Diversity

Culture refers to the fundamental values and norms that a group of people—such as an ethnic group, a nation, a corporation, or some other organization or profession—holds or aspires to hold. Every culture distinguishes itself from others by the specific ways it prefers to solve certain problems, such as those that arise from relationships with other people, from the passage of time, and in dealing with the external environment. Groups of people have "typical" cultural traits that can be identified by observing situational behaviors and predominant tendencies in problem solving. Recognizing that a group exhibits certain "typical" cultural traits does not mean that every person in that group has precisely those characteristics. That would be stereotyping. The way in which attitudes are expressed in a business organization and the way employees are evaluated and rewarded are labeled "corporate culture."

Diversity is the similarities, as well as the differences, among and between individuals at all levels of the organization, and in society at large. Diversity of thought is critical to reaching the most innovative, customer-focused solutions to the many issues, problems and challenges confronting our business. As such, it is the responsibility of every manager to value and secure diversity of thought in his/her work unit by employing and developing the highest-caliber individuals differing from one another culturally, intellectually and experientially, as well as by race, gender, physical and mental abilities, and other factors.

Training people in cultural diversity requires that each member understand that he/she is a cultural entity different from others. Most of us now understand what makes us different from each other. In this regard, teaching cultural diversity for the sake of the initiative or as a mandate is not enough. It is sometimes even counterproductive. Diversity education must be taken to a higher level by bringing workers to the understanding that our diversity should be considered not as liability that hinders work relationship, but rather as assets to enhance engagement and job satisfaction and ultimately increase productivity. Cultural diversity training must be coupled with a team building facilitation interactive activities.

Educate Workers to Compete in a Global Economy

The economy and the world marketplace are becoming increasingly diverse and interconnected. There are many examples of global integration. Many customer service representatives working in call centers today are located on a different continent. Companies buy raw materials from and sell finished products to customers all over the world. U.S. workers are losing their jobs as companies move their plants to third world countries. Local supervisors struggle to understand the cultures of new immigrant employees in this country.

Despite the challenges, many major companies and an increasing number of small businesses report record profits from their involvement in global trades. This trend will undoubtedly continue. Our best shot for remaining competitive is to make the adjustments to deal with the realities of operating in a global economy.

Local businesses must learn how to successfully sell their products in foreign markets. And, employers and employees must learn to respect and work with the cultural differences of diverse workers here. Employees also must learn skills that are internationally recognized, so that they can move without difficulty between today’s jobs in this country and tomorrow’s jobs in another.

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To become globally competitive, workers need to develop new social skills, attitudes and behaviors, along with the flexibility necessary to communicate and work with clients and suppliers in other languages and from other cultures.

You don’t need to go overseas to get an international job. As Fortune Magazine reports, many people are surprised to learn that about 80 percent of international jobs—that is, jobs with American employers that require workers to deal extensively with other countries—are located in the United States. Companies large or small must offer global workforce development to help people find jobs, stay employed and advance professionally, including very lucrative positions domestically or overseas.

Global education will help keep jobs in this country.
Fluency in another language is a must. However, knowledge of a foreign language alone is not sufficient for working with clients overseas. Learning a language is culture learning. When you learn a language thoroughly, you develop an understanding of the cultures, values and traditions of those who speak that language. Good language classes always infuse major cultural components in the curriculum.

Learning languages opens up minds to new, fresh perspectives, so that the multilingual individual develops an ability to look at things in a different way. Multilingual people often present creative solutions to problems that a monolingual person may not envision.

Companies should think of global workforce development, cultural training and language learning as an investment that very quickly brings valuable returns.

Bridging Cultures in the Business Workplace

With a little effort, you can enhance communication and relationships with foreign workers. Communication between supervisors and employees who share the same language and culture often is difficult enough, but small business owners and managers who supervise employees of varying nationalities face particularly difficult challenges.

Each of us views the world through “cultural lenses” constructed by us or imposed on us by society. Most of the time, we are not aware of our lenses. Most important, we forget to recognize that others wear lenses too; and that their lenses may be different than ours.

Businesses employing foreign workers must interact and be productive with sometimes more than a dozen different nationalities. Eye contact, physical distance during interactions, handshake styles and even a “yes” response can vary by culture

The first and major step toward successful interaction with others whose lenses are different from our own is to become aware of the presence and the impact of these lenses in our daily attitudes and professional behaviors. Developing an understanding of our cultural biases, fears and stereotypes, and how they affect our perceptions and interactions with each other in the workplace, is a giant step toward reducing stress and increasing productivity.

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Factors that Affect Cross-Cultural Interactions in the Workplace

Ethnocentrism - We all view our ways of doing things as the best possible. If other people complete a task differently, in our minds, they must be doing it wrong. This attitude causes us to use our own set of standards to judge all people, often unconsciously. Humans tend to see their groups, and their own culture, as the best and the most moral.
History and Stereotyping - Biases based on historical cultural experiences can explain some attitudes of both employees and employers. Stereotypes arise when people act as if all members of a culture or group share the same characteristics. Stereotypes give a false understanding of others and allow people to observe others in selective ways that confirm their prejudice. For example, although many Hispanics hold a respect for people in authority and do not hold prolonged eye contact, this is not universally true of all Hispanics.
Generalizations of Groups and Cultures - Often when talking about “Hispanics,” we refer to Mexicans. But, the term “Hispanic” includes people from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, South America and Central America. The Mexican culture is quite different from the rest of Latin America. The same is true for “Asians.” Although Asians often are viewed as a homogeneous culture, in reality, the term encompasses people from many different regions, for example, the Pacific Islands, which include Hawaii, Samoa and Guam; Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Burma and Philippines; and East Asia, including China, Japan and Korea. “Asians” from these countries all have different languages and cultures.
Language - Language and literacy are a major problem in communicating with employees from different nationalities. It is obvious that in most workplaces, linguistic assimilation enhances team functioning, effectiveness and productivity. The lack of clear communication often leads to frustration and stress on individuals, and high turnover and profit loss for the company.

