Cross-cultural communication for managers - includes related articles on training at multinational corporations and similarities of cultures

Business Horizons, May-June, 1993 by Mary Munter

Managers must become proficient cross-cultural communicators if they wish to succeed in today's global environment. The purpose of this article is to synthesize multiple insights--from fields as diverse as anthropology, psychology, communication, linguistics, and organizational behavior--and apply them specifically to managerial communication.

Let's start with two definitions. Culture consists of the values, attitudes, and behavior in a given group of most of the people most of the time. Though nearly all of the examples in this article are drawn from different countries, managers can apply precisely the same kind of analysis to the culture of any given region, industry, organization, or work group.

Managerial communication is communication in a management context to achieve a desired result (writing a memo, interviewing an applicant, running a meeting, preparing a presentation). To be effective in any given culture, however, managers should consider the following seven issues before they begin to communicate:

1. Setting communication objectives

2. Choosing a communication style

3. Assessing and enhancing credibility

4. Selecting and motivating audiences

5. Setting a message strategy

6. Overcoming language difficulties

7. Using appropriate nonverbal behaviors

SETTING COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES

As a general rule, managers should delineate consciously and specifically what it is they want their audience to do as a result of the communication--sign a contract, provide information, approve recommendations, or come up with a solution. If you are working in a different culture, you may have to reconsider your communication objective, asking yourself the following two questions:

Is my objective realistic, given the culture? A realistic goal in one culture may not be so in another. One way to get at what might be realistic is to analyze what psychologists call the "locus of control." People in some cultures tend to believe in "internal control" over destiny--that is, that people can control events themselves. People in other cultures believe in "external control" over destiny--that is, events are predetermined and uncontrollable.

For example, suppose you are trying to communicate in an Islamic culture--anywhere from North Africa to the Middle East to Indonesia (the largest Islamic nation). What an American might see as a perfectly reasonable goal, such as "construct the new building on schedule," a Muslim might see as irreligious, because Muslims believe that human efforts are determined by the will of Allah, not by a schedule. Non-Muslims may have to adjust their expectations accordingly. Muslims are not the only ones who believe in external control over events: Filipinos, though predominantly Christian, also tend to be fatalistic. A wellknown saying in Tagalog is bahala na, or "God wills it." Filipinos may view the achievement of your objective as predetermined by fate rather than as controllable by individual effort.

Is my time frame realistic, given the culture? What constitutes an appropriate time frame in one culture may not be achievable in another. It all depends on the culture's concept of time.

In some cultures, timetables are exact and precise; one can expect people to start meetings on time and meet deadlines. Examples of such cultures include Germany and Switzerland. Other cultures have more relative and relaxed attitudes toward time; one may be kept waiting; projects may move more slowly. Examples here are Latin and African countries. An executive in Cameroon tells of a meeting scheduled for 9:00 a.m. in Yaounde. People began to arrive at 1:00 p.m. Surprisingly, however, when the last person showed up at 2:00 p.m., the other Cameroonians admonished him for being late.

A useful framework for adapting a communication objective in any given culture comes from the field of anthropology. Figure 1 summarizes Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck's "Cultural Values Systems" framework and adds managerial implications. To set an effective communication objective, one should analyze a culture by what the authors call "nature" and "time."

As an example, imagine you are working in Saudi Arabia. American and Saudi Arabian cultures fall on opposite ends of Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck's "nature" and "time" orientations. American beliefs are based on internal control and future orientation toward time, as aptly summarized in the phrase "can do." Saudi beliefs are based on external control and past orientation toward time, and are epitomized by the phrase Insha 'allah, "If Allah wills."

CHOOSING A COMMUNICATION STYLE

Once you have established a communication objective, consider the most effective communication style to accomplish it. Use different styles in different situations:

* "Tell": to inform or explain, when you need to control the content of what you are communicating and don't need audience involvement;

* "Sell": to persuade people to do something differently--needs some audience involvement;

* "Consult": to interact with the people with whom you are communicating and whose input you need;