1 CQ: Cultural IntelligencePresented by: Martin George, CEO All material is the property of LTC and may not be reproduced or used without express written consent.
2 Observation, Interpretation, ApplicationWhat are your observations about these two people? Just observations, if they bridge into interpretations then we can discuss those nuances. So for example the woman with the headscarf is not necessarily a Muslim, but we associate what we see with an interpretation of our own culture. Hipster guy isn’t just someone who cares about coffee and looking edgy. Maybe he’s really a software engineer for Microsoft. Assigning preprescribed beliefs to people of those cultures doesn’t help in the long term scheme of understanding the deeper cultural understandings.
3 CQ: Cultural Intelligence
4 CQ: Cultural IntelligenceCultural Intelligence is an individual’s ability to function effectively across national, ethnic and organizational cultures Culturally intelligent individuals are able to avoid Stereotyping Demeaning jokes Excluding behavior Violation of cultural taboos CQ approaches how one feels, thinks, acts in cultural encounters Will add Hoffy Graphs- US vs Saudi vs Bahrain
5 Why is CQ Important? Cross-cultural leadership has been named as the top leadership challenge for the next century Effective leadership requires the ability to adapt quickly and effectively CQ is essential to interacting effectively in today’s global environment Will add Hoffy Graphs- US vs Saudi vs Bahrain
6 Four Dimensions of CQ CQ Drive CQ Knowledge CQ Strategy CQ ActionMotivational CQ Cognitive CQ Metacognitive CQ Behavioral CQ Intrinsic Extrinsic Self-Efficacy Cultural Systems Cultural Norms & Values Awareness Planning Checking Verbal Nonverbal Speech Acts Will add Hoffy Graphs- US vs Saudi vs Bahrain
7 Step 1: Drive What’s My Motivation?All material is the property of LTC and may not be reproduced or used without express written consent.
8 Past Experiences What are some of the most common situations you encounter where cultural differences are a barrier? How have you responded? What were the results? DISCUSSION
9 What’s are Drivers of Motivation?Understand diverse customers Manage diverse teams both internally and externally Recruit, develop, and retain cross-cultural talent Adapt your leadership style Demonstrate respect
10 Misattribution Misattribution is attributing meaning or motive to someone’s behavior based upon one’s own culture or experience. What examples do you see of misattribution between other cultures and Americans? Consider case study between Greek employee and American boss. This is also called ethnocentric. It’s the correct Anthropological term for when one person judges another culture by their own beliefs. My professor from Miami has a really good case study from Egypt that works well for business people.
11 Step 2: Knowledge What cultural information is needed?Negative Feedback Context Hierarchy Identity Time All material is the property of LTC and may not be reproduced or used without express written consent.
12 Case Study: Cultural Dimension 1Claire is a French woman who recently started working for an American corporation. Her American manager, David, is unsure if it’s going to work out. “I’ve given Claire the same feedback multiple times, and she has made zero effort to make the changes I’ve told her to do,” David says. After her 90 day performance review, Claire believes everything in her new job is going great. In fact, it may be the best she has done in a professional role before. direct/indirect negative feedback
13 Direct Negative Feedback vs. Indirect Negative FeedbackNegative feedback provided frankly Use of upgraders Criticism in front of a group Value of honesty Positive feedback may be less frequent Indirect Negative Feedback Negative feedback provided softly Use of downgraders Criticism in private Value of saving face Positive feedback may be more frequent This scale represents the difference between cultures that offer negative feedback more directly versus those that offer it more indirectly. In a direct negative feedback culture, it’s more common for criticism to be given in front of a group, and there may be a use of upgraders = totally inappropriate, completely unprofessional In an indirect negative feedback culture, criticism is more likely to be given in private, and the use of downgraders, like sort of inappropriate, slightly unprofessional, is common. So you can imagine the American child’s graded homework assignment coming home with stickers and “Great job!” and “You’re on your way!” written on it. A French child’s graded homework, on the other hand, might have “Apply yourself” and “Skills not acquired” written in red at the top. So we have a difference in value of honesty versus saving face. If I’m indirect working with a direct person, I might find you rude. But if I’m direct working with an indirect person, I might find you dishonest.
