Share|
Dec 23

Celebrating Christmas across Cultures

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture No Comments »

Christmas is celebrated in many cultures around the world in December each year. Christmas is traditionally a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ however there are an increasing number of non-religious Christmas customs and traditions that people celebrate at this time of year. Every culture, denomination of Christianity and even family celebrates Christmas slightly differently – from what they eat and buy to what they do over the Christmas period. Working effectively across cultures requires an awareness of the importance and impact of this holiday celebrated by more than 2 billion people around the world.

Christmas cclickclick i Celebrating Christmas across Cultures

© istockphoto.com/cclickclick

Here are just a few examples of traditions and customs that are celebrated during the Christmas period in the UK, Norway, Italy and France.

Christmas in the UK

In the UK people start getting ready for Christmas right before the start of December, though you may find that decorations and shops start preparing for Christmas even earlier. People will traditionally have a Christmas tree in their home that they decorate with ornaments and lights at the beginning of the month. They may also hang lights outside their house and wreaths made of leaves, pinecones and holly berries on their door.

Family, friends and colleagues will exchange Christmas gifts as part of the celebrations. Some people will also buy an advent calendar filled with chocolates for each day in December until Christmas. Companies will organise Christmas parties in December where employees have the chance to spend time together eating, drinking and often dancing to celebrate the holiday and the end of the year.

Christmas Eve is usually celebrated by enjoying food and drinks with family and friends. On Christmas Day on the 25th of December people will spend time with their families opening gifts, enjoying mulled wine and minced pies and preparing a big meal. The most common Christmas meal in the UK consists of turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, vegetables and Christmas pudding or Christmas cake for desert. The day after Christmas in the UK is also a public holiday called Boxing Day when people don’t go to work and instead spend time with family and friends to continue the celebrations.

Christmas in Norway – Jul

Norwegians are very enthusiastic about Christmas celebrations which they refer to as Jul. After Norway’s national day, Christmas is the biggest celebration in the country. Norwegians typically start baking julekaker (Christmas cookies) almost a month before Christmas to make sure they have a large number and variety of them.

The big celebration happens on the evening of the 24th of December when families gather together for dinner. Many families have traditions of dancing around the Christmas tree, singing Christmas carols and exchanging gifts. On Christmas day families usually watch their favourite Christmas films like “Three Nuts for Cinderella” “From All of Us to All of You”or “The Journey to the Christmas star”.

Christmas in Italy – Natale

In Italy Christmas is usually spent with the family. Italians start preparing for Christmas almost a month before the event by decorating their houses with a tree and often a Presepio (nativity scene). On Christmas Eve, families gather together for dinner. Fish is usually the main ingredient accompanied by pasta and vegetables. For desert they enjoy typical Italian deserts such as Pandoro, Panettone and torrone, a sweet made of honey and nuts.

Families typically open presents on Christmas Day and then share lunch. The food varies from region to region, however the typical meal usually includes pasta, meat, vegetables and typical Italian desserts. The Christmas holiday ends on the 6th of January when la Befana (the good ugly witch) brings sweets to children who behaved well in the last year, and coal to the children who did not behave very well. Different to the UK custom where Santa Claus puts presents in stockings hung by the fireplace on Christmas Eve, the Italians have their stockings filled in January by la Befana.

Christmas in France – Noël

In France Christmas is a time for family gatherings and traditions. Christmas celebrations vary greatly from one region to another. In Northern and Eastern France people usually start the Christmas period by celebrating St Nicholas’ Day on the 6th of December. Most people in France decorate their homes with a tree and a nativity scene called a crèche. In Southern France this crèche is made of small clay figurines called santons that show the life of a provincial village.

The huge Christmas feast is called Le Réveillon and is held on the evening of December 24th. Traditional French Christmas dishes are usually oysters, fois gras and turkey stuffed with chestnuts. A Yule log-shaped cake, mainly made of chocolate, is the traditional dessert all around France. Children usually open their gifts before or after attending Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is a bank holiday.

The way Christmas is celebrated around the world can significantly influence international business and anyone working across cultures. Showing an awareness of the religious and cultural traditions that form part of Christmas celebrations around the world will help you to make a positive impression when working across cultures and build better relationships with your international counterparts.

