Intro to Cross-Cultural CommunicationsPreparation for the World Championships

Enigma RoboticsSpring 2013

Topics• What is culture?

– Western Culture– Eastern Culture– Latin Culture– Middle Eastern Culture– African Culture

• Influences• Ten Dimensions of Culture• Cultural Preferences of the USA• Cultural Difference Examples• Best Practices

What is Culture?

Western CultureThe term Western culture has come to define the culture of European countries as well as those such as the United States that have been heavily influenced by European immigration. Western culture has its roots in the Classical Period of the Greco-Roman era and the rise of Christianity in the fourteenth century.

Other drivers of the Western culture include Latin, Celtic, Germanic and Hellenic ethnic and linguistic groups. Today, the influences of Western culture can be seen in almost every country in the world.

Eastern Culture

Eastern culture generally refers to the societal norms of countries in Far East Asia (including China, Japan, Vietnam, North Korea and South Korea) and the Indian subcontinent. Like the West, Eastern culture was heavily influenced by religion during its early development. In general, in Eastern culture there is less of a distinction between secular society and religious philosophy than there is in the West.

Latin CultureMany of the Spanish-speaking nations are considered part of the Latin culture, while the geographic region is widespread. Latin America is typically defined as those parts of the Central America, South America and Mexico where Spanish or Portuguese are the dominant languages. While Spain and Portugal are on the European continent, they are considered the key influencers of what is known as Latin culture, which denotes people using languages derived from Latin, also known as Romance languages.

Middle Eastern CultureThe countries of the Middle East have some but not all things in common, including a strong belief in Islam and religion is a very strong pillar of this society. The Arabic language is also common throughout the region; however, the wide variety of dialect can sometimes make communication difficult.

African CultureThe continent of Africa is essential two cultures—North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. The continent is comprised of a number of tribes, ethnic and social groups. One of the key features of this culture is the large number of ethnic groups—some countries can have 20 or more—and the diversity of their beliefs

Northwest Africa in particular has strong ties to European and Southwestern Asia. The area also has a heavy Islamic influence and is a major player in the Arab world.

The harsh environment has been a large factor in the development of Sub-Saharan Africa culture, as there are a number of languages, cuisines, art and musical styles that have sprung up among the far-flung populations.

Cultural Influences

Culture is not part of your DNAIt is the culmination of learned experiences

Ten Dimensions of Culture

Ten Dimensions of Culture (cont.)

USA vs….

Before you can understand another culture, you must first understand your own cultural preferences!

Cultural Preferences of the USA

Focus on material achievement over

quality of life

Focus on “I” instead of “we”

Focus on results over personal relationships

Focus on commitment to schedules, punctuality, and

short-term gains

Focus on implicit, straight-forward communication based more on fact than

emotion, in informal manner

Focus on distance and clearly marked boundariesEveryone has a voice

Have tolerance for ambiguity over predictability

Prefer experience and examples over theory, prefer

details over big picture

Strong need to change environment to fit need

Cultural Difference Examples

• USA vs. Brazil• USA vs. China• USA vs. Czech Republic• USA vs. Netherlands• USA vs. Russia

For each country, identify some key cultural differences and think about how you might approach someone from

that culture differently

Brazil

USA vs. Brazil

Differences in all dimensions except Structure,but key differences are those for Time, Action,

Communication, and Competitiveness

China

USA vs. China

How would you change your communication style for differences in Environment and Communication

preferences?

Czech Republic

USA vs. Czech Republic

How would you change your communication style for differences in Structure?

Netherlands

USA vs. Netherlands

How would you change your communication style for differences in Environment?

Russia

USA vs. Russia

How would you change your communication style for differences in Action and Thinking?

Sources

http://www.livescience.com/21478-what-is-culture-definition-of-culture.html

http://www.tmcorp.com/Online-Learning/Assessments/Cultural-Orientations-Indicator-COI/56/

http://www.speakingaboutpresenting.com/audience/foreign-audience/

Appendix ABest Practices for Initial Contact

• Avoid long, complex sentences– Too easy for a non-native speaker to lose track of where sentence is going.– Decoding real-time verbal communication can be tricky! Keep sentences short

and simple to make effective• Avoid idioms and phrases a non-native is not likely to understand, e.g.

– Sports phrases – “the whole 9 yards”, “out in left field” – make little sense to a non-native speaker

– Television generated phrases – Seinfeld, South Park and The Simpson’s have generated memorable (maybe infamous) phrases, but don’t expect a non-native speaker to be familiar with the meanings

• Use humor wisely– What may seem funny in our culture may not come across well to a non-native

speaker• Avoid direct or forceful language

– Can be considered rude in many cultures

Appendix BDimensions of Culture Details

• Environment– Control - Attitude that social/natural environments can and should be changed to fit

needs– Harmony – consensus decision making– Constraint – External forces determine outcomes

• Time– single focus vs. multi-focus – Commitment to schedules vs. multi-tasking– Fixed vs. fluid – precise definition of punctuality vs. loose– Past, present, future – Precision, short-term gains, focus on future

• Action– Being vs. doing – focus on relationships and reflection vs. action

• Communication– Low vs. High context – Implicit communication vs. precise communication– Direct vs. indirect – straight-forward vs. saving face– Expressive vs. Instrumental – emotional/eloquent style vs. factual/dispassionate– Formal vs. Informal – adherence to etiquette/protocol vs. dispensing

• Space– Private vs. Public – distance/clearly marked boundaries vs. overlapping

Appendix BDimensions of Culture Details (cont.)

• Power– Hierarchical vs. Equality – differentiated power structure vs. minimizing

• Individualism– Individualistic vs. Collectivistic – focus on “I” vs. “we”– Universalistic vs. Particularistic – focus standards vs. exceptions

• Competitiveness– Competitive vs. Cooperative – material achievement vs. quality of life

• Structure– Order vs. Flexibility – predictability vs. tolerance of ambiguity

• Thinking– Deductive vs. Inductive – theory/abstract logic vs. experience/examples– Linear vs. Systematic – focus on individual components vs. big picture