Stages of Cross Cultural Awareness

Posted on March 16, 2011 by admin

Cultural awareness is a way of thinking about and viewing the world. It means understanding, respecting and successfully interacting with those whose world views, values, behaviors, communication styles, customs and practices are different than one’s own.

Cultural Awareness occurs in stages.

Stage 1: People are all the same.
This is the conviction that we all, deep down, hold the same values and beliefs. This very limited perspective is most often due to a lack of experience with difference.

Stage 2: Cultural differences exist, but my culture is the best.
In this stage, we realize that differences in cultural norms, values, customs and beliefs exist. However, they are seen as less desirable than our own, or even threatening. The desire is both to defend one’s own culture and minimize others.

Stage 3: Other cultures are of value and I can learn from them.
In this stage, we recognize the complexity and richness of other people’s cultures. We accept and see the potential benefits of other cultures’ values and beliefs. We may even choose to adopt some of these values or behaviors.

Stage 4:  More than one cultural frame of reference exists.
We become aware of our own cultural filters and begin to adapt our perceptions and behaviors. Through repeated exposure to or education about other cultures, we develop a deeper  understanding of a culture’s unique traits, values and norms. People in this stage can shift communication style and behaviors to effectively and appropriately  interact with diverse cultures.

Individuals in the first two stages are less likely to identify and resolve intercultural conflict than those in the latter stages.

Which stage are you in?

Posted in Uncategorized, cross cultural communication, cross cultural conflict, managing diversity | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

5 Standards for Delivering Culturally Competent Healthcare

Posted on February 8, 2011 by admin

Culturally competent healthcare delivery is not just the right thing to do, it ‘s also good business sense. It is the culturally competent organization that will have a competitive edge in the health care market and a decreased likelihood of liability/malpractice claims.

The culturally competent healthcare organization:

1.  Empowers staff to work comfortably and effectively across the cultural and linguistic boundaries.

2. Takes a holistic view of health, inclusive of cultural health beliefs and practices, as well as the physical, mental and emotional aspects of diverse groups.

3. Provides training opportunities that tie cultural competence to improved health outcomes and promote culturally competent care, including awareness of:

  • demographics of cultures served and relevant cultural data
  • disease and illness patterns
  • health and wellness beliefs
  • expectations about provider/client relationship
  • communication style (both verbal and nonverbal)
  • relevant laws relating to cultural and linguistic access
  • Self-awareness of one’s own cultural beliefs, biases, and communication patterns

4. Promotes a system of recruitment and retention of qualified staff from diverse backgrounds who understand their patient cultures and communities in order to support an organizational culture that can better serve the community.

5. Incorporates linguistically appropriate services and provide appropriate language assistance at all points of contact. This may includes bilingual staff, interpreters and written materials (including signage)  in commonly used client languages. This may also include accent reduction training for employees to be more understandable to clients.

Posted in cross cultural communication, customer service, healthcare | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Who Is Responsible For The Message?

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Lauren Supraner

Good communication is a culturally-bound concept. What is appropriate and effective in one culture may not be so in another. However, regardless of culture, all communication carries a message.

But who is responsible for making sure that message gets transmitted?
Who is responsible for the message also varies by culture. This affects the expectations of both the writer and reader and can be a source of miscommunication and misunderstanding.

English is a writer-responsible language.  That means it is the responsibility of the writer to make sure the message is understood. Writing is clear, direct and unambiguous. Schools teach from early on the importance of  structure, thesis statement and topic sentences when writing in English.  A good writer assumes no or little background knowledge on the part of the reader.

Korean, Chinese, and Japanese are reader-responsible languages. That means the reader is responsible for deciphering the message, which is often not stated explicitly. For an American who is expecting direct and explicit information, this style can be very confusing.

Because the writer is not responsible for the message, there is little use of sign posting and transitional phrases in the writing.  These are phrases such as on the other hand; secondly; as you can see; therefore; which are used in writer-responsible cultures to lead the reader through the writer’s thought process. Without these phrases, the writing may seem choppy and disconnected to an American reader. 

These style differences can create cross cultural misunderstandings in  emails,  job applicant cover letters, and even technical writing.

Posted in American culture, Asian culture, Language, business writing, cross cultural communication | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New Year Traditions Around the World

Posted on December 30, 2010 by Lauren Supraner

Although most New Yorkers would like to believe it, not everyone around the world is waiting for the ball to drop in Times Square.

Here are 10 ways the new year is celebrated around the world. How do you ring in the new year?

