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

What image is valued? Image credibility is based on your audience's desire to look like you (your attractiveness). That image varies tremendously across cultures. For example, being older is an advantage in Korea and many places in Africa, as is being from the upper class in Great Britain and India and being male in Iran. Obviously, you cannot change your age, class, or sex, but you may have to work harder to establish credibility in cultures where your image is not highly regarded.

What values do you share? Classic American business culture values--such as improving next quarter's bottom line, making more money, or meeting a challenge--are not necessarily universally admired. Search to find values you have in common with a foreign culture, such as the good of the society, organization, or department; increased status or prestige; or appeals to excellence or moral correctness. Establishing an initial common ground is a powerful way to build credibility.

SELECTING AND MOTIVATING AUDIENCE MEMBERS

Just as credibility analysis ascertains how your audience perceives you, audience analysis gets at how you perceive them. The culture in which you are communicating often has a huge impact on how you choose and appeal to your audience.

Should you select or include different people? Many management situations involve multiple audiences. Depending on cultural expectations about rank, authority, and group definition, you may need to include additional or different primary audience members--those who receive your message directly. You may need to add different secondary audiences--those who hear about, need to approve, or are affected by your message. Finally, you may need to reevaluate who represents the key decision maker in your audience. For example, are superiors usually addressed directly, or at least included, in all decisions? Are subordinates? Do you need to add influential officials, leaders, power brokers, contacts, tribe or sect members, or family members?

What will appeal to them? Once you have decided whom to include in your audience, consider what audience appeals or benefits will work best. Research on influence, persuasion, and motivation offers a wide variety of audience appeals, including material wealth and acquisition, task enhancement, career advancement, achievement and challenge, self-worth, security, satisfaction and fulfillment, personal relationships, group relationships, and altruism.

Referring again to Figure 2, think about where the culture falls in terms of Hofstede's "uncertainty avoidance," or tolerance for ambiguity. Try appeals to security issues in such high uncertainty avoidance cultures as Japan, Portugal, and Greece; consider appealing to risk and challenge in such places as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Denmark. '

Hofstede's "masculinity/femininity" dimension in Figure 2 measures the importance a culture places on material wealth versus quality of life. You might, for instance, appeal to people in such "masculine" countries as Austria and Switzerland with promises of material rewards. In contrast, those in such "feminine" countries as Sweden and Norway may respond to appeals tied to quality of life issues, such as job satisfaction and flexibility.