Make sure you understand and respect the Christmas traditions of the country you are working in as this will reduce the risk of frustration and misunderstandings with your colleagues. Find out whether it’s appropriate to give your colleagues, clients or suppliers a small gift or Christmas card as a way to send them Christmas greetings.

Wherever and however you celebrate Christmas this year we hope you have a lovely holiday!

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

Tagged with: • • • • • • • •
Share|
Dec 21

Perceptions and Attitudes to Alcohol across Cultures

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

Pleasure, tradition or a sin? Relaxing, exhausting or stressful? How do you see alcohol?

The festive season is upon us, and with that often comes a variety of drinks and food products that contain alcohol. Attitudes towards alcohol can vary dramatically from one culture to another, making it difficult to know when it is appropriate to mention it, let alone drink it.

Showing the wrong attitude towards alcohol can make or break a relationship on both a social and professional level so it’s important to always know how alcohol is viewed wherever you are. Cross cultural training courses can provide you with key tips about when and how to consume alcohol, if at all, so that you avoid making any damaging cultural faux-pas when socialising or doing business across cultures.

Businessdinner2 i1 Perceptions and Attitudes to Alcohol across Cultures

© istockphoto.com/photographer name

Cheers!

A recent article in the Financial Times looked at the role of vodka in Russian social and business culture. Seen as an essential part of relationship building, it can be easy to jeopardise a business venture in Russia by forgetting to bring vodka and the mixer to celebrate a deal. In Russia and other countries which have been influenced by Russian culture such as the Ukraine, people celebrate contracts and important milestones around a glass of vodka before they even leave the meeting room. People from these cultures will often expect foreigners to join them in toasting the success and enjoying what can at times be a large amount of alcohol.

In East Asian countries such as China, Japan and Thailand, drinking alcohol is engrained in the social life but only after work. For instance, people from Thailand often drink alcohol to celebrate important occasions. They will also enjoy a glass of wine or beer at dinner, but doing so at lunch can be considered unprofessional and bad-mannered.

When doing business in France it’s common to have an aperitif at the beginning of a professional meal to toast successful business, upcoming events or to health and life in general. It is also customary to drink wine throughout lunch or dinner in France, although they will usually consume less during the day.

The Gift of Alcohol

Gift-giving is often an important part of relationship building in many cultures so you may be expected to bring a gift at the start of a business venture or relationship. Some will expect a nice box of chocolates while others will appreciate a traditional or local product from your home country. Alcohol is sometimes perceived to be a very generous or appropriate gift but always check with someone from the host country before bringing it.

Here are a few ideas of how alcohol is or isn’t appreciated as a gift in cultures around the world.

  • In France, offering a good bottle of wine or old spirit is appreciated. Many companies will offer bottles of wines or good whiskey to their best clients for Christmas or other special occasions, and when visiting someone’s home it’s always a kind gesture to bring a nice bottle.
  • In Thailand, there used to be a well practised tradition of giving alcohol to blue collar workers while white collar workers would receive a basket with biscuits, tea, alcohol, juices and coffee. More recently however people tend to avoid giving alcohol generally and instead offer baskets of fresh fruit.
  • When doing business with Jewish counterparts in Israel or elsewhere be aware that some will avoid drinking alcohol at all as part of their religious beliefs. Always check with your colleagues whether it is appropriate. In some cases wine is acceptable but it’s a good idea to buy bottles in a kosher wine specialist shop.

Alcohol as an Offence

Although social drinking is accepted in many business environments around the world, some countries prohibit alcohol consumption. In most Muslim countries, especially in the Middle East, drinking or offering alcohol could deeply offend your counterparts. In some countries it is not only a question of respect but also a legal one. For example in Saudi Arabia or Iran anyone bringing in alcohol could be arrested and prosecuted.

For most Hindus, drinking or offering alcohol is usually perceived as disrespectful but this often depends on the generation of the individual and how much they follow the religious beliefs. When doing business in India and other countries with large populations of Hindus, you may therefore find mixed attitudes towards alcohol so it’s always best to check what is appropriate before drinking in public.

Some international companies can also encounter problems regarding products containing traces of alcohol in the ingredients. Boxes of chocolate which contain liquor or salad dressing with white wine vinegar may be forbidden in countries like Saudi Arabia where laws around alcohol are very strict.

