CULTURAL
DIMENSIONS
and how they color discourse
You
are going to meet a businessman
tomorrow, for the first time.
From his
LinkedIn page you see that he is male,
middle-aged,
middle-class, mainstream
appearance. And you see his
nationality.
How
will you present yourself (attire, background...)
if he's from a strongly Form
Trusting culture
(Britain, Japan, Poland...)
Smart
but conservative attire, prestige education, love of
traditions...
if he's from a strongly Form
Distrusting
culture
(U.S., Holland, Jamaica)
Simple
and comfortable attire; considerable experience, passion for job...
You
meet. He asks you how to call you. What do you say...
if he's from a strongly Hierarchical
culture
(India, China, Saudi Arabia...)
As
you like. My Italian clients call me Dr. Rossi; the British say Mr.
Rossi.
if he's from a strongly Horizontal
culture
(New Zealand, Sweden, Israel)
As
you like. My Italian clients call me “Rossi”, but “Maria”
is fine, too.
You
believe your proposal is good both for him (big personal success) and
also for his company (clear economic benefits).
So
what do you say to him to tell him what you believe... if
he is from a strongly Individualistic
culture
(U.S.A., Britain, Holland...)
This
proposal will get you a promotion, it's just what your company
needs. if
he is from a strongly Collectivistic
culture
(China, Pakistan, Portugal...)
This
is what your company needs; your colleagues will be proud of
you.
You
don't like his counter proposal and want him to know it.
So
what do you say to him to reject it... if
he is from a strongly Indirect
culture (Greece,
Saudi Arabia, China)
I'm
perplexed about that; I have to think it over. What else can
you offer? if
he is from a strongly Direct
culture (Holland,
U.S.A., Australia...)
That
doesn't fit our needs, I don't think I could accept that. Another
offer?
You
reach a preliminary verbal agreement that you consider really
innovative, and you
want him to respect the terms when the final contract is drawn up.
So what do you say to him... if
he is from a strongly Self-controlled
culture (Britain,
Japan, Switzerland)
Let
me send you a memo on this so we're sure about the terms.
if
he is from a strongly Other-controlled
culture (China,
India, Mexico...)
We're
making history – let me send you a memo with the key points and
also inform the trade papers of our innovations.
OTHER
DIMENSIONS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION:
Learn from experience vs. from authority
Rules-observant vs. Rules-bending
Uncertainty-tolerant vs. Uncertainty-averse