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Intercultural Management
-
How do reception and support of guests
differentiate between Russia and Germany?
A comparative analysis
1Katharina Muth/ Катарина Мут2Catherine Renner/ Катерин Реннер
1Heilbronn University of Applied Science, Faculty of International Business
E-mail: [email protected]
2Heilbronn University of Applied Science, Faculty of International Business
E-mail: [email protected]
Аннотация:
Эта научная разработка анализирует культурныеразличия между Россией и Германией. Это играет, прежде всего, в области гостевого обслуживания и винтеркультурном менеджменте особенно большуюроль. Поэтому обращаются, в частности, к обычаям, коммуникативному способу, который культура еды иделовая жизнь сравнивается и затем друг с другом.
Ключевые слова:
Culture, communication, guest, business, Russia, Germany, intercultural
Культу́ра, коммуника́ция, гость, би́знес, Росси́я, Герма́ния, межкульту́рный
Table of Contents
1 Introduction...........................................................................................21.1 Problem statement...................................................................................21.2 Objective and structure...........................................................................3
2 Theoretical basis....................................................................................32.1 Definition “Intercultural Management”..................................................32.2 Selected relevant aspects regarding Intercultural Management..............42.2.1 Public morality........................................................................................42.2.2 Communication.......................................................................................42.2.3 Dining culture.........................................................................................52.2.4 Business meetings...................................................................................5
3 Comparison Germany – Russia...........................................................63.1 Public morality........................................................................................63.2 Communication.......................................................................................73.3 Dining culture.........................................................................................93.4 Business meetings.................................................................................10
4 Conclusion...........................................................................................12
5 List of references.................................................................................14
2
1 Introduction
1.1 Problem statement
“В чужой монастырь со слоим уставом не хобишь.”
(Baumgart and Jänecke 2000)
"Don’t go with your own rules to someone else’s monastery."
Nowadays, it becomes more and more popular to visit as many places as
possible and everyone wants to see the entire world. But often this is not as easy
as people expect it to be as going to another country means much more than just
having to speak another language. It also means adapting to a whole different
culture and understanding other nations’ ways of thinking and values. This is
one of the biggest problems in the world of exploring other countries.
When people go to another place in another country, they often act the same
way they would do at home. However, this attitude can lead to issues very fast
because people from other nations might interpret their actions in a different
way than they were meant. In some countries, these differences are so huge that
the resulting misunderstanding can lead to conflicts, which one would certainly
want to avoid. To tackle this problem, other cultures must be analysed carefully.
Intercultural competences are not only a matter of tourism but they also play an
important role regarding companies facing globalisation: in order to be able to
work efficiently with their international partners or to be able to negotiate with
other companies around the world, intercultural competences are crucial for
their success. Starting with how to greet someone from another country, how to
communicate with them – not only verbally but also non-verbally – up to which
importance it has for someone else to eat out, to have food and drinks provided,
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and much more can make a huge difference when it comes to working together
with another person from another nation and culture.
That’s why this paper gives answers to the following problem statement: “How
do reception and support of guests differentiate between Russia and Germany?”
1.2 Objective and structure
Accordingly, this paper is going to take a specific look at cultural differences,
specializing in the German and Russian culture and their way of life, and
compares the two cultures with one another. Yet, it needs to be said, that it is
difficult to compare two cultures like these since culture is not a small issue to
talk shortly about. It rather is a complex system including facts, structures, rules
and, values (Hartmann et al. 2014) of a population.
Hence, the following just analyses parts of the respective cultures, like public
morals, communication, the dining culture, and how business meetings are held
in Germany in comparison with Russia.
2 Theoretical basis
First of all, this section gives the basic definitions regarding the topic of this
paper and the most relevant aspects, which are compared in Chapter 3, are
named and roughly explained.