International businesses relationships can be threatened or strengthened with alcohol, depending on how it is used. It’s not something that people tend to think about when working across cultures, but their success can depend on whether they show the right attitude and behaviour towards alcohol. Cross cultural training courses can help anyone working across cultures to understand how to avoid the risk that can come with not understanding local values and perceptions towards things like alcohol, whether a pleasure, tradition or sin.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

Tagged with: • • • • • •
Share|
May 18

Presenting to an International Audience: Adapting your Style for Maximum Impact

Cross Cultural Training, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector, Presentation Skills 2 Comments »

Have you ever asked a question during a presentation you were delivering to an international audience and no one responded? Or perhaps you’ve made a joke when delivering a presentation that no one laughed at? Many people don’t realise how important it is to adapt the way you deliver presentations to people from international backgrounds. Presenting to an international audience effectively requires a unique set of presentation skills and cultural understanding.

Happy meeting Neustockimages i Presenting to an International Audience: Adapting your Style for Maximum Impact

© istockphoto.com/Neustockimages

Cross-cultural communication skills training programmes like Presenting to an International Audience can be a tremendous help to anyone preparing a presentation for a global group. Training can help you to understand the cultural characteristics which may impact audience expectations when presenting to an international audience, while it will also help you to adapt your style effectively to have the most impact.

Whether following tips on what to avoid during a presentation or increasing your understanding of how to most effectively structure your delivery, it’s important you have the right cultural awareness and international presentation skills for any global delivery.

Using Humour

Humour is one part of cross-cultural communication that can have a really positive effect on a presentation, but it can also go seriously wrong if not used appropriately when presenting to an international audience. In Germany and Japan, for example, people don’t tend to appreciate jokes in presentations as much as they do in the US. In France the style and appearance of the presenter itself are very important and humour does not really play a role in French presentations. In the UK people tend to prefer traditional rather than modern PowerPoint slides and a bit of humour in your presentation can be appreciated.

Choosing your Communication Style

Countries like Germany, Sweden and Switzerland tend to be low context cultures in which people are rule, detail and task oriented so presentations tend to have a clear structure and include lots of information. In high context cultures like Brazil and Italy, communication tends to be less verbally explicit and individuals place a high emphasis on personal face-to-face interactions. When presenting to a high context culture, you should therefore try to use fewer words in your slides and select them carefully.

Managing Different Perceptions of Time

According to Edward T. Hall it is important to establish whether you are going to present in a culture which tends to be more monochronic or polychronic. People in monochronic cultures tend to appreciate punctuality and schedules, and time is considered a scarce resource. When presenting to audiences from monochronic cultures, make sure you start your presentation on time, stick to the structure you have outlined and finish as planned as ’time is money’. Conversely, individuals in polychronic cultures put more emphasis on relationships rather than schedules and they will often make last minute changes or interruptions. Don’t be offended if people ask questions or make remarks during a presentation to a polychronic audience as this is quite normal behaviour.

Anyone delivering presentations to an international audience can greatly benefit from considering the cultural characteristics of the audience they are presenting to. International businesses can also profit immensely from developing the presentation skills of its employees, especially when cross-cultural components of the delivery are taken into consideration. By helping employees to increase their understanding of their international audience, they can more successfully harness the cultural differences in each and every context and have the most impact.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

Tagged with: • • • • • • •
Share|
Apr 22

Celebrating Easter across Cultures

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture No Comments »

Millions of people are going to celebrate Easter this weekend, an important holiday in the Christian faith that is celebrated around the world. Easter originally stems from pagan traditions which celebrated the goddess Eostre and spring. Many of these traditions then merged with the Christian celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection around the same time, creating the holiday which we now celebrate today.

Celebrations of Easter can vary dramatically across cultures. For some, Easter still has a very deep religious meaning and will be celebrated traditionally with periods of fasting, prayer and feasts. Others will celebrate with a simple meal together with family, a service at Church or games with children.

No matter where in the world you are doing business, it’s important to recognise the importance of this holiday and how it is celebrated when working across cultures. Here are a few ideas of the festivities and traditions you may come across when doing business in the US, France, the Czech Republic and Spain.