14 Rate Your Culture: Negative FeedbackRussia France Italy US UK Brazil India Saudi Arabia Japan Israel Germany Spain Australia Canada Mexico China Korea Thailand Netherlands Hungary Sweden Argentina Kenya Ghana Indonesia Direct Negative Feedback Indirect Negative Feedback
15 Case Study: Cultural Dimension 2Stefan is a German man who’s recently begun working for a French organization. At his previous German company, business meetings were usually accompanied by a written agenda. Afterwards, an with recorded meeting minutes, summary, and action items were sent out. At his new job, meetings do not typically have a written agenda. At the end of the meetings, it is common for his colleagues to say “Et voila,” meaning “And there you have it.” However, Stefan is usually left thinking “Voila what?”
16 Low Context vs. High ContextExplicit messages Direct Values rules and task completion Considerable dependence on what is actually said or written High Context Implicit messages Indirect Values tradition and relationship A great deal of commonality of knowledge and views is assumed This scale represents the difference between cultures that low context, In a low context culture, good communication is precise, simple, and clear. If I say blue, I mean blue. Repetition is often appreciated, so in this culture first I’m going to tell you what I’m going to say, then I’m going to say it, and then I’m going to tell you what I just said. We call this a low context culture because we’re assuming that we don’t have the same base of information, so we can’t infer things from context. But in a high context culture, we assume the same base of information, so there is a high dependence on context. In a high context culture, good communication is sophisticated, nuanced, and layered. I’m not always plain in what I’m saying, so I’m expecting you to read between the lines. So to illustrate, you can imagine the difference between a meeting in Germany and one in France. In Germany, there is a clear agenda, someone takes minutes during the meeting, they might summarize what action items were decided upon, and then there might be a follow up containing that information. But in a French meeting, it’s common for participants to say “et voila” at the end of the meeting. But the German in the meeting is left thinking “voila what?” The challenge for a low context person working with a high context person, is I think that high context person is secretive and unforthcoming. I might also think they’re unclear, and I don’t know how to move forward without more information. For a high context person working with a low context person, I might find that low context person rather condescending. The way they spell things out for me and repeat themselves is kind of insulting.
17 Rate Your Culture: ContextUS Netherlands Finland Spain Italy Hungary Iran China Japan Australia Germany Denmark Poland Brazil Mexico France India Kenya Korea Canada UK Argentina Russia Saudi Arabia Indonesia Low Context High Context
18 Case Study: Cultural Dimension 4An American fast food company begins opening restaurants in India. After introducing their “employee of the month program,” they find the performance of these Indian restaurants goes down. 18
19 Individualistic Identity vs. Collectivistic IdentityStresses the needs of the individual over the group Values independence, autonomy, and self-reliance Being dependent on others can be seen as weak Social behavior is dictated by attitudes and preferences Individual rights take center stage Collectivistic Stresses the needs of the group over the individual Values maintaining group harmony Role in the community defines a person's identity Promotes selflessness, putting others before self Families and communities have a central role
20 Rate Your Culture: IdentityUS UK Hungary Finland Israel India Turkey Slovenia Korea France Slovakia Mexico China Individualistic Collectivistic
21 Monochronic vs. Polychronic Time OrientationProject steps are approached in a sequential fashion One task at a time Interruptions unacceptable Focus on deadline and schedule Emphasis on promptness and organization Polychronic Project steps are approached in a fluid manner Tasks may change as opportunities arise Interruptions acceptable Emphasis on adaptability and flexibility
22 Concepts of Lateness Lateness excused Tension Hostility Yapese Latin American North American 2 hours ½ hour 5 minutes 3 hours 1 hour 15 minutes 4 hours Yapese are a people group located in Micronesia How have different concepts of lateness affected you? (Lingenfelter and Mayers 37-40)
23 Rate Your Culture: Time OrientationGermany Japan Netherlands Poland Spain Italy Brazil China S. Arabia Switzerland Sweden US UK Czech Republic France Russia Mexico India Nigeria Hungary Turkey Kenya Monochronic Polychronic In all Latin countries, the attitude toward time is less rigid than among North Americans and lateness is more common and accepted.