2.1 Definition “Intercultural Management”
Culture can be seen as a universal “orientation device” of a certain group of
people (Lang and Baldauf 2016) , usually of nations. Cultural standards give
orientation for thinking, evaluating and acting. Thus certain circumstances can
4
be perceived as unusual or different from what we are used to, and only certain
behaviour might be thought to be normal, typical or acceptable (Lang and
Baldauf 2016) .
Intercultural Management is concentrating on culture-specific problem-
solving (Lang and Baldauf 2016) . In the light of globalisation, there are bound
to be clashes of cultures which may cause conflicts due to their differences and
therefore need to be dealt with.
2.2 Selected relevant aspects regarding Intercultural Management
2.2.1 Public morality
“A morality is a system of principles and values concerning people's
behaviour, which is generally accepted by a society or by a particular
group of people.” (Breslin 2011)
It embraces everything concerning values and lifestyle. Since some of them are
dealt with differently in other nations, Chapter 3.1 discusses the differences
between Russia and Germany conventions, taking a specific look at the
importance of time management, organisation, and planning as well as social
behaviour and its consequences.
2.2.2 Communication
Apart from speaking different languages, the difficulty in intercultural
communication is to decode the message of the conversational partner in the
right way (Rothlauf 2012) . There might be explicit but also implicit statements
which can be transferred directly or only via non-verbal instruments, such as
mimic and gesture, or para-verbally which implicates an analysis of the voice,
intonation, and volume of the speaker. In order to be aware of these different
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styles of communication, it is important to know the typical ways of
communication of the different culture. What is more, conflict management,
which deals with the way problems are solved, is also linked to the respective
communication style since it reflects the interaction between people. Another
important part of communication is the way people are welcomed and, for
instance, how guests are received.
2.2.3 Dining culture
Food and communication “are used to maintain and create human relationships.
The dinner table is a rich site for socialisation and language acquisition.
Moreover, eating and talking are used to construct social hierarchies” (Gerhardt
et al. 2013) . Still, dining is not the same in every country and has a different
value for different cultures. This can be observed through the prevailing dining
etiquette, such as the time devoted to the meal and expected manners – not only
at home but also at the restaurant.
2.2.4 Business meetings
Concerning business affairs, knowing the other culture is also a matter of great
importance since many cultural conventions are reflected in the way business
communications are held and decisions are made, in the behaviour towards
one’s colleagues, and at the workplace in general. Furthermore, it can clarify the
significance of hierarchies and power distance.
This may play a role for international companies negotiating with and exporting
to Russia or Germany, for multinational or global companies with regional
branches or which are expanding, and for expatriates of a German company
going to Russia or vice versa.
6
3 Comparison Germany – Russia
3.1 Public morality
Germans like to have a lot of rules and structures in order to have control over
uncertain situations, to minimize risks and to avoid mistakes and interferences
(Lang and Baldauf 2016) . These rules can be observed in all areas of life and
are expected to be obeyed.
Since time is seen as very valuable, it should be used most efficiently and
should not be wasted. That’s why plans, schedules, punctuality, and reliability
are so important, and, in many cases, priorities must be made. Germans’ quite
direct style of communication can be explained with this common thought of not
wasting time.
Moreover, Germans are individualists (Lang and Baldauf 2016) which reveals
itself through their independence and self-discipline. It means that they are
trying to solve their issues by themselves and hence asking for help is seen as a
weakness.
On the contrary, in Russia collectivism still prevails, owing to their history and
long area of communism. Due to this, individual necessities and desires are
subordinated in favour of the needs of the group and Russians are happy to give
and receive help. Decisions are made collectively and therefore need a lot of
time.
Russians are told to have a polychronic approach to time (Baumgart and
Jänecke 2000) . This signifies that they are flexible regarding plans and are
willing to change them easily.
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As a Russian proverb is saying: “Ти́ше е́дешь – да́льше.“ which means
“Steady wins the race” or literal: “Ride slower – you'll get further.”
(http://masterrussian. com /proverbs/russian_proverbs_12.htm)
“Patience, not punctuality, is considered a virtue in Russia.”
