Cross-Cultural Communication Blunders
Comments on one example of cross-cultural communication hiccup three days in a row! Here is one last observation on the LeWeb incident.
You can read the first two here:
Today I want to remind you that there is no right or wrong here. This incident simply highlights our differences.
Differences In Cultural Attitudes
One of the ways a cross-cultural marketer studies these differences is through the cross-cultural behaviors defined by Geert Hulshof.
This is no exact science. It simply provides a tool for comparison.
By comparing the cultural differences using these five behavior scales, you get a better understanding.
Behavioral Scores
You can read more on behavioral scales on Get International Clients
On the Individualism versus Collectivism behavioral scale:
- Americans have the highest score for Individualism
- The French have a lower score
On the Uncertainty Avoidance behavioral scale:
- Americans have a relatively low score
- The French have a relatively high score
On the Power Distance behavioral scale:
- Americans have a relatively low score
- The French have a relatively high score
On the Masculinity versus Femininity behavioral scale, they are both towards the middle:
- Americans have a higher score
- The French have a lower score
On the High versus Low Context behavioral scale:
- Americans have a relatively low score
- The French have a relatively high score
What should you read into this? Simply…
…This is a method of measuring cultural differences.
- It is obvious there are fundamental cultural differences between the USA and France.
This means that both parties need to make an effort to meet in effective cross-cultural communication.
Balance In Communication
When you watch this video you can pick up attitudes towards different cultures.
One of the American panelists stated that it is up to the foreigners to adapt to his culture. It is obvious that he feels he does not have to make any effort to obtain effective communication with other cultures.
Now this is not possible. In order to have good cross-cultural communication you need effort on both sides.
Most of the time, the effort is not balanced. The person with the stronger cross-cultural skills will cover more distance between the two people.
Now, here is some food for thought…
If one of the two people involved does not make any effort at all, the communication is dependent on the good communication skills of the other person.
If there is any effective communication going on at all, it is thanks to the good communicator.
The good communicator has a much better understanding of the situation. He becomes a master at knowing:
- What to say
- When to say it
- How to say it
In fact, if the good communicator is the sole person working towards the communication between the two cultures, he is in control.
This does not happen often, but…
In business, do you want to hand over control to the other person?
Perception Of Communication
So what happened at LeWeb?
Well, at least one American panelist conveyed that he did not want to adapt his communication.
Yesterday I wrote about how Europeans need more time to build relationships.
Effective cross-cultural communication here was not easy.
An easy way to remedy this is to:
- Diversify the cultures on the panel. This was suggested.
- Have the same panelists return next year. You need exposure to develop good international skills. Well all started at ease just one culture.
Read more on Cross-Cultural Communication Blunders in these articles:
- The Limits Of Cultural Generalizations
- Cultural Blunders In Tele-Sales
- Should You Be Afraid Of Cultural Blunders?
- Can You Prevent All Cultural Blunders?
And read even more in the…
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