Intercultural Management Culture Culture: Definition

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culture

Intercultural Management

Culture is a system that enables individuals and groups to deal with each other and the outside world.
Culture means: shared values, beliefs, assumptions of who and what we are.
They manifest themselves in our behavior and language, the groups we belong to, the nature of our society.
They are externalized in our artefacts, our art and technology.
Our physical environment conditions our technology and art, our behavior and language,… and our identity

Know at least some of the essential politeness words – it is a courtesy.
An acquaintance with someone else‘s home language helps to understand them then they are speaking yours.
Language is not only a vehicle for communication but gives an insight into a people‘s way of thinking, attitudes and behaviour.

English French	pleasure, sophistication
French  British	violence, boring food
Quite pleased	UK: fairly US: very
Table an idea	UK: put on the agenda US: put off the agenda
Coach	US: manager UK: trainer, tutor
International English: Simple vocabulary, standard pronounciation	Native English: accents, colloquialism, slang – difficult to understand

Language is not only the words we speak, it is:
Body language, dress, manners, attitudes and conventions of behavior
Scandinavians, Dutch – very explicit, try to say exactly what they mean, use facts and figures to back it up
British – more vague, fond allusion and understatement, hints and hedging – which many foreigners find confusing

Britain and Ireland: humor is used to create a relaxed atmosphere, ligthen tedium and diffuse tension, disguises aggression
North America: a speech or presentation starts with a joke
Other cultures: humor has no place at work
Outside the business environment a sense of humor is well developed in Germany, Japan or Turkey

Direct speakers appear rude and overbearing to indirect speakers
Indirect speakers appear evasive and unclear to direct speakers
Different communication styles lead to misunderstanding
In France people speak more loudly than in other countries – they appear domineering to soft speakers (Turkey) who seem uncommitted and unenthusiastic
Expansive gestures and emphatic facial expressions (Greece) seem aggressive to people whose body language is restrained (Germany)
Simultaneous speakers (Ireland) appear shallow and rude to serial speakers (Finland)
It is important to avoid drawing wrong conclusions from other people‘s styles

You can tell someone to love them or write a love letter or draw a heart with an arrow through it.
Different cultures use this in different proportions
Northern cultures are more literal, southern Europeans are more oral
People from literal cultures will not take the spoken word seriously unless it is confirmed in writing (letter, fax)
For oral cultures written communication is primarily for the record  confirm letters and faxes with a covering phone call.
In America communication is primarily literal but at the sime time more visual than in Europe – incorporating graphics, diagrams and highlightened bullet points

Middle of a negotiation: Northern Europeans and Americans order in sandwiches and coffee for lunch
Business relationship is independent from personal relationship
For southern Europeans food and drink figure higher in their value system
Southern Europe and East: It‘s important to cement social and personal relationships before you can even start to work together. You need introductions, references and time to develop personal relationships.
Hospitality and gift giving are an integral part of the courtship period.
Business between companies – business between individuals
It takes much longer to start business in relationship cultures

Literature:
Mole,John: Mind Your Manners. Manging business cultures in the global Europe, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, London 2003

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