Easter Eggs gilaxia i Celebrating Easter across Cultures

© istockphoto.com/ Gilaxia

Easter in the US

Easter is celebrated to varying degrees in the US. Some people will go to church for every symbolic event during the Easter period while others may only celebrate with a traditional meal on Easter Sunday. Good Friday is a public holiday in the US, but Easter Monday may only be given as a holiday by some businesses so when doing business in the US always ask when your counterparts will be working during this time.

Easter tends to be a very popular holiday with children in the US and often involves events or food around the theme of bunnies and eggs. Easter egg hunts are one of the most common American Easter traditions. Another popular Easter tradition in the US for children and adults alike is egg rolling. The most famous egg rolling race in the US takes place on the lawn of the White House and involves children and parents pushing eggs through the grass with wooden spoons. Children also traditionally wake up to a basket of chocolates, jelly beans and other treats or small gifts on Easter Sunday.

Easter in France

In France, flying bells replace the symbol of the bunny. Children believe that the flying bells hide chocolate eggs in the garden while they are sleeping. This tradition comes from a Christian belief that church bells flew to the Vatican in Rome to see the Pope and returned on Easter Sunday bringing chocolate and eggs. This belief is one reason why church bells do not ring from Good Friday to Easter Monday in France.

To celebrate Easter many families in France will share a meal together and give chocolate flying bells, eggs and bunnies to children and boxes of chocolates to family, friends and colleagues. Easter Monday is a bank holiday so bear this in mind when doing business in France.

Easter in the Czech Republic

The most popular Easter game in the Czech Republic is egg tapping. In this game players must tap each other’s hard boiled and decorated eggs with their own in an attempt to break them without damaging their egg. In some areas of the Czech Republic, men will gently hit women with handmade whips decorated with ribbons on Easter Monday. This tradition can be linked to a legend of the Middle Ages which suggested that women should be spanked to stay healthy and beautiful for the coming year. In Prague, music festivals and Easter markets animate the city.

Many of these traditions are also celebrated in other countries in Central and Eastern Europe such as Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. Home to many Orthodox beliefs, many Eastern European countries celebrate Easter more religiously with periods of prayer and feasts with family. Easter is the period where thousands of Orthodox pilgrims converge on Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Orthodox Church celebrates Easter according to the Julian calendar, so the date may vary from the Christian calendar. Bear this in mind when doing business in Central and Eastern Europe as working hours may be disrupted in a different way.

Easter in Spain

In Spain the week leading up to Easter called Semana Santa is celebrated with great effort. On Palm Sunday people traditionally attend morning mass and then watch a procession organised by local churches to celebrate the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem. During the procession children and adults will often carry palm leaves for the priest to bless. On Ash Wednesday worshippers may fast and also place ashes on their foreheads as a sign of remorse. This tradition can be seen by many practising Christians around the world.

On Easter Sunday some cities like Almaden de la Plata and Castilblanco de los Arroyos have Easter parades that end with the burning of giant puppets representing famous people. The city of Verges hosts a traditional midnight death dance parade where people wear costumes. At the end of the procession people dressed as skeletons carrying boxes of ashes perform a ghoulish dance. In Sevilla, people will wear penitential robes with pointy hats and walk through the streets following heavy wooden floats carried by men. The streets on the route of the Semana Santa procession are covered with fresh rosemary and people will watch from their balconies waving palms as the procession passes. During the Easter Sunday feast, godfathers will often give their godchildren a traditional cake called ‘La Mona’.

Easter traditions around the world can have a huge impact on anyone doing business internationally. Showing an awareness of the religious and cultural traditions that form part of Easter will help you to not only make a positive impression when working across cultures but it will help you to more effectively manage a period when many people take time off.

Failing to understanding an Easter tradition or not respecting a cultural custom can cause frustration and potential misunderstanding with your international counterparts. A simple greeting, chocolate or card on this holiday could make a huge difference to your cross-cultural relationship, just check what is appropriate in advance.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

Tagged with: • • • • • • • •
Share|
Nov 30

Cultural Sensitivity Training – Helping your Company to Work Successfully across Cultures

Cross Cultural Training, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources No Comments »

Working across cultures is commonly seen as a challenging experience, with many obstacles and differences often hindering progress or success. Even the best employees can fail when they are operating outside their usual and familiar cultural context. Working successfully across cultures does not have to be challenging, however, especially if you have the right intercultural knowledge, support and cultural sensitivity training. There are several examples of successful international managers who have proven that it is possible to succeed in a cross cultural context.

