INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

TEN KEY TIPS

WORKING
EFFECTIVELY
ACROSS
Overcome
barriers: learn
to work in
different cultures
CULTURES
 Unkenntnis der anderen Kultur ist oft die Ursache open mind and curiosity, it can be an important way to increase
für Missverständnisse unter Geschäftspartnern aus your intercultural competence.
verschiedenen Ländern. ROBERT GIBSON nennt You may not be able to be fluent in all the languages that you
come across, but try to learn a few key phrases. Your effort will
zehn Aspekte, die für eine erfolgreiche interkulturelle
be appreciated even if you are not perfect and you then switch
Zusammenarbeit wichtig sind. to English.
MEDIUM PLUS
2. Gain relevant knowledge
A high-quality guidebook is often
a good start to finding informa-
tion about other cultures. The
Lonely Planet or Rough Guide

I
series provide well-researched basic information for travellers
to many countries. Basic facts can also be found in the online
CIA World Factbook.
Research on cultural differences can be helpful, too. A pio-
n an increasingly global business world, the need for neer in the field in the 1950s was the US anthropologist Edward
intercultural skills is becoming more and more impor- Hall; his books are still worth reading today. Groundbreaking
tant for ever greater numbers of people. Intercultural quantitative research was done by Geert Hofstede at IBM in
competence is important not only for business trav- the 1970s — knowledge of his cultural dimensions can help you
ellers or those on long-term foreign assignments, but to understand key cultural differences relevant to setting up in-
also for those working in international project teams ternational organizations (see “For more information”, p. 31, for
or managing global organizations. a site where you can compare the data
If your customers are in different countries, a key to Intercultural of specific countries). Fons Trompe-
success is understanding how they think and what they naars has added new dimensions and
expect; this differs widely from country to country. If
competence done much to popularize the topic
you want to develop innovative products and services, means being in the business world. More recently,
you will need to form and manage diverse teams. Even able to overcome Erin Meyer and Andy Molinsky have
if you never step outside your office, virtual communi- cultural barriers written some popular and highly read-
cation makes it increasingly likely that you will have to able introductions to the topic. When
communicate with co-workers, customers or suppliers
and build using all these books, be careful not to
from different cultures. constructive oversimplify cultural differences.
Intercultural competence means being able to overcome cul- relationships If you are working in global virtual
tural barriers and build constructive relationships with partners teams, you may be interested in Ter-
from different cultures for mutual benefit. The aim, in the busi- ence Brake’s book Where in the World Is My Team?. Those man-
ness context, is to create value from diversity. aging international organizations will find Nancy Adler’s work
What do you need to be able to work effectively across cul- very useful.
tures? My key tips are taken from my experience of supporting A great source of relevant information can be local “inform-
global collaboration in an international corporation over the ants”. These are people who live in, or are from, the target cul-
past 20 years. Recently, I also asked my LinkedIn connections ture. They don’t necessarily have to be high up in the hierarchy,
what they thought and was pleased that my question was
viewed by more than 6,000 people and generated many useful
appreciate sth. foreign assignment long-term
comments, some of which I have integrated into this article. [E(pri:SieIt] [)fQrEn E(saInmEnt] [)lQN (t§:m]
, etw. zu schätzen wissen , Auslandseinsatz, , langfristig

Ten key tips for intercultural come across sth.

[)kVm E(krQs]
-tätigkeit
genuine
mutual [(mju:tSuEl]
, gegenseitig

success , auf etw. treffen; hier: mit

etw. in Kontakt kommen
[(dZenjuIn]
, aufrichtig
phrase [freIz]
, Ausdruck, Redewendung
competitive advantage groundbreaking
1. Be curious [kEm)petEtIv Ed(vA:ntIdZ] [(graUnd)breIkIN]
research [ri(s§:tS]
Have a genuine interest in finding out about other cul- , Forschung;
, Wettbewerbsvorteil , bahnbrechend
auch: Recherche(n)
Illustrationen: Man_Half-Tube/iStock.com

tures, enjoy intercultural encounters and be keen to corporation keen: be ~ to do sth.

target culture
learn languages. One of my LinkedIn connections [)kO:pE(reIS&n] [ki:n] UK
[(tA:gIt )kVltSE]
, Unternehmen , sehr daran interessiert
called this “joyful curiosity”. Try to see cultural , Zielkultur
sein, etw. zu tun
differences not as a problem to be tolerated encounter [In(kaUntE]
topic [(tQpIk]
, Begegnung leverage sth.
but as something to be celebrated and lev- [(li:vErIdZ]
, Thema
eraged for competitive advantage. Travel fluent: be ~ in (a language)
, etw. (wirksam) well researched
[(flu:Ent]
abroad doesn’t automatically make you in- einsetzen [)wel ri(s§:tSt]
, (eine Sprache) fließend
, gut recherchiert
tercultural, but if you approach it with an sprechen

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION 7/2018 Business Spotlight 29

 Remember
that cultures
but they need to be people you can trust are not static It would have been much better to have asked an
and who understand not just their own open question like “What do you do there?” and
culture but also yours. Experienced team
but dynamic, focus on the positive rather than the negative.
assistants and interpreters can often pro- interactive Avoid controversial topics, like politics, when
vide this sort of information. and impure trying to make small talk.