24 Low Comfort with SilenceAnglo-American conversation pattern East Asian conversation pattern Latin American conversation pattern silence Americans: Ping-pong and Negative Pause Like hitting a ball back and forth across the table The other person either returns the ball or the conversation stops If one person talks too much, the other one will feel monopolized If one doesn’t ask enough questions or say enough, conversation stops Return the same/similar question! Japanese: Bowling and Positive Pause Wait patiently and politely for your turn Everyone knows when it is their turn based on their status, age, and relationship with the other person. Comfortable with long silences. According to the Japanese, Americans ask too many questions and do not give the other person enough time to formulate a careful answer. To the Americans, Japanese speakers appear passive and uninterested in the conversation. Latin Americans To Americans, it may seem they hold the ball too long. Americans have trouble knowing how to interrupt them.
25 Fill the Silence When you need to rethink, catch a breath, or search for a word or phrase, try the following: Hmm… Well… Uhh… Well, let me think… Well, it seems to me… The think is… You know… Let’s see… Let me see…how can I phrase this?...
26 Nonverbal CommunicationTalk about your plans for the weekend with a partner from a different culture First, stand 5 feet apart Then, stand 1 foot apart and continue the conversation How did you feel?
27 Space How close is close enough?For Americans, one and a half to two feet Personal space could extend up to four feet
28 Eye Contact Where should you look while speaking to someone?In the US, eye contact signifies whether a person is sincere and trustworthy or not Maintaining direct eye contact for more than 5 seconds, however, can cause discomfort Speakers maintain eye contact 50-70% of the time Listeners maintain eye contact 90% of the time
29 Gestures Beckoning: Palm facing up, either wave fingers or just the index finger toward you in a scooping motion Pointing: Use index/”pointer” finger. It is okay to point at someone. Slap on the back: Signifies friendship Waving Goodbye: Move whole hand, fingers relaxed from side to side with palm facing out. Crossed fingers (index and middle): Either means, “good luck!” or that the person is being dishonest Showing Approval: use the “okay sign” or by making a fist and pointing the thumb up, “thumbs up.”
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31 Step 3: Strategy What is my plan?All material is the property of LTC and may not be reproduced or used without express written consent.
32 Strategy Plan your cross-cultural interactions ahead of timeWhat cultural values and beliefs could influence the other person’s behavior? Become an observer during the interaction What is working? What is confusing? Check to see if your plan was appropriate and adjust What did I learn? What will I do differently next time? Find a trusted, knowledgeable cultural guide
33 Practice Planning Think of a situation you have encountered where cultural differences were a barrier Make a plan for how you will interact next time you encounter this situation What are my goals and the goals of the other person? How could different cultural values affect the other person’s behavior and decisions? What do I know about the other person’s culture that could help guide me? What else do I need to know to be successful? How can I find this information?
34 Step 4: Action How should I adapt?All material is the property of LTC and may not be reproduced or used without express written consent.
35 Behavioral dimension of CQIndividual’s ability to actually change their behavior as a result of engaging in the CQ process Leaders with high CQ Action can draw on the other three dimensions CQ Action
36 Action Know when to flex and when not to flex your words, attitudes, and actions Depending on your context and audience, how will you adjust the way you Make requests? Deliver negative feedback? Apologize? How will you adapt your non-verbal communication?
37 Martin George, CEO