Business Meeting 13 track5 i Cultural Sensitivity Training – Helping your Company to Work Successfully across Cultures

© istockphoto.com/ Track 5

Is there some kind of “secret recipe” to ensure this success? Schools of global management like Thunderbird University claim that a global mindset increases the cultural sensitivity of international managers, allowing them to excel regardless of the culture they are dealing with. But what exactly do we mean by “cultural sensitivity”?

Anyone with a high level of cultural sensitivity will adapt more easily and effectively to the values, attitudes and communication styles of another culture. With a high level of cultural sensitivity, international managers or members of international teams are able to better understand and harness the potential of their multicultural team. Cultural sensitivity can help anyone working across cultures recognise what motivates people in that culture and know how to reward performance while avoiding cultural faux pas and incidents that could put the cohesion and success of the team at risk.

Cultural sensitivity can also be useful for companies when it comes to selling to or making strategic decisions with organisations or individuals from a different culture. Many western brands have shown a terrible lack of cultural sensitivity when they tried to do business across cultures. When Pepsi used light blue for its product packaging in South East Asia, for instance, they did not realise that light blue was actually the colour of mourning in that specific culture so sales decreased and Pepsi lost money changing their marketing campaign. Providing cultural sensitivity training to the Pepsi team responsible for this new branding could have helped avoid a costly and unnecessary situation.

Developing cultural sensitivity can take time but it can be increased through experience working across cultures.  Employees working across cultures can benefit immensely from cultural sensitivity training courses which will give them a solid cross cultural framework and skills to help them to avoid cultural pitfalls and misunderstandings. The combination of international exposure and cultural sensitivity training will give anyone working across cultures the skills they need to reach their full potential in any cultural environment.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

Tagged with: • • • • •
Share|
Jul 29

Avoiding Cultural Faux Pas in an International Context: Perceptions of Touching

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

Touching is perhaps one of the most dangerous aspects of non-verbal communication and one that is often misinterpreted. While touching someone on the arm or shoulder during a conversation can be accepted and encouraged in some cultures, it can be regarded as highly inappropriate and nearing sexual harassment in other cultures.

Business Woman shaking hands i Avoiding Cultural Faux Pas in an International Context: Perceptions of Touching

© istockphoto.com/ Neustockimages

 

The vast majority of cultures however have a complex approach to this particular question. In most Islamic countries for instance, touching a woman can be completely taboo but it can be perfectly acceptable for men to hold hands in public as this is regarded as a sign of friendship. When and who you can touch, whether a handshake or an encouraging touch on the shoulder, can be hard to understand if you are not familiar with cultures where Islam plays an important role.

Another good example of where touch can be misinterpreted or confusing is in France. When doing business in France you may find that your counterparts maintain a high level of formality and will not have very much physical contact. The only time French tend to have any physical contact at work is when they greet and say goodbye, typically with a firm handshake or kisses on each cheek between close colleagues.

In more informal situations the French will usually greet other with a kiss on both cheeks, sometimes twice and sometimes four times depending on the region and relationship. Even men can be seen greeting other men with kisses on the cheek provided they are close relatives or friends. Once again, this kind of behaviour can be puzzling for anyone doing business in an unfamiliar culture, leading to critical incidents or awkward situations that may prevent them from effectively working in that culture.

Knowing and deciphering different non-verbal behaviours and gestures is crucial for anyone working across cultures, whether as an international assignee, global manager or project team leader. Cross cultural awareness training courses like Doing Business in France or Living and Working in Saudi Arabia can increase your understanding of non-verbal communication and other cultural differences to ensure you have the most relevant cultural tools and strategies for a successful international experience.

© Communcaid Group Ltd. 2010

Tagged with: • • • • • • •
Share|
Jul 04

Being Successful in International Markets – New CEO of Tesco is Model Example

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management No Comments »

Tesco recently announced the promotion of Philip Clarke to take over as the next CEO of the Tesco Group. Clarke is a pure Tesco by-product; in fact his first job was part time assistant in a Tesco near Liverpool when he was still a student.

