Title: Intercultural Management
1Intercultural Management
2Culture Definition
- Culture is a system that enables individuals and
groups to deal with each other and the outside
world. - Culture means shared values, beliefs,
assumptions of who and what we are. - They manifest themselves in our behavior and
language, the groups we belong to, the nature of
our society. - They are externalized in our artefacts, our art
and technology. - Our physical environment conditions our
technology and art, our behavior and language,
and our identity
3Language
- The most important competence in international
business - Ability to understand and make yourself
understood - The most obvious characteristic of another
culture
4Language
- Know at least some of the essential politeness
words it is a courtesy. - An acquaintance with someone elses home language
helps to understand them then they are speaking
yours. - Language is not only a vehicle for communication
but gives an insight into a peoples way of
thinking, attitudes and behaviour.
5Differences
English ?French pleasure, sophistication
French ? British violence, boring food
Quite pleased UK fairly US very
Table an idea UK put on the agenda US put off the agenda
Coach US manager UK trainer, tutor
International English Simple vocabulary, standard pronounciation Native English accents, colloquialism, slang difficult to understand
6How to use language?
- Language is not only the words we speak, it is
- Body language, dress, manners, attitudes and
conventions of behavior - Scandinavians, Dutch very explicit, try to say
exactly what they mean, use facts and figures to
back it up - British more vague, fond allusion and
understatement, hints and hedging which many
foreigners find confusing
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8Humor
- Britain and Ireland humor is used to create a
relaxed atmosphere, ligthen tedium and diffuse
tension, disguises aggression - North America a speech or presentation starts
with a joke - Other cultures humor has no place at work
- Outside the business environment a sense of humor
is well developed in Germany, Japan or Turkey
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10Oral styles
- Direct speakers appear rude and overbearing to
indirect speakers - Indirect speakers appear evasive and unclear to
direct speakers - Different communication styles lead to
misunderstanding - In France people speak more loudly than in other
countries they appear domineering to soft
speakers (Turkey) who seem uncommitted and
unenthusiastic - Expansive gestures and emphatic facial
expressions (Greece) seem aggressive to people
whose body language is restrained (Germany) - Simultaneous speakers (Ireland) appear shallow
and rude to serial speakers (Finland) - It is important to avoid drawing wrong
conclusions from other peoples styles
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12Oral, literal, and visual
- You can tell someone to love them or write a love
letter or draw a heart with an arrow through it. - Different cultures use this in different
proportions - Northern cultures are more literal, southern
Europeans are more oral - People from literal cultures will not take the
spoken word seriously unless it is confirmed in
writing (letter, fax) - For oral cultures written communication is
primarily for the record ? confirm letters and
faxes with a covering phone call. - In America communication is primarily literal but
at the sime time more visual than in Europe
incorporating graphics, diagrams and
highlightened bullet points
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14Business or personal
- Middle of a negotiation Northern Europeans and
Americans order in sandwiches and coffee for
lunch - Business relationship is independent from
personal relationship - For southern Europeans food and drink figure
higher in their value system - Southern Europe and East Its important to
cement social and personal relationships before
you can even start to work together. You need
introductions, references and time to develop
personal relationships. - Hospitality and gift giving are an integral part
of the courtship period. - Business between companies business between
individuals - It takes much longer to start business in
relationship cultures
15Literature Mole,John Mind Your Manners.
Manging business cultures in the global Europe,
Nicholas Brealey Publishing, London 2003