In the 25 years that I have worked in the Translation and Localization Industry, I have witnessed many cultural blunders. Although aghast at the time, it was always evident that there was no intention to offend but rather a lack of cultural awareness. What may seem normal business practice for one, is a complete waste of time for another.

It is hard enough to figure out your own company’s culture but when you add multiple cultures to the mix, you are left baffled on how to best proceed without offending anyone. In today’s cross-cultural teams, including multiple nationalities, it is important to be sensitive to cultural differences that may “make or break” the team.

Cultural Diversity and Inclusion is now a Business Specialization for Consultants and large corporations are quickly adding trained professionals in their HR and people departments. Everyone who is doing business internationally has to come in contact continuously with different cultures and practices. Leaders of large cross-cultural teams will benefit from becoming aware of the cultural aspects and how to deal with them. Here are some very basic concepts to address in cross-cultural teams that should be repeated every time a new member comes onboard.

Language

Although the team may speak only one language in their communications, for most of the team members that language is going to be a foreign language and certain nuances in speaking and understanding may be absent. Avoid colloquialisms, jargon and abbreviations. Quoting songs, movies or popular characters may not mean anything. Writing and documenting plans and decisions is essential to avoid miscommunications. Abbreviation lists and definitions of most frequently used terms will be helpful tools.

Communication style

Whereas most western cultures favor explicit and direct communication, in eastern cultures a lot are left unsaid “between the lines”. The ability to understand a “direct no” or a “soft no” is going to be essential in teams. Some cultures thrive on disagreement and passionate heated debates and are extremely happy at the end when a decision is reached. They feel that all aspects were explored and the decision is unanimous. But for some members this will seem to be chaotic, unstructured and un-productive. The leader should manage the communication and step in to explain cultural differences while allowing the creative flow and decision making to be explored in different ways.

Decision Making

Decision making is ingrained in cultures differently and therefore it is extremely important in teams to address the proper channels. Western cultures expect that all team members partake to decision making but eastern cultures may avoid contributing to decisions as it is only appropriate for the formal manager to make the final decision. Once decisions are made different cultures will regard them differently, while for some the decision is fixed for others it is only valid until the next decision supersedes this one. Rules, expectations and status should be explained clearly and one-to-one meetings will help establish personal involvement.

Time

Time is not money for all cultures. Punctuality is regarded in different ways in many cultures. From rigid time-keeping to being impolite to be on time, this can be a minefield for cross-cultural teams on deadlines. Leaders need to spell out clear rules and explain the need to adhere to them. Meetings should be monitored and if a subject proves to be a roadblock in moving forward, creating a sub-group to deal with it on an alternate meeting will defuse the issue.

Business Etiquette

Although cultures are constantly evolving, most basic business behaviors stay the same. Today there are numerous free resources on the internet which can give you a basic understanding of business etiquette in various countries. Here are some snippets for some well, and some not so well known, business behaviors by nationality.

US Business Etiquette

• In large meetings, all the participants will sit first and then introductions are made either by the person who presides the meeting or by each participant themselves. Agendas and time are adhered to strictly.
• Trust is built through collaboration on projects and joint tasks.
• Use of first names is encouraged and titles are not important in conversations.
• Explicit and clear communication is encouraged to avoid misunderstandings.
• In conflict situations, political correctness and positive resolution are important.
• Friendly and amicable conversation does not translate to friendship and bonding.
• For most professions, business cards are no longer handed over at the beginning of meetings. If you have a meeting with someone, you already have each others’ contact details and a business card is no longer considered to provide credibility. The only time that business cards are used extensively is in conferences and trade shows.

German Business Etiquette

• Transparency and “all cards on the table” are valued for proper negotiations.
• Punctuality and adherence to company rules are important.
• Decision making follows the chain of command and will be irreversible.
• Emphasis is put on planning and organization and decisions are followed strictly.
• Open disagreement is considered positive and adding to the understanding of the project or task.
• Personal conversations are regarded out of place in business settings.

French Business Etiquette

• Flexibility is emphasized and agendas get easily shifted to cater for immediate and unforeseen needs.
• Allow an extra 10 minutes for every meeting, it will either start late or run late.
• Not all communication is explicit, one needs to read between the lines.
• Although business lunches and coffee breaks are a regular occurrence, talk on personal affairs is avoided.
• Disagreement and strong heated debates are encouraged before finalizing decisions.

Indian Business Etiquette

• “Indian Flexible Time” is a reality for all business transactions.
• Implicit and polite language is a cause of many misunderstanding with other cultures where a soft no is not understood. However, after longer conversations, real tangible issues tend to be gently introduced.
• Hierarchy and top-down decision making is respected and expected.
• Family and home life is easily discussed in business settings and builds trust.

Japanese Business Etiquette

• Meetings start and end on time, deadlines are etched in stone and decisions are strictly adhered to.
• Hierarchy and titles are extremely important and saying no to one’s boss is avoided.
• Plans and decisions are slow, fixed and derive from consensus.
• Group harmony is valued over voicing disagreement and criticism.
• Business socializing after work helps build trust and bond.

LinkedIn is an international professional network and as such is the best place to gather more information on business practices around the world. Please feel free to contribute your insights on etiquette and business behavior for your culture in the comments below and I will add it to this post.

Free Internet resources

World Business Culture

Kwintessential Etiquette Guides

References:

Harvard Business Review, “A Tool That Maps Out Cultural Differences” by David Champion, April 25, 2014