Clarke made his way to the top of the company and gradually took on more responsibilities from his roles as Store Manager to Supply Chain and IT Manager. According to an article in the Evening Standard, he was eventually designated as the next CEO of Tesco thanks to his brilliant and successful campaign in the South Korean and Chinese markets.

Meeting Neustockimages i Being Successful in International Markets – New CEO of Tesco is Model Example

© istockphoto.com/ Neustockimages

 

Many argue the main reason behind Clarke’s success is his adaptation policy. Instead of trying to force local customers to act like British, he adapted his retail methods and stores to the local market. One of the best examples of this is how Tesco sells fish and seafood in China. Fish does not come in a sealed plastic bag like in most western countries but is instead presented alive in a pool, waiting for the customer to catch it! Thanks to this philosophy and innovative approach, Tesco did not encounter difficulties like some of its rivals like French Carrefour or American Wal-Mart who also attempted to harness the benefits of the market in South East Asia.

Clarke is also responsible for developing successful partnerships with local suppliers when entering new international markets. For example, Tesco signed a partnership agreement with Tata in order to facilitate the opening of new cash and carry stores in India. Thanks to this alliance, Tesco will be able to benefit from the experience and knowledge of Tata (which already own its own retail stores line) to enter this new and promising market and be successful in India.

This philosophy of adapting to the local habits of other cultures and building relationships with local suppliers has made a huge difference in the retail sector. Adaptability is also a valuable skill when it comes to working in other cultures or managing multicultural teams while learning from local partners is also a shortcut to success.

Communicaid’s cross cultural awareness training courses can help you to gain the skills and insights necessary to ensure good working relationships and communication with your international counterparts. The cross-cultural understanding and knowledge you develop on an intercultural training course such as Selling across Cultures will also help you to adapt your business strategies to the local market and better understand what customers in other cultures expect, need and want from you as a global supplier.

Tesco has taken the right steps in this direction and provides its employees with a number of cultural awareness training solutions. By doing the same you may see a significant increase in international sales and be able to develop the adaptability skills of key individuals like Philip Clarke who can make a real difference to your organisation.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

Tagged with: • • • • • • • • • •
Share|
Jun 24

Cross Cultural Communication: The Magic of a Smile

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

In the international business world the first face-to-face meeting with business counterparts can significantly influence the success of the relationship, negotiation or contract. Many people underestimate the impact of first impressions which can either unite or alienate people forever.

Psychologists studying the phenomenon of ‘first impressions’ suggest that if the person wants to be accepted and trusted by his or her peers, all verbal and non-verbal messages should complement each other. Practically, this means that none of the sent signals should go into conflict with another signal sent at the same time.

Team businessYuri Arcurs i Cross Cultural Communication: The Magic of a Smile

© istockphoto.com/ Yuri Arcus

 

For example, a British person saying ‘yes’ while rubbing their head and raising their eyebrows may not give the message of ‘yes’ to the other person but rather a message of ‘I’m saying yes but I’m not really sure’. While the person receiving the message understands something different than what the sender intended, the sender does not often realise that the receiver hasn’t understood their message in the first place.

Examples of where people use conflicting verbal and non-verbal signals increases significantly in intercultural interactions. This is primarily because a non-verbal signal such as gestures or facial expressions in one culture can often mean something completely different in another, frequently resulting in misunderstandings and confusion.

Smiles are something that can easily be misinterpreted by people from different cultures. Smiling in North America is usually a sign of happiness and confidence as well as an effort to build rapport. In Russia, people often smile when they are happy or when something really funny takes place but you may find they do not smile quite as much as their counterparts in North America. Meanwhile, in many Asian cultures, smiling is often a signal that they are embarrassed or uncomfortable.

Take the example of an American manager who was once visiting some business counterparts in China to celebrate the opening of a new factory. The Chinese wanted to be sure everything was perfectly organised to really impress their new manager so they booked the American manager in a nice hotel and organised lots of social events in the evening. The morning after the first evening, the American manager woke to find no hot water in the hotel. He went down to the reception to complain but was greeted with a smile. He was already frustrated about the situation and felt even more frustrated by the smiling response from the receptionist. He later mentioned the situation to his Chinese counterparts in frustration and they too, smiled in return, and gave a small apology. This situation did not significantly hurt the visit or relationship, but it did leave the American manager feeling very confused about their reaction.

