Poor communication is a symptom, not a cause (part two)
Americans frequently come across as blunt, rude, and inappropriate in much of the world. What are some strategies we can use to better connect with our multinational teammates?
This is a post from a book I wrote about a decade ago. I’m releasing a few excerpts here, and hope you find them interesting. Part one introduced the idea of low- and high-context communication. In this second half, I’ll talk about how we can use that awareness to better connect with our teammates.
Communicating across cultures
Research has repeatedly shown that at least 75% of communication is non-verbal in nature, and this is the percentage for the most verbal of all cultures.Many cultures demonstrate a much higher percentage of non-verbal communication.1
But even verbal communication has cultural variations that subtly alter the intended message. Western culture is one that is strongly centered around clear, verbal or written communication. Yet the style of communication using a verbal medium varies strongly from one culture to another. When studying the speech patterns of three groups (Anglo-Saxons, Latins, and Asians), Fons Trompenaars and his team discovered important differences in speech patterns. For Anglo-Saxons, when one person stops speaking, the other person starts speaking promptly (even filling silence with meaningless noises, “umm,” or “ahh,” to indicate their turn has begun). Latins integrate or overlap speech slightly more than this, frequently interrupting each other to demonstrate interest in what the other is saying.
These patterns are very different from typical Asian speech, where periods of silence are common. Silent communication frightens the Westerner, as it represents a failure to communicate or a lack of interest. From the Asian perspective, it seems that the Westerner is unable to communicate effectively since they do not give the other person time to finish a thought, or to absorb what has been said and formulate a response. It is a sign of respect to listen carefully, think about what has been said, and to take time to respond in a thoughtful and appropriate manner.
Silence is a form of speech, so don’t interrupt it! — Richard Lewis, When Cultures Collide
In contrast, the typically fast, often interruptive Western style of speech seems disrespectful, demonstrates haste, and raises concern that the other party is insincere.
Trompenaars also points out how tone of voice dramatically varies between cultures. Comparing Anglo-Saxon, Latin, and Asian speech patterns, it was noted that in neutral cultures (most common in Asia), ups and downs in speech suggest the speaker is not serious. In contrast, throughout most Latin societies this exaggerated manner of speech simply means that you are interested or “have your heart in the matter.
When the Asian expectations of a monotonous, self-controlled, respectful manner of speech collides with the Latin or Western “excited” pattern of speech, problems arise. Asians tend to doubt the speaker is sincere, while Latin natives will interpret Asians as being uninterested. Tone of voice, something that we find very hard to change consciously, becomes a serious cross-cultural problem.
The other 75%
The study conducted by the University of Waterloo demonstrates how body language (see part one) provides a great deal of information. Body language is just one of many different tools that can be used to give context to a conversation.
Eye contact is another important behavior that provides culturally significant cues. For example, direct eye contact during conversation in most Western societies means the listener is interested. However, in many Asian cultures this direct contact is interpreted as hostility, disbelief, or disrespect. Eye contact often conveys a sense of familiarity as well. Italians tend to establish eye contact much longer in a casual setting, such as greeting someone that you pass on the street, than in America where eye contact between strangers is fleeting. In the case of a visiting Italian professor to the U.S., the professor was startled at how many people around campus would stop and greet him. After a while he asked one person why he had stopped and begun a conversation so readily. “I thought you knew me,” was the reply — the Italian professor’s habit of prolonged casual eye contact conveyed a sense of personal connection to the American.
Silence can also form an important part of speech patterns, but “silence” can also be attributed to a lack of a response (as opposed to a literal pause during conversation). Many cultures find a direct “no” response overtly offensive or disrespectful. Instead, a lack of response may mean the equivalent of “no,” something that Westerners are not used to. In most Western and European cultures, a response is almost always expected. A lack of response is usually interpreted as a failure in delivery. Europeans and Americans will redeliver the message, or inquire why a response has not been received, and continue to press the point. An Asian on the other end of the conversation will continue to avoid the topic, and in almost all cases will never respond with an outright “no.”
