Managing Cross Cultural Differences
By John Lau, DTM

What is Culture?

Culture in general is concerned with beliefs and values on the basis of which
people interpret experiences and behave, individually and in groups. Broadly and
simply put, "culture" refers to a group or community with which you share common
experiences that shape the way you understand the world. The same person, thus,
can belong to several different cultures depending on his or her birthplace;
nationality; ethnicity; family status; gender; age; language; education;
physical condition; sexual orientation; religion; profession; place of work and
its corporate culture. Culture is the "lens" through which you view the world.
It is central to what you see, how you make sense of what you see, and how you
express yourself.

Four Cultural Dimensions

Cultures - both national and organizational - differ along many dimensions. Four of the    most important are:

       Directness (get to the point versus imply the messages)

       Hierarchy (follow orders versus engage in debate)

       Consensus (dissent is accepted versus unanimity is needed)

       Individualism (individual winners versus team effectiveness)

Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges

Culture is often at the root of communication challenges. Exploring historical  experiences and the ways in which various cultural groups have related to each other is key to opening channels for cross-cultural communication. Becoming more  aware of cultural differences, as well as exploring cultural similarities, can help you communicate with others more effectively. Next time you find yourself in a confusing situation, ask yourself  how culture may be shaping your own reactions, and try to see the world from the other's point of view.

Culture Shock

Failure to identify cultural issues and take action can lead to a culture shock. In order of priority, the most often found symptoms of culture shock are:

• feeling isolated.

• anxiety and worry.

• reduction in job performance.

• high nervous energy.

• helplessness.

Not coping with culture shock symptoms when they appear can lead
to a very negative situation.

Respecting Differences and Working Together

Anthropologists discovered that, when faced by interaction that we do not
understand, people tend to interpret the others involved as "abnormal", "weird"
or "wrong." Awareness of cultural differences and recognizing where cultural
differences are at work is the first step toward understanding each other and
establishing a positive working environment. Use these differences to challenge
your own assumptions about the "right" way of doing things and as a chance to
learn new ways to solve problems.

Building Trust Across Cultural Boundaries

Research indicates that there is a strong correlation between components of trust        (such as communication effectiveness, conflict management, and rapport) and     productivity. Cultural differences play a key role in the creation of trust, since trust is     built in different ways, and means different things in different cultures.

For instance, in the U.S., trust is "demonstrated performance over time". Here
you can gain the trust of your colleagues by "coming through" and delivering on
time on your commitments. In many other parts of the world, including many Arab,
Asian and Latin American countries, building relationships is a prerequisite for
professional interactions. Building trust in these countries often involves
lengthy discussions on nonprofessional topics and shared meals in restaurants.
Work-related discussions start only once your counterpart has become comfortable
with you as a person.

Cultural differences in multicultural teams can create misunderstandings between
team members before they have had a chance to establish any credibility with
each other. Thus, building trust is a critical step in creation and development
of such teams. As a manager of a multicultural team, you need to recognize that
building trust between different people is a complex process, since each culture
has its own way of building trust and its own interpretation of what trust is.

John Lau, DTM, is a businessman in Kuching, Malaysia. He currently serves on the         Board of Directors of Toastmasters International

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