(Rothlauf 2012)
Correspondingly, Russians do not regard it as a waste of time to talk about
emotions. According to Wilson and Donaldson: “wasting time with a friend is
central to the Russian notion of friendship.”
3.2 Communication
As low context culture, in Germany, explicit and direct messages are usual,
which means, that no further interpretations are needed, and non-verbal
messages are not excessively used. Germans, furthermore, appreciate their
privacy and thus prefer a physical minimum distance to be kept when
communicating (Lang and Baldauf 2016) . This being said, Russians stand
much closer to one another without feeling uncomfortable (Baumgart and
Jänecke 2000) .
Russia is a high context culture. Therefore, their style of communication is
dominated by non-verbal elements, which can be observed for example by the
utilisation of gestures and body language in general in order to emphasise their
message. That is why Russians might interpret Germans scarce non-verbal
communication as non-involvement.
Para-verbal communication, concerning intonation, volume, and pauses, makes
up another vital part of their style of communication. In comparison to Germans,
Russians speak in a relatively loud voice and abrupt pondering silence - which is
seen as a pause to think in Germany - is considered unpolite (Rothlauf 2012) .
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Furthermore, Russians are focusing on the recipient when communicating and
are strongly orientating towards the emotions and expectations of their dialogue
partner (Lang and Baldauf 2016) . They openly show their emotions and feel
sympathy for others (Baumgart and Jänecke 2000) . When receiving guests, it
is typical of Russians to ask them how they are feeling and expect a sincere and
detailed answer, moreover, it is even considered unpolite if only a short answer
is given (Rothlauf 2012) .
“доброму человеку и чужая болезнь к сердцу.”
(Baumgart and Jänecke 2000)
“A good man also takes other people’s suffering to heart.”
According to their direct style of communication, Germans also use to address
mistakes directly, voice criticism and analyse problems as a part of the conflict
management. However, this is happening without the intention of hurting
someone but to avoid misunderstandings.
This might be seen completely different in Russia, where a general avoidance of
criticism dominates to avoid uncomfortable situations (Rothlauf 2012) .
Russians are quite sensitive to criticism – that is why the more indirect style of
communication might be also preferred in order not to hurt somebody. When
communicating or even negotiating with Russians, it is consequently always
advisable to start with praise before criticising (Rothlauf 2012) .
When greeting one another, in Germany it is very typical to shake hands,
whereas it is not that usual in Russia. If that is the case, men should not give the
hand to a Russian woman first but wait, if she gives him her hand. Otherwise,
nodding is a common form of polite greeting (https://www.faz.net/aktuell/beruf-
chance/karriere-im-takt-benimm-in-russland-1211145.html). When it comes to a
conversation, it is standard to address the partner with first and surname in
Russia (Rothlauf 2012) while Germans’ salutation is “Frau”
9
(Miss/Misses/госпожа́) or respectively “Herr” (Mister/господи́н) plus their
surname. Eye contact should be kept during the whole conversation.
Amongst friends, giving each other a hug is most popular in Germany, Russians
exchange kisses or hug as well (Rothlauf 2012) .
3.3 Dining culture
If formally invited to a German host, wait until a seat is offered since it is likely
that there is a seating arrangement already made. For example, the cook prefers
a seat close to the kitchen to be able to serve the food quickly. Before starting to
eat, wait until everyone is seated and ready to eat and “Guten Appetit” (Enjoy
your meal) is said. Sometimes the host might give a toast, which usually only
occurs at celebrations like a birthday or wedding. During the meal, the food is
provided on plates on the table and are passed around. The German dining
etiquette expects everyone to finish everything on the plate (http://www.uni-
frankfurt.de/62886456/Guide_to_German_culture__costums_and_etiquette_Au
g_2016.pdf).
When visiting a restaurant, bills are usually paid separately, which corresponds
with the German individualism (see Chapter 3.1).