The higher context a culture is, the more subtle and nuanced the communication cues are. Westerners will not hesitate to schedule a business meeting in an informal setting, like a restaurant or bar. To a Westerner, this is simply a different venue in which to conduct business. A South Asian may feel somewhat awkward if asked to meet for the first time in a non-professional setting, and to an East Asian choice of setting carries a plethora of meanings. Business meetings in Japan and China will almost always initially take place in a suitable office setting, where even the meeting room itself, its size and accommodations, will give an indication of how much importance is being placed on the relationship. It’s important to keep in mind that such selections will also be influenced by the attendees of the meeting. If the visiting contingent is perceived as relatively low in a company’s hierarchy, you won’t find yourself meeting in the board room. Moving out of such a form setting into a casual setting after a day of negotiating is generally a good thing in Asia. But again, selection of the venue will give an indication of how important the relationship is. When entertaining a contingent from Japan or China, don’t take them to Pizza Hut after the work day (at least not if you want to build a strong relationship).
Personal appearance is also a strong communicator, the most direct and obvious of which is conveying your level of respect. Choosing appropriate dress is not always a simple matter. Over the past few decades, the United States has started to move from formal to practical. Many companies take a pragmatic approach, leaving it up to their employees to choose clothing that is “appropriate for the job.” On the other hand, businesses located in the Eastern United States leans a little more formal toward business casual clothing (slacks, shirt, tie, and a jacket, although not necessarily a suit). Most countries exhibit similar variation depending on the industry, local environment, and climate. The most important thing to remember: Do your research, and don’t underdress. Accidentally showing up as the only person wearing khakis and a polo, with everyone else in a suit, is either going to show you didn’t prepare adequately or, in the worst case, will be interpreted as disrespect for your host.
Sincerity helps
Sincerity goes a long way to overcome cultural gaps. We routinely run into and interact with our global counterparts. Whether at trade shows or conferences, or sales calls, or even chatting briefly in an airport. By and large, being our honest selves, striving for courtesy, and above all emphasizing sincerity, we manage to get by without offending others. Americans may be loud but sincere; the French a bit aloof but sincere; Germans and Russians matter-of-fact but sincere; the Japanese smiling and bowing and always sincere. In such brief encounters, minor gaffes or mistakes are largely ignored, and sometimes even humorous.
But as our exposure to one another lengthens and the goal of working together over a period of time becomes the objective, a greater strain is placed on the host-guest relationship. The informal attitudes of Americans will start to grate on Germans (while at the same time might be disarming to the British). The Latin or Indian lack of punctuality, overlooked the first time, will be looked at as inconsiderate and offensive in America. Yet when the tables are turned, the American way of insisting on showing up early will soon drive a Spaniard crazy. The Japanese respectfulness and confirmation of a positive relationship will soon start to make some Westerners wonder about their sincerity, while that same Westerner will damage what could be a strong relationship by focusing on short term goals.
Sincerity will take us so far, and will help build a strong relationship. But the most sincere of all efforts is to demonstrate cultural awareness by learning someone else’s culture. Learning the language is an excellent way to delve into another’s culture, as language brings with it so much of the culture. Too many businesses don’t think far enough ahead to give their employees time to pick up a language (and a strong understanding of culture) before throwing them into a foreign environment. Learning a foreign language will take months if tackled full time, a bit less if the learning takes place with full immersion. If given the opportunity, an expatriate family can learn the language together — this speeds the learning process (and women are, on average, faster learners of language than men and tend to be better at picking up nonverbal cultural cues).
Awareness is where the multiculturally attuned individual begins. Awareness is the cognition of how one’s own culture varies from the cultures of others. It means understanding that one’s own mental software has been coded a certain way, and that other people in other places around the world will have a completely different set of software.
After awareness comes knowledge, the understanding of the symbols, heroes, rituals, values, and behaviors of people within that culture. While developing a common, shared perception of these things is unlikely, at least developing a strong intellectual understanding of them — and the ability to recognize them when they come up — is a key step to building the skills to work within a foreign culture.
After intellectual knowledge of the culture, comes the development of skills to work within the culture. Skills are based on awareness and knowledge, and come only with practice and real-world exposure. It’s one thing to read about the “Indian head waggle,” but it’s entirely a different thing to learn what it means, and to learn how to do it. It can’t be learned from a book, it can only be learned by doing — is as the case with so many culturally important behaviors.
