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Intercultural Management

Learn about the importance of culture and language in international business and how understanding different communication styles can prevent misunderstandings. Discover the role of humor, oral styles, and personal relationships in various cultures. Enhance your intercultural management skills!

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Intercultural Management

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  1. Intercultural Management Culture

  2. Culture: 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 Mag. Maria Peer

  3. Language • The most important competence in international business • Ability to understand and make yourself understood • The most obvious characteristic of another culture Mag. Maria Peer

  4. Language • Know at least some of the essential politeness words – it is a courtesy. • An acquaintance with someone else‘s 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 people‘s way of thinking, attitudes and behaviour. Mag. Maria Peer

  5. Differences Mag. Maria Peer

  6. How 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 Mag. Maria Peer

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  8. Humor • 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 Mag. Maria Peer

  9. Mag. Maria Peer

  10. Oral 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 people‘s styles Mag. Maria Peer

  11. Mag. Maria Peer

  12. Oral, 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 Mag. Maria Peer

  13. Mag. Maria Peer

  14. Business 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: It‘s 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 Mag. Maria Peer

  15. Literature: Mole,John: Mind Your Manners. Manging business cultures in the global Europe, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, London 2003 Mag. Maria Peer

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