What can you learn by joining either network?
Punctuality: A Global Issue
Many people from European and Asian coun- tries value punctuality as much as, or even more than, people from in the United States. In Hong Kong and Tokyo, the trains are famous for always being on time, and people often show up early for appointments rather than risk being late.
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might leave you out of touch with information about your employees.
If you are an employee, you might not hear what is happening in the world of the managers.
When companies have very poor formal lines of communication, the informal grapevine becomes even more important. Employees often complain that if it weren’t for the grapevine, they would have no idea about what was happening. Grapevines are also usually slanted.
Often, a grapevine will tend to be pro-employee, pro-manager, or in some other way biased, especially when other forms of communication are poor. 14 It is wise, then, to keep these biases in mind when listening to a grapevine; this will help you determine what to believe.
INTERNATIONAL AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Every year, more and more companies open overseas offices, and experts predict that the global economy will continue to expand. Multina- tional corporations now account for nearly half of the world’s assets. Thus, the odds are very good that you will be working for one of these globe- trotting institutions sometime during your life. 15 With the entrance of China and India into the global economy in 2000 and their rising economic power since then, the size of the international market has grown remarkably. 16 Every year, there are more visitors to the United States
from other countries.
Yet despite all of the changes, the average American is ill-equipped to communicate with people from other cultures. Did you know that pointing the sole of your shoe at someone in parts of the Middle East or in India would be consid- ered insulting? That in Chinese society it is all right to stare at people? Or that in several cul- tures, eating with the left hand is considered to be bad manners? 17
Anthropologist Edward T. Hall has identified different cultures as being high context and low context (see Figure 6.4 ). In a low-context culture , a written agreement, such as a contract, can be taken at face value. In other words, one can assume that it means what it says and that it is in itself binding. Low-context cultures include German and Scan- dinavian cultures. North American business culture tends to lean heavily toward the low-context end of the scale.
In a high-context culture , on the other hand, the social context surround- ing the writing is far more important than the writing itself. In a high-context culture, one must be very careful about cultural norms, nonverbal behaviors on both sides, and anything else involving the overall atmosphere of the communication. Notice in Figure 6.5 which countries have the highest- and lowest-context cultures. Do any of them surprise you?
low-context culture A culture in which a written agreement, such as a contract, can be taken at face value.
high-context culture A culture in which social context surrounding a written document is far more important than the document itself: One must be very careful about cultural norms, nonverbal behaviors on both sides, and anything else involving the overall atmosphere of the communication.
figure 6.4
HIGH- AND LOW-CONTEXT CULTURE EXAMPLES Cultural anthropologist Edward T. Hall illustrates how high- and low- context cultures are different, as well as their reasons for being this way.
Is the United States a low- context culture or a high- context culture? Why?
Source: Edward T. Hall, “How Cultures Collide,” Psychology Today 10 (July 1976), pp. 66–74.
“In some cultures, messages are explicit; the words carry most of the
information. In other cultures, such as China or Japan or the Arab
cultures, less information is contained in the verbal part of the message, since more is in the context. That’s why
American businessmen often complain that their
Japanese counterparts never get to the point. The Japanese wouldn’t dream
of spelling the whole thing out. To do so would be a put–down; it’s like doing your thinking for you.”
most of the ures, such as Arab
on is part of the
n the often
The am uld
“Several years ago I was traveling in Crete and wanted to visit the ruins at Knossos. My traveling companion, who was from low-context, fast-moving New York, took charge of the arrangements. He bargained with a taxi driver, agreed on a price, and a deal was made. We would take his taxi. Without warning, just as we were entering the cab, he stopped, got out and asked another driver if he would take us for less money. Since the other driver was willing, my friend said, “Let’s go.” The first taxi driver felt he had been cheated. We had made a verbal agreement, and it had been violated. But my friend, from a low-context opportunistic culture, felt no moral obligation at all. He had saved the equivalent of 75¢. I can still see the shocked and horrified look on the face of the first driver.”
These excerpts are from "How Cultures Collide," an article by Edward T. Hall:
figure 6.5
HIGH- TO LOW-CONTEXT CULTURES
Japan
Middle Eastern Countries Latin America
Italy England France North America Germany Switzerland Low
High Information is
Implied (High Context)
Information is Stated (Low Context)
Figures 6.4 and 6.6 show examples of communication problems that take place when high- and low-context cultures collide. 18 Obviously, the lower- context countries are not likely to cause trouble in communication when they are communicating only with each other.
figure 6.6
INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNICATION TRAPS Every culture is different.
What is okay in Mexico may be considered rude in Saudi Arabia. When traveling or working abroad, it might be best to prepare oneself beforehand, by learning about the country’s norms and customs. If that is not possible, then one should still enter open-mindedly, without expectations that norms and behaviors are the same everywhere. Is there any other rule for doing business in differing cultures?
Source: Lennie Copeland,
“Training Americans to Do Business Overseas,” Training, (July 1983), p. 12.
International Communication Traps—Some Examples In Japan, the practice of giving
small gifts is nearly an obligation in most business situations. In China, on the other hand, gift-giving to an individual in a business situation is strictly forbidden.