There are basically two kinds of intercultural communication training programs available. The traditional ones focus on the specific skills needed to get by in another culture. These courses (sometimes called “expatriate briefings”) tend to be short, are often marketed to individuals that find themselves in need of a “crash course” on a foreign culture. They inform the trainee on specific knowledge about the target culture. Some limited history, basic language, and cultural behaviors are presented. The most common social faux pas are itemized in a list of behaviors that the trainee must strive to remember. Many such programs are available in books or audio programs, and when given a short period of time to pick up the basics of a foreign culture, these can be helpful. The drawback to this kind of training is that it ultimately comes across as a long list of facts and rote memorization of behaviors. There is little introspection about one’s own culture or how it differs from the foreign culture. But, if you find yourself suddenly put on a plane to another country, most of these programs can be finished before you land.
A far more effective intercultural communication course focuses on awareness and knowledge about cultural differences. It does not focus on the specifics of any one culture. “Awareness training” focuses on the trainee’s own cultural biases and behaviors, raising one’s own awareness of how they think and act in ways that are culturally specific. As with learning the language, if an expatriate’s family is coming along, it is incredibly beneficial for the entire family to participate in the training program. This dramatically reduces the effects of culture shock and can often be the difference between successful or unsuccessful adaptation to a foreign culture.
One of the goals of any successful cross-cultural training program must be to instill a sense that the trainee is in a constant state of self-assessment and external assessment, constantly looking for the meaning in actions and objects they observe, and finding the differences between those events and their own cultural biases. To be successful a training program cannot simply deliver a preset bundle of information about a given culture. A more sophisticated approach challenges the trainee to constantly observe, become hypersensitive to things they don’t understand, or can’t immediately ascribe meaning to.
These programs can’t happen at the individual, isolated level. Training should be attended by the trainee’s boss as well as any co-workers that will be directly interacting with the foreign office. Achieving personal cultural assimilation is only half the battle: The other half is gaining the understanding of the home office in regard to business cultural differences. One expatriate employee in a foreign country will provide a strong bridge to that country, but the essential behaviors of the foreign culture will still exist. Developing a strong, organizational understanding of those differences is just as important as preparing the individual for an expatriate experience.
What to watch for
Picking up on problems before they balloon out of control is tricky, especially when working in a global context, with widely distributed teams that work on different schedules. Being a constant part of ongoing communication is one way of seeing problems before they arise. This might mean frequent travel, or long hours in the home office (accommodating international work schedules). Technology can go a long way toward helping the situation, as well as hurting it. Email makes it easy to communicate using words, but bear in mind the limitations of those words. Here are a few questions that you may find yourself (or your team) asking. When these come up, it’s likely that there’s a problem fomenting somewhere between a low context and a high context culture:
“Why is this happening now?” Timing carries a lot of meaning in high context cultures. In contrast, low context cultures attach little meaning to timing, feeling instead that “sooner is better than later.”
“Why are we not getting a response?” Or, why are they so slow all the time? Again, look at timing. Silence is a form of timing, and the lack of a direct answer can indicate a desire to seek a different outcome. Sometimes silence is an indicator that the answer is “no.”
“What does this have to do with the topic?” Stories, parables, and allegory are frequently used to provide meaning in high context cultures. Often this indirect communication is used to avoid directly offending or confronting someone. Low context cultures rarely resort to stories and will frequently overlook a “story” as just an irrelevant comment or “joke” having no real relevance.
“What does that gesture / body language mean?” Body language almost always carries meaning. When interacting in person, be aware of body language. Take a second look at what’s happening, and don’t ascribe your own cultural meaning to someone else’s gestures.
“Didn’t I just say that?” Repeating a question, or overconfirming an answer, might be a way of asking you to make a different choice. Many cultures (particularly Asian cultures) won’t say “no” in an outright, direct manner. If you keep hearing “yes,” but actions don’t seem to fit the words, be aware of other communication cues. The “yes” could be a signal of respect, but other cues could be saying “no.”
“Why do they keep insisting on the impossible?” If you feel that they don’t understand something can’t be done, they probably don’t. Keep in mind that low context cultures are going to listen for a clear “no” signal, and that they may not pick up on subtler communication cues.
Do’s and don’ts
Learning the in’s and out’s of communication across cultures takes practice and experience. As your face-to-face exposure to other cultures continues to expand, so will your ability to recognize and respond correctly to foreign mannerisms, styles of speech, and other cues.
Here are a few tips that will help keep the big picture in mind when bridging the East-meets-West gap.
