The Global Dynamics Blog

High-Context, Low-context and Constructive Criticism across Cultures

  

  

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True story: We were brought in to run global team building program for an international team that was struggling with a decreasing amount of trust and cooperation. 

In our initial pre-program research we uncovered several internal struggles that were impacting the group's effectiveness. One of the greatest sources of tension came from two team leaders: one American gentleman (we'll call Mark) and one German gentleman (we'll call Wolfgang).

While at first he wasn't consciously aware of it, during the program, Mark came to realize that he felt resentment toward Wolfgang, because in his mind Wolfgang was purely critical and did not recognize Mark's hard work. 

Wolfgang, it turns out, was a big fan of Mark's. He thought highly of Mark and his contribution to the team. Wolfgang routinely provided constructive feedback to Mark on joint projects when appropriate. He had no notion that Mark felt a disconnect.

Here is an animated dramatization of their interaction:

Constructive Criticism across Cultures

While not as low-context as Germany, the United States is a fairly low-context culture. As a result, an American providing feedback is likely to be straight-forward, but he or she is likely to also attempt to balance negative feedback with positive feedback. If the feedback is only negative, between two Americans, it is likely that the person giving the feedback was extremely disappointed with the effort. 

A German, on the other hand, is more likely to go straight to the point and talk about the areas that need focus.  The (subconscious) thinking in the German culture tends to be: Why state the obvious. There is no need to talk about anything beyond the areas that need attention.

Therefore, Mark mistakenly took Wolfgang's feedback as a condemnation of his work. Wolfgang did not even realize that Mark was offended, in part because the idea of balancing the negative feedback with praise was literally a foreign concept to him and in part because, as a German, Wolfgang was not accustomed to reading into body language or tone. It's quite possible that Mark's body language or tone of voice may have revealed his disappointment to another American.

When giving or receiving constructive criticism across cultures, be aware of this potential for misunderstanding, so you don't get caught in this common pitfall.

Japanese Reaction -- Stoic?? Media, Develop a Global Mindset

  

  

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Throughout coverage of the current disaster in Japan, an overwhelming number of Western-based news media have characterized the Japanese reaction as "stoic." But is stoic a fair and accurate way to characterize the current mood in Japan?

Stoic (adj) is defined as unaffected; indifferent; restrained. Does this apply?

Unaffected: No

Indifferent: No

Restrained: Perhaps...but that doesn't sufficiently convey to readers or viewers what the Japanese are really feeling.

Like the cross cultural scenario we featured a couple weeks ago, this is an example of members of a low-context culture (Westerners) not knowing to look for the messages that are subtle and nuanced, but very much there and very real. This is a missed opportunity to impart cultural intelligence.

To be fair, some news organizations did dig a bit deeper and explain what we are not seeing on the surface, but on the whole the lack of cultural awareness has been disappointing.

Constructive feedback to the media: Rather than simply characterizing the Japanese reaction as stoic, explain that there is much more to the images we see of the Japanese than meets the Western eye.  

Best Practices in International Assignee Cross Cultural Training

  

  

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Last week GDI President Neal Goodman was honored with an invitation to speak at the 2011 FIGT (Families in Global Transition) Conference on Best Practices in International Assignee Cross Cultural Training and Expat Support. 

In this very interactive session, we shared and examined the latest best practices that contribute to a successful cross-cultural/expat training program.  The topics/questions the participants brainstormed included:

If you were to design your ideal cross-cultural/expat training program, what would it look like?

What topics must be covered to help a family integrate into their new culture?

What methodologies have you found to be most effective in expat training?

What have been your best and worst experiences in cross-cultural training programs?

What are the most effective technologies and social media/networks to promote expat success?

Below are the combined results from the interactive session…

If you were to design your ideal cross-cultural/expat training program, what would it look like?

• Consist of cross cultural training and coaching together throughout the duration of the assignment
• Be embedded into a broader “developing a global mindset” curriculum
• Led by trainers with experience in that country
• Provide ongoing resources/access throughout the duration of the assignment and beyond; training/coaching would take place before, during and after the assignment
• Organization would capturing the acquired knowledge of expats to use for upcoming training sessions and general institutional knowledge
• Tactile, sensory, experiential
• Confront stereotypes
• Draw upon and impart real-life understanding
• Age-appropriate
• Pre-program assessment to determine and respond to the specific needs of the trainee(s)

What topics must be covered to help a family integrate into their new culture?

• Transportation
• Clothing/shopping
• School
• Banking
• Language/communication
• Religion/history
• Holidays
• Non-verbal communication
• Colloquialisms
• Do’s and don’t s of the culture
• Health concerns
• Housing
• Socializing customs
• Social structure
• Food
• Emergency procedures
• Security
• Language
• Administrative issues
• Understanding of each family member’s approach/response to differences
• Impact of going from a provider to a dependent (for spouse - sometimes)
• Preparation for potential loneliness and the need to rebuild a social network
• Understanding one’s own cultural biases
• New corporate culture/environment
• Gender issues
• Symptoms and stages of culture shock

What methodologies have you found to be most effective in expat training?

• Inclusion of the whole family and/or a parallel kids program
• Exploration of the RAFT process:
  • Reconciliation
  • Affirmation
  • Farewell
  • Think Destination
• Discussion of expectations
• Simulations/games e.g.: Barnga, BaFa BaFa
• Mentoring
• 3 stages of Transition (Bridges)
• Group coaching

What have been your best and worst experiences in cross-cultural training programs?

Best

• Simulations
• Local knowledge
• Adaptation to audience
• Short and interactive segments
• Multi-format delivery
• Inclusion/introduction of local food and music
• Creative facilitation

Worst

• Simulations gone wrong
• Not debriefing simulations
• Trainer underprepared
• Generalizations leading to stereotyping
• Participants who do not want to be there
• Long/boring lectures

What are the most effective technologies and social media/networks to promote expat success?

• YouTube
• Skype
• Yahoo Groups
• LinkedIn
• XING
• Vonage
• Facebook
• Meetup
• InterNations
• Online forums
• Webinars
• Listservs
• Twitter
• Blogs

Readers, please feel free to add your best practices! 

Why is Cultural Intelligence Critical for an Intercultural Team?

  

  

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One of the most common challenges intercultural teams face is lack of trust resulting from a misunderstanding, even when all parties had the best of intentions.

There are numerous factors that contribute to intercultural miscommunication and the challenges of doing business globally.  One of the most frequent relates to the level of context in which the respective cultures typically speak.

View this short scenario to see a concrete real-life example, learn about the role context plays in cross-cultural communications and increase your own cultural intelligence:

A Bit More on Context

Cultures classified as relatively "high-context" (e.g.: India) have developed communication patterns that are quite nuanced and indirect.  The actual words play a relatively smaller role in relation to body language, eye contact, tone of voice, etc.

For Example: Rather than a direct "no" in response to a request that can not be met, a person from a high-context culture might say something more along the lines of "maybe" or simply talk about the challenges involved without actually saying "no."  If this is a dialogue and both communicators are form the same high-context culture, the person who made the request and was told something less direct than "no" would likely understand exactly what the other party is trying to say.     

Cultures classified as relatively low-context (e.g.: Germany) tend to invest more in the words that are said, and as a result, are quite direct.

For Example: A person from a low-context culture would be likely to respond to a request that can not be met with a flat "no" without much explanation or apology.  If both communicators are from the same low-context culture the flat "no" is unlikely to offend. 

An Assignment

Can you give an example of a situation where you witnessed or experienced an innocent misunderstanding due to different levels of context?