I recently read Erin Meyer’s The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business, a book illustrating the impact cultural norms have on business endeavors. Meyer documents her experiences as a well-travelled program director of cross-cultural management at INSEAD in Paris, as well as the experiences of various global business leaders and how they manage cross-cultural business interactions.
The book essentially serves as a guide, a manual of sorts, providing information on how cross-cultural communication can be more productive with a shared level of curiosity, objectivity, and acceptance of how other cultures do business. The Culture Map analyzes eight key sectors in which business leaders should consider cultural differences to adequately manage those relationships and expand their businesses. These highlighted areas are:
- Communicating: explicit vs. implicit
- Evaluating: direct negative feedback vs. indirect negative feedback
- Persuading: deductive vs. inductive
- Leading: egalitarian vs. hierarchical
- Deciding: consensual vs. top-down
- Trusting: task vs. relationship
- Disagreeing: confrontational vs. avoid confrontation
- Scheduling: structured vs. flexible
I was particularly drawn to chapter eight, in which Meyer explains linear and flexible time, on a scheduling spectrum. On this spectrum, linear time (or monochronic time) can be defined as exact, measured time that is viewed as tangible and concrete. People from monochronic cultures consider time to be a classification system that orders life, and therefore must be abided by and respected (i.e., Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Japan).
On the other hand, cultures that live in areas that follow flexible (or polychronic) time view time loosely (i.e., India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, most African countries). In countries following polychronic time, punctuality is not necessarily a priority. For example, nobody would make a fuss if a manager was 20, or even 30 minutes late to a meeting in Nigeria. On the other hand, lack of punctuality is seen as a sign of disrespect in a country like Germany, regardless of the circumstance or informality of the meeting.
These perceptions of time can greatly affect how businesspeople connect with one another. How can a global team be on the same page and get work done if there are completely different understandings of the same fundamental concepts, like time management? What members of one culture see as normal and acceptable may be perceived as extremely rude in another. As a business professional it’s imperative to be aware of these cultural nuances in order to have successful meetings and healthy business relationships.
This guide is a valuable resource for individuals who would like to gain better insight into how business works in other parts of the world. Business professionals can benefit from taking a step out of their own culture and look objectively into others to become more accommodating, understanding, and able to make inclusive decisions. Although someone’s culture doesn’t automatically predetermine their conduct, understanding the cultural context can be the bridge between businesspeople and perhaps help alleviate frustration with the conduct of others. This understanding promotes empathy and acclimatization.
It can be difficult to step out of our ethnocentricity because our values and norms are heavily rooted in our culture; however, it makes a great difference in collaboration knowing that business customs from other cultures will be different – and there are tools to understand and work through those differences. Prioritizing effective cross-cultural communication when conducting business can strengthen relationships and maintain a shared level of understanding, which undoubtedly will contribute to better communication and relationship building among colleagues.