Meetings
Westerners should strive to slow down the meeting schedule and loosen the agenda. Take more time for individual meetings, too, especially early on in a relationship. Keep in mind that many cultures are not afraid of silence, and will use this time to digest what has been said and formulate an appropriate response. They may need extra time to communicate within their power structure, sending information “up” and waiting for decisions to come “down.” Also remember that many Eastern cultures at not “driven by the clock.” While you may agree on a one or two hour meeting, if the relationship is successful this could easily become much longer. Easterners, especially, will probably just be getting comfortable with you, when you’re looking at your watch and wondering how to wrap up on time.
Remember, take the time to build a strong foundation, and a strong relationship. Listen and observe, and give everyone time to think and respond. And if visiting the West for the first time, remember the West’s fascination with a strict agenda, and punctuality. When scheduling a meeting, be sure to add time (and an agenda item) for introductions, and getting to know the team. Most Western companies probably won’t put this on the agenda, and instead will want to jump right in to discussing business. Set expectations and be sure the time allowed for the meeting will actually be long enough. Also, don’t hesitate to ask for more time during the meeting. Westerner’s are unaccustomed to silence, and will try to fill it — but, if you simply say, “give us a moment to talk about that,” it’s OK.
Here are a few more practical tips to keep in mind when working with international partners.
If you come from a Western culture, be watchful and observant. Realize that meaning is attached to more than direct words. If you don’t understand something, ask for clarification.
While Westerners generally tell stories for entertainment value, Easterners will usually look for hidden meaning in those stories.
Silence, in the East, is a form of communication and is not at all uncomfortable. Westerners tend to fill the silence, leaving Easterners feeling interrupted or rushed.
If you come from an Eastern culture, keep in mind that your Western partner is paying attention chiefly to words, and very little to other forms of communication.
A final note on communication
Perhaps because of it causes such a direct impediment to working smoothly together, communication style is something we all think of as a problem in global teams. But it’s absolutely critical that we acknowledge that communication is not the root cause of the problem; it’s the tip of the iceberg, often a symptom of other problems. Broken communication is in many regards the most obvious result of two cultures that just don’t understand each other. Yes, it’s true that a language barrier, or a different style of communicating, contributes to a global team’s headaches. And yet, language barriers are problems that many teams deal with on a day to day basis: Consider, India alone has hundreds of unique language dialects. It is not uncommon to find Indian teams that experience internal language barrier issues — but this alone does not lead to failure.
Case notes: What not to do in Japan
Many of these rules are the results of collectivism in Asia. Unlike the West, in Japan it is more common to think about others before yourself.
Don’t use your cell phone on busses and trains, which are usually very quiet. Your phone should be switched to “manner mode,” or complete silence.
Speaking on a bus, train or in public should be extremely restrained. You will notice that most people do not speak, but if they do, conversation is usually kept at a very subdued level.
In general, in public you should speak very quietly. Americans will often find themselves speaking too loudly, drawing noticable attention.
It is rare to hear someone in Japan complain. They accept their personal responsibility for an event, even if the fault was not primarily theirs.
Even when upset or passionate, getting emotional and raising your voice may cause the listener to feel you are taking your anger or frustration out on them. (In the West it is understood that the passion is directed at the event).
And what not to do in America
With its strong individualist focus, America (and other Western countries) are more focused on what’s right or “OK” for the individual.
Being too quiet or reserved can sometimes be perceived as antisocial. You might be asked “what’s wrong?” People are more outgoing. To show passion about something, it’s OK to raise your voice or gesticulate.
Speaking in a public place is perfectly acceptable, though like Japan, it’s common to use a slightly lower voice. Unlike Japan, this is more about maintaining privacy and less about offending others.
People will frequently use their phones in public, although if you are with a group (perhaps at dinner), it is polite to excuse yourself so that you don’t talk over everyone else’s conversation.
It’s not unusual to talk to strangers, so don’t be surprised if someone you don’t know talks to you in an elevator or while standing in line. Waiters and service staff might also engage you in conversation.
Complaining about something is not uncommon; sometimes other’s might even join in to share their own stories about how awful things are!
Fons Trompenaars & Charles Hampden-Turner, Riding The Waves of Culture: Understanding Diversity in Global Business, McGraw-Hill. ISBN-13: 978-0786311255.