  1. Spain: eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight
  2. Denmark: at midnight, stand on a chair and jump off
  3. Columbia: wear red or yellow underwear for good luck
  4. Finland: drop molten tin into water. The resulting shape will forecast the next year.
  5. China: scare away bad spirits with dragon dances, lion dances and plenty of fire crackers
  6. Japan: strike a temple bell 108 times to curb 108 desires that torment humankind
  7. Denmark: throw old dishes at friends’ and loved one’s houses
  8. Peru: burn elaborate effigies of notable people from the previous year
  9. Scotland: first footer- the first person who steps into your house in the new year will set your luck for the next year. Traditionally the best “first footers” are considered tall, black-haired men bearing gifts
  10. Norway: prepare rice pudding with one whole almond mixed in. Whoever gets the lucky almond will have wealth and luck in the New Year
Posted in holidays and celebrations | Tagged | 1 Comment

Accents in the Workplace

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Lauren Supraner

Everyone has an accent.

Accent marks one’s native language and geographic region, among other things.  A wide range of  research has shown that your accent affects how others perceive you, and may even judge you on issues unrelated to accent.  Still other research has shown that adults view and respond more positively toward speakers with an intelligible rather than an unintelligible foreign accent.

While it is not necessarily desirable or even possible  to lose one’s accent completely, there are benefits to modifying one’s accent to be more understandable. In the workplace, it makes for greater productivity, better customer service and less miscommunication. Knowing you are understandable can also increase confidence in speaking situations.

Here are some ways both native and non-native speakers can make accents less of a barrier to communication in the workplace.

If you are a non-native speaker and want to speak more clearly:

  • Remember that in English,  the message and meaning are carried in the stress and intonation patterns. Listen actively for these patterns and focus on improving these areas first.
  • Predict frequent, upcoming, or difficult speaking situations and prepare for them. Practice for them by recording and listening to yourself.
  • Create list of problematic, important, or industry-specific words. Ask a native speaker how to pronounce them, or use an online  dictionary that includes recorded pronunciation. Practice these words in sentences (not just alone).

If you work with non-native speakers with accents:

  • Have empathy: Can you speak a second language fluently? Is your pronunciation perfect?
  • Don’t make assumptions or judgments about someone simply because they have an accent. Accent is not related to intelligence or ability.
  • Don’t close down with “I can’t understand this person!” Give them your full attention.
  • Clarify and paraphrase if you have trouble understanding information.
Posted in Accent Modification, Language, cross cultural communication | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

2 Culture Keys for Customer Service

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Lauren Supraner

Good customer service means different things to different people. To ensure culturally sensitive service, become an active listener and watcher to gain insight  into  customers’ values and beliefs and to avoid cross cultural conflict and miscommunication.

Cultural identity influences the expectations and behaviors of both the customer and the service provider. Two important cultural influences on the customer service relationship are:

Power Distance

Power distance refers to how members of a culture expect and accept a hierarchical and unequal power distribution.  In cultures with small power distance (e.g. US, Denmark, Australia, Israel) people relate to one another more as equals regardless of formal positions. In cultures with large power distance (e.g. China, Japan, India), power is based on  formal, hierarchical positions.

One study showed  low power distance cultures 1)  had higher service quality expectations, and 2) were more willing to directly critique service. Low  power distance service includes friendliness and being personal, which may be seen as inappropriate for customers from high power distance cultures.

Task-Focused or Relationship-Focused

Whether the customer’s culture is task- or relationship-focused also impacts customer service.  Unlike relationship -based cultures that focus on building personal connections, task-based cultures prefer to complete tasks quickly.  Good customer service is speedy and efficient.

Task/relationship orientation also influences how a customer reacts to  recovery strategies for unacceptable service. According to the same study,  an apology from the service providers for unacceptable service may be more appreciated in relationship-focused cultures than in task-focused cultures, where compensation (discount, etc.) is preferred.

Posted in cross cultural communication, cross cultural conflict, customer service | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Getting Angry at Work: Affective and Neutral Cultures

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Lauren Supraner

If you’re angry or frustrated at work, would you say so? How would you express these feelings? Depending on whether your culture is Affective or Neutral, your answer will be very different.

Affective or Neutral describes how overtly a culture expresses emotions. Knowing whether a culture is emotional or neutral is especially helpful in preparing for cross cultural negotiation, as well as managing a multicultural workforce.

Neutral cultures, such as Anglo-Saxon and Asian:

  1. Do not openly or directly show emotions and opinions and consider it inappropriate to exhibit emotions in certain situations.
  2. Value self-control, being calm and rational, and not going to emotional extremes.
  3. Can be viewed as cold or aloof.
  4. Discourage touching or excessive gestures and body language.
  5. May speak in monotone in formal conversations.
  6. Separate their emotions from the decision making process, and prefer to focus on logic.

Affective cultures, such as Latin and Middle Eastern:

  1. Express emotions more immediately, openly and passionately.
  2. Can be seen as being out of control and inconsistent.
  3. Have a wider range of facial expressions and physical gestures during conversation.
  4. Talk loudly when excited, and love the art of arguing and debate.
  5. Are more enthusiastic and spontaneous.
  6. Consider their emotions (intuitions)  in their decision making process.