In most of Latin America, no offense is taken when someone is late for an appointment. In fact, tardiness is somewhat the norm. In Sweden, to-the-minute promptness is expected.
In the United States, “tabling”
an agenda item means putting it off until later. In England,
“tabling” means “putting it on the table” right now and discussing it immediately.
In Mexico, it is courteous to ask about the spouse and family of a customer.
In Saudi Arabia, you should never ask
about such things.
WORKING WITH HIGH- CONTEXT CULTURES Americans who work with high-context cultures have to understand that success with their clients will depend on several factors other than the products or services being offered.
What makes a high- context culture different from a low-context one?
S T R A T E G I E S F O R S U C C E S S Strategy 6.1 Become a Better Listener 1. Stop talking.
2. Get rid of distractions.
3. Try to enter into the speaker’s reality.
4. Use pauses for reflecting.
5. Listen for main ideas.
Active Listening
Empathy is when you attempt to feel another person’s feelings, attitudes, or thoughts. It can play an important role in effective active listening.
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6. Give feedback.
7. Listen for feelings as well as for facts.
8. Encourage others to talk.
What can you do to become an active listener? You can change your listening habits, but as with all habits, these changes take time and effort.
1. Stop talking. If you are talking, time and opportunity to talk are being taken away from the other person or people. In many ways, this is the most important rule. Remem- ber that most humans have a strong need to be heard—to be listened to.
2. Get rid of distractions. Distractions can be external (such as noise and movements near you), or internal (such as your thoughts and emotions). Move closer to the speaker, change your physical position so that you face the speaker directly, and put any nagging personal problems out of your mind. All of these steps will help eliminate distractions.
3. Try to enter into the speaker’s reality. Even before beginning to listen, prepare yourself to enter the world of the speaker. If the conversation is one-on-one, while you are listening try to make your own needs temporarily less important than those of the other person. Understand that the other person has very real needs. With a public speaker, listen and watch for clues about the world of the speaker.
4. Use pauses for reflecting. When a speaker pauses, use the time to make associations in your mind with other things he or she has said. Think of your own past experiences in order to see relationships among the ideas being offered. In all cases, avoid the tempta- tion to let your mind wander.
5. Listen for main ideas. When listening to a public speaker, jot down key words and phrases. Try as early as possible to see the outline headings the speaker is using. When talking one-on-one, make sure you understand each point made by the speaker. In many cases, this involves asking questions to make certain you have understood.
6. Give feedback. Many people mistakenly think of feedback only as communication in a one-on-one situation. Eye contact and facial expressions are also examples of feedback. When talking with another person, you should
respond with “I” statements. This way, it is clear that you are expressing your feelings, not placing blame. Rather than saying, “Your ideas on this project are hard to understand,” say something like, “I feel that an impor- tant step has been left out. Why don’t you examine the marketing plan before you proceed?” or “I’m having trouble understanding your point here; could you explain to me again?
7. Listen for feelings as well as for facts. Watch for non- verbal messages that communicate how the speaker feels about the subject. Eye and body movements, vocal tone, and posture are examples. By listening for feelings, you will also become more aware of your own feelings about what you’re hearing.
8. Encourage others to talk. Encouraging others to explain their ideas in more detail can make you more responsible for what you say yourself. In a public speaking situation, this means allowing others to be involved when the speaker calls for questions and listening carefully to both sides.
Notice how many of these eight steps involve self-esteem. If you feel good about yourself, implementing all eight of these strategies will be easier and more effective.
People who like themselves tend to be better listeners. This is because they are less likely to need attention and can listen to others without an excessive need to be heard.
Strategy 6.2 Practice High-Context Communication
1. Recognize that people in high-context cultures need to know how to put you into context, to help them understand you better.
2. Speak slowly and clearly.
3. Sprinkle your conversation with at least a few words and expressions from your listener’s native language—but only if you are sure what they mean, and how to pronounce them.
4. Be careful about your nonverbal signals.
1. Recognize that people in high-context cultures need to know how to put you into context, to help them understand you bet- ter. They need to know not only about you, but also about the com- pany or organization that you represent. Without that knowledge, any agreement could be meaningless.
2. Speak slowly and clearly. Stay away from jargon, slang, clichés, and too many idioms. When nonnative speakers learn English, they often learn a textbook version of the language. Expressions such as,
“Let’s get all of our ducks in a row” will likely be lost on them. Since Americans use a great deal of informal language, expressions like this slip out even when you are careful.
3. Sprinkle your conversation with at least a few words and expressions from your listener’s native language—but only if you are sure what they mean, and how to pronounce them. In nearly all language groups, it is considered to be good manners to learn some of the other person’s language. Such an attempt shows the listener that you care and are interested enough to do a little learning. Of course, you must be sure you understand the meaning before using such phrases, and be careful not to mispronounce the words and phrases—at least not beyond recognition.
4. Be careful about your nonverbal signals. If you are communicat- ing through a translator and the listeners are listening to you for peri- ods of time without understanding, your listeners are even more likely than usual to pick up on gestures, tone of voice, and all of the other nonverbals. 19
These rules should help greatly in high-context situations. Most of these, though, would be good to follow when dealing with companies from any other cultures.
Even when context is low, thoughtfulness always pays off.