Russians are known for their hospitality. They like to invite guests and will
offer them a table full of food with several courses - it can even be considered
unpolite to leave one out (Baumgart and Jänecke 2000) . Nevertheless, “leaving
a small amount of food on your plate indicates that your hosts have provided
ample hospitality.” (https://www.commisceo-global.com/resources/country-
guides/russ ia-guide).
“In Russia, the sharing of food or consumables is of primary importance”
(Wilson and Donaldson 1996) , which again can be explained with the
prevalent collectivism and Russians’ compassion for others (Baumgart and
10
Jänecke 2000) . Presents from the guests contributing to the meal are very
customary as well as offering help, which, however, mostly will be denied.
When going to a restaurant, the dishes are not paid separately but by the person
who invited to eat.
At the meal, it's very common to toast to the important things of life and hold
speeches, whereas talking about business is rather unusual (Baumgart and
Jänecke 2000) . Similar to Germany, it should be waited until the host invites to
start eating, and it is usual to stay seated until he or she invites to leave
(https://www. commisceo-global.com/resources/country-guides/ russia-guide).
3.4 Business meetings
The trend of separating or at least creating a distance between business and
private life predominates in Germany. Therefore, it is not common to have
informal relationships with colleagues (Lang and Baldauf 2016) nor to
excessively show emotions in the working environment. Additionally, office
doors are habitually closed according with Germans’ individualism and need for
privacy.
Corresponding to Germans’ time management (see Chapter 3.1), appointments
need to be made for everything, changes in the schedule should be announced at
least one day before and punctuality is taken very seriously
(https://www.commisceo-global.com/resources/country-guides/russia-guide).
Apropos plans, it is advisable not to make an appointment on Friday afternoons
and especially not on festivals.
The way Germans communicate (see Chapter 3.2) also applies for business
communication which means that it is formal, German business partner get to
the point quickly and voice criticism directly (Rothlauf 2012) . Though, written
communication plays an even more important role to keep records of what was
11
said and decided (https://www.commisceo-global.com/resources/country-
guides/russia-guide).
The time to make decisions is relatively short which corresponds with the way
Gemans see time (see Chapter 3.1). This also goes in hand with their urge to
detailed planning, which also implies that everyone come well prepared to
meetings. Likewise, it is costumary to concentrate on only one thing at the time,
according to the phrases: first things first and duty first (Lang and Baldauf
2016) .
The management style can be described as rather cooperative and the power
distance is rather low. This means, that employees can mostly solve their tasks
by themselves, thus independently, according to the Germans’ individualism
Business in Russia is quite different from business in Germany. They have a
more “familiar” relationship to their colleagues and superiors, which means that
besides work they also talk with each other about private issues such as their
families, friends, and free-time activities (Rothlauf 2012) .
“In conversations, it can be permissible to discuss your feelings and
hopes for the future. Sometimes, your Russian companion will be far more
interested in the personal side of your character than your business
agenda.” (Sabath 2004)
Therefore, in Russia, it is rather difficult to separate private from business-
related relationships (Baumgart and Jänecke 2000) .
Anyway, the hierarchy is clearly defined (Baumgart and Jänecke 2000) , so
everyone knows his task and exactly what to do and from what to refrain. In
business life, strict rules dominate similar to Germany (Rothlauf 2012) .
According to them and the prevailing high power distance decisions are always
made on the most senior level (Lang and Baldauf 2016) but in order to
correspond with their collective way of making decisions this does not happen
12
without prior consultation and possibly finding compromises (Baumgart and
Jänecke 2000) . Russians prefer not to take over responsibility and are therefore
prone to authorities and their collectivism. That’s why the time required to make
the decision is relatively high.
Plans are mostly short-term or medium-term (Baumgart and Jänecke 2000)
and, as opposed to Germany, not in the long run. What is more, even though
these plans are made to be complied, in the Russian working environment,
disturbances may occure and flexiblitily is needed, corresponding with their
polychronic approach to time (Baumgart and Jänecke 2000) .