This is an example where a simple smile was completely misinterpreted. The North American may have thought the Chinese receptionist was smiling as they thought the situation was funny but the Chinese receptionist most likely felt uncomfortable and did not have a solution for the situation so was therefore trying to prevent loss of face.

This is a very basis example of where a simple smile can easily be misinterpreted and change the perception people have of each other. This kind of communication breakdown can be more effectively anticipated and understood by taking part in a cross cultural training course such as Doing Business in China. Intercultural Training China programmes such as this can help business people understand Chinese values such as face as well as the different communication styles and non-verbal gestures such as smiling to ensure they correctly interpret and understand any interactions with their Chinese counterparts. By accentuating the differences between cultures, intercultural training can help anyone doing business internationally pay more attention to the details and suggest strategies to overcome any possible cross cultural miscommunication.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

Tagged with: • • • • • • • • • •
Share|
Jun 15

Football – How Intercultural Differences can Make or Break the Dreams of a Nation

Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management No Comments »
Football Adam Kazmierski i Football – How Intercultural Differences can Make or Break the Dreams of a Nation

© istockphoto.com/ Adam Kazmierski

With the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa in full swing, there seems to be little else that people talk about these days. Football is the most popular sport on the planet and events such as the World Cup attract fans from all over the world.

Devoted supporters follow their teams regardless of time zone, and players such as David Beckham are revered as much here as they are in Asia or America. Still, even though football’s boundaries seem endless and we can all watch the same match wherever we are, cross-cultural differences between countries remain and can provide challenges even in the international language that is football.

Speaking strictly in terms of business, football and professional sports in general are one of the very few global enterprises in which players and coaches are brought from all over the world and put into a team which is then expected to communicate and achieve positive results immediately, regardless of cultural or linguistic differences. Yet, even though the topic of intercultural training has been more widely reported in the world of business than in sports, intercultural communication should be given attention whenever and wherever international success is expected.

 

An employee who is assigned to a foreign country without any sort of previous experience of the cultural customs, traditions or language can hardly be expected to thrive regardless of his subject expertise or football abilities. A good example to illustrate this point is the one around a familiar face to England fans: Sven-Göran Eriksson.

A Case in Point: Sven-Göran Eriksson

Sven, a Swedish national, is one of the most sought-after international trainers having achieved several victories in European leagues before receiving the coveted post of England manager in 2001. Sven’s England adventure was often criticised but still quite successful, with the FA actually rating Sven as England’s second most successful coach after Alf Ramsey, who led England to their only World Cup trophy in 1966.

After leaving the England post, Sven became coach for Manchester City and led them to their most successful season for decades, but he was let go because of differences with the team’s owner. However, a few days later he was scooped up by Mexico to become their national coach.

With such an impressive CV, it was thought that Sven’s experience in European football could be a breath of fresh air and would help change the Mexican mentality, leading the team to a higher level. However Sven’s stint as Mexico’s manager failed spectacularly.

Starting in 2008, Mexico suffered humiliating defeats against much weaker teams such as Jamaica and Honduras. The Mexicans also lost against the US, their bitter northern rivals, which earned Sven a lot of criticism. When Mexico lost a World Cup Qualifying match against Honduras in 2009, Sven was sacked from his position because the Mexican Football Federation thought it too risky to keep him and jeopardise Mexico’s participation in the World Cup.

Why did things go so wrong?

How is it possible for such an experienced football manager to fail in the seemingly easier level of Central American Football, having previously succeeded in the highly competitive European leagues? There are surely several answers to that question but there is one that focuses on the fact that Sven’s success in Europe was just not transferrable to a different cultural setting like Central America.

Sven is Swedish and as a European football expert he kept up to date with the European leagues and worked for clubs in Italy, Sweden and Portugal. While these countries differ widely in terms of culture, Europeans are clearly more aware of each others’ football traditions thanks to the proximity of their countries and European tournaments such as the Champions League, Euro or the UEFA Europa League.