3. Avoid stereotyping 6. Put yourself in others’ shoes

A stereotype is a fixed, overgeneralized belief Show respect for and empathize with col-
about a particular category of people. When deal- leagues and partners from different cultures.
ing with other cultures, it is tempting to try to Empathy is the ability to understand and
put people into convenient categories, but the share the feelings of another person. Re-
truth is that no one wants to be put into a box. specting those feelings doesn’t mean that
When I moved to Germany, many people offered you have to agree with them, but at least you
me tea to drink, working on the assumption that “the British need to show in some way that you under-
drink tea”. In fact, I really don’t like tea very much and would stand what the other person is feeling.
have much preferred coffee. Of course, many people do drink tea
in Britain, but that doesn’t mean that everyone does. 7. Be flexible and adaptable
This is a trivial example, but if you try to apply the data on Having understood the culturally determined be-
cultural dimensions to individual behaviour, you are in danger haviour of your international business partners,
of creating sophisticated stereotypes. While the results of the you may need to adapt your own behaviour.
research can help you to understand tendencies, they cannot be Don’t assume that methods that have been
used to predict individual behaviour. This is the problem with successful for you in your own culture will
oversimplified lists of dos and don’ts. They may seem attractive, automatically work in interaction with peo-
but they can give you a false sense of security. ple from other cultures. To be successful, you
need to have a toolbox of techniques available to
4. Observe, don’t judge deal with different people in different situations.
When travelling abroad, take time to observe For instance, as a manager, your instructions
how people behave before you make a judge- may have to be followed in a hierarchical culture;
ment or take action. What is considered to however, you may have to change your manage-
be “normal” behaviour will differ according to ment style when dealing with employees who
where you are. Observe how people dress, how they are used to being empowered to make their own
greet each other and how they behave during meetings decisions.
and presentations. You don’t necessarily have to copy what they
do, but you will then have a better idea of what they might ex- appropriate environment put oneself in sb.’s shoes
pect of you. If everyone is wearing casual clothing and you turn [E(prEUpriEt] [In(vaI&rEnmEnt] [)pUt wVn)self In
up in a suit and tie, you — and, for that matter, the others — may , angemessen , Umfeld )sVmbEdiz (Su:z]
, sich in jmdn. hinein-
feel awkward. Don’t immediately jump to conclusions about awkward for that matter
versetzen
[(O:kwEd] [fE (DÄt )mÄtE]
the behaviour of your business partners: if someone doesn’t do
, unbehaglich , im Übrigen auch rapport [rÄ(pO:]
something, or does it late, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they , gutes, kommunikatives
casual [(kÄZuEl] interpreter [In(t§:prItE]
are incompetent or lazy. Maybe they have other priorities or a , leger , Dolmetscher(in)
Verhältnis
different approach to time or hierarchy. sophisticated
closed question jump to conclusions
[sE(fIstIkeItId]
[)klEUzd (kwestSEn] [)dZVmp tE kEn(klu:Z&nz]
, ausgefeilt; hier: komplex
5. Ask, don’t tell , (mit „ja“ oder „nein“ zu , vorschnell Schlüsse
beantwortende) Entschei- ziehen tempting
It is important to communicate effectively
dungsfrage [(temptIN]
and in a culturally appropriate way in an in- open question
, verlockend
dos and don’ts [)EUpEn (kwestSEn]
ternational environment. Rather than telling [)du:z En (dEUnts] , mit näheren Informa- toolbox [(tu:lbQks]
people about their culture, ask them open ques- , Verhaltensregeln tionen zu beantwortende , Instrumentarium
tions. Recently, I was running an intercultural training course Frage
empathize with sb. trivial [(trIviEl]
and we had a guest speaker from China. When one of the partic- [(empETaIz] predict sth. [pri(dIkt] , banal
, sich in jmdn. einfühlen , etw. vorhersagen
ipants came into the room, I introduced the guest and he asked work on the assumption
her where she came from. When she replied “Beijing”, he said: empowered put into a box: be ~ that...
[Im(paUEd] [)pUt )Intu E (bQks] [)w§:k Qn Di E(sVmpS&n
“Isn’t the smog terrible there?” This negative, closed question , bevollmächtigt, befugt , in eine Schublade DÄt]
was not the best way of establishing a rapport with the visitor. gesteckt werden , davon ausgehen, dass ...