In his book Riding the Waves of Culture, interculturalist Fons Trompenaars lists which cultures are willing to show negative emotions in the workplace on spectrum from Neutral  to Affective:

NEUTRAL
 Portugal Denmark
Ethiopia Sweden Italy
Japan Netherlands Switzerland
Poland Hungary Malaysia
New Zealand England France
Hong Kong Czech Republic Ireland
Austria USA Argentina
China Mexico Russia
Indonesia Finland Venezuela
India Belgium Saudi Arabia
Bulgaria Brazil Cuba
Canada Norway Spain
Singapore Thailand Egypt
Australia Greece Kuwait
UAE Israel AFFECTIVE
Nigeria Germany
Posted in Language, cross cultural communication, cross cultural conflict, cross cultural negotiation | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Communication and Cultural Thought Patterns

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Lauren Supraner

Being a good communicator has different meanings in different cultures.  In order to communicate effectively across cultures, you need to understand the cultural thought patterns behind the language of communication. These thought patterns influence the way native speakers of a  language will express themselves. It will also influence how they expect to  hear information presented.

When the speaker and the listener have different cultural thought patterns,  there is an increased likelihood for miscommunication and cross cultural conflict. However, by mimicking the communication style of your listener, you are affirming their values in this area.

Below is a  diagram of different cultural thought patterns for different language groups. It should not be taken as an absolute but as a guide for developing cultural competence in cross cultural communication, as both a speaker and a listener.

Kaplan, 1966

English - (includes Germanic languages such as German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish) Communication is direct, linear and doesn’t digress or go off topic.

Semitic – (for example, Arabic or Hebrew) Thoughts are express in a series of parallel ideas, both positive and negative.  Coordination is valued over subordination.

Oriental – (Languages of Asia) Communication is indirect. A topic is not addressed head on, but is viewed from various perspectives, working around and around the point.

Romance – (Latin-based languages such as French, Italian, Romanian and Spanish)  Communication often digresses. It is fine to introduce extraneous material, which adds to the richness of the communication.

Russian – Like Romance languages, Russian communication is often digressive. The digression may include a series of parallel ideas.

Posted in Language, cross cultural communication | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Bribery Across Cultures

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Lauren Supraner

UK Macmillan publisher is in big trouble. It seems that they  gave bribes in Sudan for a textbook deal. In Sudan, a bribe is not an uncommon business practice, whereas in the UK, it’s illegal.

In some cultures, bribes are a normal part of doing business. In others, bribes are viewed as unethical and illegal. In one study of frequency of bribery in business, Russia, China, Mexico and India ranked highest and Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland ranked lowest.

This presents a problem for companies doing business across cultures for both those who expect and those who eschew bribery.

The sectors with the most bribery of officials include public works contracts and construction; real estate and property development; oil and gas; heavy manufacturing; and mining. The sectors with the least bribery include  information technology, fisheries, and banking and finance.

One notable cultural difference is that countries with the highest incidents of bribery are all Particularist cultures (rules are flexible and depend on the context and relationship of participants), and those with the fewest incidents of bribery are all Universalist cultures (rules are unchanging and apply to everyone).

Brazil, Russia, India and China, often referred to as BRIC, are growing in economic power and geopolitical clout. Since 3 of the BRIC countries rank highest in incidents of bribery,  foreign companies that seek to do business in these countries may find bribery to be a major area for cross cultural conflict.

Posted in Business, Particularist and Universalist cultures, cross cultural conflict | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Conducting Cross Cultural Interviews

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Lauren Supraner

An interviewer who makes decisions based only on his own cultural ideas may miss out on talented applicants who may not fit into his framework. Areas for miscommunication in the interview process include:

Group v individual orientation
American culture focuses on the individual. An interviewee is expected to “sell” herself by stressing individual, quantifiable achievements, as well as show enthusiasm and energy. For group-oriented cultures, these behaviors are seen as undesirable. Credit for success goes to the team, not the individual— personal ambition and self-promotion are not celebrated. Interviewees from group oriented cultures may use “we” instead of “I” when discussing successes. To get past “we” answers, the interviewer should ask what his specific role was in the team’s accomplishments.

Assertive v. passive behavior
Americans take an active and assertive role in the interview process, which is seen as a sign of confidence.  Hispanic, African, and Asian cultures tend to be more passive in interviews, taking the lead from the person in power—the interviewer. The interviewee may only provide answers to questions asked, not initiate topics or questions. In situations like this, the interviewer should probe with open- ended questions that facilitate conversation for additional information.

Nonverbal communication
This includes tone of voice and body language. Americans expect the interviewee to make eye contact, give a firm handshake, and show confidence, energy and enthusiasm. Some cultures believe it is inappropriate to maintain eye contact and overtly express emotions. A monotone voice, which for some cultures is a sign of stability and seriousness, may be seen by the interviewer as dull or unenthusiastic. Be careful not to judge someone by their accent, which is no measure of their ability, dedication or intellect.

Posted in American culture, Asian culture, Business, Hispanic culture, cross cultural communication, managing diversity | Tagged , , | Leave a comment