So Sven-Göran Eriksson’s failure can be seen as his lack of expertise in Mexican football, the wider culture and the football tradition. It is unlikely he had heard much about the Mexican league or the players before his assignment in Mexico. So Sven’s failure could be blamed on a lack of intercultural awareness and a lack of adaptation on his side. It could also be blamed on the assumption of the Mexican Federation that his expertise could be used in any context, despite the cultural differences.

This example shows the importance of intercultural training courses and cross cultural awareness whenever different cultures meet. Whether it is a multinational company or a football coach, expertise and a previously outstanding record do not necessarily ensure a successful international assignment.

Communicaid’s wide range of cross-cultural awareness training courses are specifically tailored to meet you and your organisations’ needs. Communicaid’s cross cultural awareness training courses will ensure international assignees are equipped with the practical tools and skills necessary to live and work in a multicultural environment, whether they are responsible for the roll-out of an international merge or the success of a football club.

Now Sven is national coach of the Ivory Coast and will be playing today against Portugal. Let’s see if he learned his lesson this time…

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

Tagged with: • • • • • • • • • • •
Share|
Jun 03

Working across Cultures: the Challenges of Virtual Communication

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector 3 Comments »
Business Woman on laptop 2 quavondo i Working across Cultures: the Challenges of Virtual Communication

© istockphoto.com/ Quavondo

Virtual communication is a vital asset for international business. It allows business people to hold international business meetings without having to move from their offices. It also eliminates the need to spend time and money on travel and reduces the frustration that can result from it. Virtual communication is also an excellent way of bringing together people from a variety of cultural backgrounds who offer a number of diverse perspectives and opinions that can help international organisations harness skill and knowledge from around the world.

  

Although virtual communication has a huge number of advantages, it also presents an array of challenges for a wide group of people around the world. Many people recognise that virtual communication prevents us from sharing any non-verbal communication such as gestures or facial expressions. However what they do not realise is that for many cultures, the non-verbal part of the message is actually one of the most important aspects of communication.

Virtual communication can present challenges for a vast majority of people, but it can be even more difficult for individuals in cultures that strongly emphasise relationships. When doing business with counterparts in southern Europe or South America, for instance, you may find they experience difficulties when using virtual communication. You may also find that they feel frustrated by not having the possibility to socialise directly with their international counterparts. The lack of physical contact like a pat on the shoulder or a firm handshake can also make them feel that there is definitely something missing in the message they are sending to their counterparts.

Virtual communication can also be difficult when it involves people with a different communication style. Low context communicators who rely a lot on the meaning of words, such as North Americans, are likely to find it difficult to communicate virtually with high context communicators, like Indians, who will tend to deliver part of their message with silence or non-verbal signs. In this particular case, the virtual method of communication itself becomes an obstacle.

 

Chinese businessman with cellphone i 425x283 Working across Cultures: the Challenges of Virtual Communication

© istockphoto.com/ Hfng

How can virtual teams overcome these difficulties? Meeting face-to-face every now and then seems to be one of the most appropriate solutions however it can be impractical and expensive. Team members are often located on different continents and moving every member for the sole purpose of having a face-to-face meeting where they can socialise and build relationships is usually unrealistic for international organisations with an eye on the bottom line.

The use of ‘friendly’ means of communication can be a good alternative to help your teams to socialise. For example, using video conferencing helps to put a face to the name and allows people to see non-verbal communication. Creating special channels of ‘small talk’ for the team such as a dedicated virtual chat room on the corporate intranet can give people the opportunity to have more informal conversations.

Effective remote working or management of virtual teams can be challenging, but intercultural training can help you develop strategies and skills to more effectively communicate with international counterparts. Communicaid’s cross cultural awareness training courses like Managing Virtual Teams or Effective Virtual Working can help you identify the most appropriate solutions and develop skills to effectively manage the virtual element.

Providing cross cultural training to a virtual team will make them aware of the potential difficulties of virtual working and ensure they find ways of making the most of their communication. It’s also a perfect opportunity to bring the team together in a face-to-face context, or they can do a virtual training session which will truly help them identify and deal with virtual challenges they face.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

pixel Working across Cultures: the Challenges of Virtual Communication
Tagged with: • • • • • • • •
Previous Entries
preload preload preload