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4 Conclusion
To summarize, as shown in this paper, the Russian and German cultures
differentiate in various aspects, which therefore should be kept in mind when
visiting these cultures.
It can be observed, that these aspects are all related to the way time is valuated
in the respective culture. As opposed to Gemans’ “Time is money”, the
corresponding Russian saying is: “Time is time and money is money”
(Baumgart and Jänecke 2000) . Since time is seen as very precious in Germany,
the every day life as well as professional life are organised to conform to time.
In Russia, however, time does not play such an important role and life can
therefore be regarded as more unconstrained.
These therories can be reflected in their style of communication, which again is
expressed in the way conflicts are solved and business meetings are held. It
explains Germans’ direct communication style in oder to use time in the most
efficient way, whereas Russians take their time to express their emotions to built
a relationship with their partner and therefore the indirect style is more effective
for them. Appropriately, social issues are not excessively discussed at work in
Gemany, but play an even more important role in Russia. This again
corresponds with Rusians’ collectivism.
Since ample dining demands a lot of time, its importance is also not as
widespread in Germany as it is in Russia.
In general, most conventions and behaviour pattern which are commonly held,
can be found again in the business context.
Nevertheless, it also needs to be mentioned that Russians traditionally acquired
behaviour is slowly changing. In order to open towards globalisation, the
14
managing style is adapting, becoming more contemporary and modern. For
instance, a decline in the originally large power distance can be noticed
(Rothlauf 2012) .
With all that said, of course, this paper only analyses the typical conventions
concerning the selected aspects. However, it does not imply that every Russian
and every German acts in that way. Behaviours cannot be generalised, because
every human is different.
“Difference is of the essence of humanity. Difference is an accident of
birth and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict. The
answer to difference is to respect it. Therein lies a most fundamental
principle of peace: respect for diversity.” – John Hume (Irish Politician,
1998 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, 1999 Defender of Democracy Award,
2001 Gandhi Peace Prize; b. 1937
15
5 ADDIN CitaviBibliographyList of references
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Breslin, Gerry (Ed.) (2011): Collins dictionary. 11th ed. London: Collins.
Gerhardt, Cornelia; Frobenius, Maximiliane; Ley, Susanne (Eds.) (2013): Culinary Linguistics. The Chef's Special. Amsterdam, Philadelphia, Berlin: John Benjamins Publishing Company; Knowledge Unlatched. Available online at http://www.oapen.org/search?identifier=643255.
Hartmann, Rainer; Herle, Felix; Altmann, Gila; Anhalt, Katharina; Aschauer, Wolfgang; Bauer, Ulrich et al. (2014): Interkulturelles Management in Freizeit und Tourismus. Kommunikation - Kooperation - Kompetenz. Berlin: Erich Schmidt Verlag (Schriften zu Tourismus und Freizeit, v.17). Available online at http://www.esvcampus.de/ce/interkulturelles-management-in-freizeit-und-tourismus/ebook.html.
Lang, Rainhart; Baldauf, Nicole (2016): Interkulturelles Management. Wiesbaden: Springer Gabler (Lehrbuch). Available online at http://www.springer.com/.
Rothlauf, Jürgen (2012): Interkulturelles Management. Mit Beispielen aus Vietnam, China, Japan, Russland und den Golfstaaten ; [Geert Hofstede im Exklusivinterview. 4., überarb. und aktualisierte Aufl. München: Oldenbourg (Management 10-2012). Available online at http://www.oldenbourg-link.com/isbn/9783486716733.
Sabath, Ann Marie (2004): International business etiquette. What you need to know to conduct business abroad with charm and savvy. New York: Authors Choice Press.
Wilson, Drew; Donaldson, Lloyd (1996): Russian etiquette & ethics in business. A penetrating analysis of the morals and values that shape the Russian business personality. Lincolnwood, Ill.: NTC Publ. Group (NTC business books).
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