30 Business Spotlight 7/2018 INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

 8. Cope with ambiguity contains many useful practical exercises to help you reflect on
It is important to be able to cope with am- your cultural background.
biguity and complexity in international Remember the saying from the Jewish text the Talmud: “We
business situations without losing sight don’t see things as they are. We see them as we are.”
of your own position. This is becoming an
ambiguity keep pace with sth. stand-alone: be a ~
increasingly important skill in the VUCA
[)ÄmbI(gju:Eti] [)ki:p (peIs wID] [(stÄnd E)lEUn] , etw.
world — volatile, uncertain, complex and , Mehrdeutigkeit , mit etw. Schritt halten Eigenständiges sein
ambiguous (see Business Spotlight 2/2017). ambiguous mindful [(maIndf&l] thought pattern
Change is fast and unpredictable; to keep [Äm(bIgjuEs] , achtsam [(TO:t )pÄt&n]
pace with it, you need to be able to cope with unclear and com- , mehrdeutig , Denkmuster
researcher
plex situations, while staying authentic. annoyed [E(nOId] [ri(s§:tSE] tribal [(traIb&l]
, verärgert , Forscher(in) , Stammes-; hier: ethnisch

9. Neither over- nor underestimate cope with sth. saying [(seIIN] trigger [(trIgE]
[(kEUp wID] , Spruch , Auslöser
the role of national cultures , mit etw. klarkommen
People are influenced by a number of cul- setting [(setIN] unconscious bias
corporate [(kO:pErEt] , Rahmen [Vn)kQnSEs (baIEs]
tural factors, one of which is national culture. , Unternehmens- , unbewusste
snap [snÄp]
Other cultural factors are influenced by things gender [(dZendE] , spontan
Voreingenommenheit
like regional, corporate, professional, gender, age, , Geschlecht unpredictable
stakeholder
religious, class or tribal differences. Each indi- Jewish [(dZu:IS] [(steIk)hEUldE]
[)Vnpri(dIktEb&l]
, unvorhersehbar,
vidual has multiple cultural identities — to , jüdisch , Beteiligte(r)
unkalkulierbar
work successfully with people, you need
to understand the “multicollectivity” of your
stakeholders. ➻
It is also important to remember that cultures are not static FOR MORE INFORMATION
but dynamic, interactive and impure; some researchers call this BOOKS
“polyculturalism”. The more cultures interact, the more they · The Culture Map, Erin Meyer (PublicAffairs)
· Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind, Geert Hofstede,
borrow from each other. Gert Jan Hofstede, Michael Minkov (McGraw-Hill Education)
Culture is not a stand-alone — our behaviour is influenced · The Geography of Thought, Richard E. Nisbett (Simon & Schuster)
not only by culture but by individual preferences, as well as by · Global Dexterity, Andy Molinsky (Harvard Business Review Press)
· The Hidden Dimension, Edward Hall (Anchor Books)
the situation and context in which the interaction takes place.
· International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior, Nancy Adler,
For example, your behaviour will be different in a formal busi- Allison Gundersen (Cengage Learning)
ness setting from what it is in an informal social setting. · The Mindful International Manager: How to Work Effectively across
Cultures, Jeremy Comfort, Peter Franklin (Kogan Page)
· Riding the Waves of Culture, Fons Trompenaars, Charles Hampden-
10. Take time for reflection Turner (Nicholas Brealey International)
Be aware of, and reflect critically on, your own · Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman (Penguin)
culturally determined attitudes, beliefs and · Where in the World Is My Team? Making a Success of Your Virtual
Global Workplace, Terence Brake (John Wiley)
behaviour. I am convinced that, ultimate-
WEBSITES
ly, the key to working successfully across · CIA World Factbook: www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
cultures is not so much about under- factbook
standing others but about understand- · Hofstede’s country comparison: www.hofstede-insights.com/product/
compare-countries
ing yourself. What are the culturally de-
Illustrations: Man_Half-Tube; nicoolay, Pimonova/iStock.com

termined triggers that make you annoyed

or sad or happy?
The Nobel Prize-winning author Daniel Kahneman has de-
scribed how the brain can mislead us to make snap judgements
and have unconscious biases (see Business Spotlight 4/2018). We
can’t get rid of these biases, but we can try to become aware of
ROBERT GIBSON
them. As Richard Nisbett and others have shown, these thought has over 25 years’ experience of intercultural competence
patterns are culturally determined, and thinking is different in development in education and business. He was responsible
different cultures. for intercultural training at Siemens AG from 2000 to 2018
and is currently professor of cross-cultural management
To work effectively across cultures, you need to reflect on
at Bologna Business School. You can contact him and join
your own beliefs, values and behaviour. This takes time and is the discussion on intercultural skills on LinkedIn
a lifelong process. The book The Mindful International Manager (www.linkedin.com/in/robert-gibson-6a36a315)

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION 7/2018 Business Spotlight 31