Bridging Cultures and Avoid Communication Breakdown

However, there are ways for small business owners and managers to bridge cultures and avoid communication breakdowns. Businesses can benefit tremendously from language training. You can enhance workplace relationships by learning another language and encouraging foreign workers to learn English terms specific to the company’s industry.

At least take the time to learn how to pronounce employees’ names correctly. This may seem minor, but it may become a big deal if it affects work relationships. Foreign names often are difficult to pronounce for English speakers because they contain unfamiliar vowel and consonant combinations, sounds and accents.

Often, foreign names carry specific meanings assigned by their families or cultures. Pronouncing these names correctly shows respect for the person and for the overall culture. On the other hand, a mispronounced name may have a different meaning that hurts the owner’s feelings. Most people appreciate it when you ask how to pronounce their name.

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Understanding Cultures

Another important first step is to research and understand your own culture and system of values and beliefs. What are the underlying social values in the United States, and which values support the business behaviors that you exhibit in the workplace? Learn these values and teach them to your foreign employees.

The, research and familiarize yourself with cultural characteristics, history, values, belief systems and behaviors of your foreign workers. What are the underlying social values of their cultures, and which values support the business behaviors they exhibit in the workplace? Learning those values and applying them will help you understand why foreign employees behave the way they do. Ask individuals from any culture about their traditions, and they gladly will explain them to you.

Negotiations Across Cultures

Negotiations, whether they happen locally or internationally are the search for a compromise. This means that at the end of the negotiation process, each party will believe that they won.

“A compromise is the art of dividing the cake in such a way that everyone believes that they have the biggest piece,” German politician Ludwig Erhard, once said.

It is not easy to reach this goal when both sides share a common culture. It is even more difficult to reach compromise across borders when not only language, but also cultural differences can impede communication and understanding.

All of us view the world through "cultural lenses" that we construct, or that are imposed upon us by society. Sometimes we forget to recognize that we each have a unique lens and that other people view the world through different lenses. When people with different cultural backgrounds or nationalities work together, there comes an inevitable moment of misunderstanding or disappointment during which communication seems to be difficult. The lack of knowledge and appreciation of the differences in background experiences are often the cause of frustration and decreased productivity.

Be Prepared - Study the values system of the culture you are planning to negotiate with. Also, learning a few words and phrases relevant to the topic of the negotiation in the language of the other party helps to set common ground. There are training tools many training resources that can help people identify with and understand cultural differences. Some are very good and are a comprehensive way to find out about the values of various cultures.
Documentations - If you have been in contact with a business associate from another country through official letters and you plan to meet face to face, bring the entire stack of letters you received, as well as those that you wrote. It is possible that a secretary or an associate wrote all the letters you received, and your counterpart’s English may not be good. If you communicated via e-mail, bring copies of the e-mails with you to refresh your memory and use as a reference if necessary.
Avoid Slang and Idioms - Avoid confusing expressions such as, “I have put all my cards on the table” or “The ball is in your court.” We unconsciously use these idioms with the expectation that the other party clearly understands what we mean; they often don’t, and that causes a breakdown in communications.

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What’s in a Name?
Remember to let your counterpart know and get familiar with all the names that you use. An American businessman who had an appointment with the CEO of a large corporation in Asia had his appointment delayed by a whole day because security would not let him in to meet the CEO. The company was expecting Mr. “Bill” Thompson, who had been corresponding with the CEO through countless e-mail exchanges and phone calls, but the person who showed up at the security desk had a passport that read Mr. “William” Thompson. It is also important pronounce names correctly to show respect with cultural and social differences. Take time to practice saying your client’s name before the initial introduction.

Build Relationships
Personal relationships are a vital factor in negotiating successfully with most people around the world. Your counterparts want to know the person they are dealing with and build a personal relationship on some level. This helps to create trust between the two parties. Timing of personal disclosure is as important as what you say. Sharing personal details as the relationship naturally evolves will build trust and give your counterpart the feeling that the relationship is important to you. If you offer too much personal disclosure up-front, your counterpart may think that you share these details indiscriminately and lose confidence in the closeness of your relationship.

Non-verbal Signals
In intercultural negotiations nonverbal signals play a major role, especially when one side is less familiar with the language of the other and is forced to rely even more heavily on nonverbal signals. That is where you need to be very careful, because signals are sometimes ambiguous and not repetitive. While you can ask someone to repeat a sentence that you did not understand, you cannot ask her to repeat a facial expression that you did not catch the meaning.

Context also affects meaning. A whisper to your partner will sound to most Asians like an attempt to conspire a deal; Therefore, they will be prepared for a more aggressive defense. Oftentimes you don't intend for your behavior to send a message, but it does. In Japan, you will almost never get an unequivocal “no”. Because they consider a “no” to be a rude response, hearing a “no” from you is also be considered an insult.

The last advice I want to give small business that are getting ready for negotiations across borders is to use the services of a cross-cultural consultant or negotiator. If for some reasons the company cannot have a consultant at the negotiation table, it must at the minimum consult with a consultant on issues related to the cultures of the country of the other side.

Keep the language as simple as you can, even if your counterpart appears to have a good command of the English language.

-Adapted from Emmanuel Ngomsi, Ph.D.

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