Unless we know how to decode other cultures and avoid easy-to-fall-into cultural traps, we  are easy prey to misunderstanding, needless conflict, and deals that fall apart.

Yet most managers have little understanding of how local culture impacts global interaction.  Even those who are culturally informed, travel extensively, and have lived abroad often have few  strategies for dealing with the cross-cultural complexity that affects their team’s day-to-day  effectiveness. Often the cross-cultural challenges that arise could be avoided by learning a few  basic principles. For example, the answer to the simple question, “When should I speak and  when should I be quiet?” varies dramatically from one culture to another.

I learned this lesson the hard way over a decade ago when, ironically, I was supposed to be  coaching a top French executive at the French car manufacturer Peugeot Citroën. He and his wife  asked for help with the cultural adjustments they’d need to make in regard to their upcoming move to Wuhan, China. Bo Chen, the Chinese country expert assisting in my meeting with them, arrived early. A 36-year-old Paris-based journalist from Wuhan, Chen was articulate, extroverted, and very knowledgeable. He was to have prepared two or three concrete business examples to  illustrate each cultural issue I would be covering.

As I began the session by outlining on a flip chart the cultural issues the Bernard's needed to grasp,  I was carefully keeping an eye on Chen, so I could help facilitate his input. But Chen didn’t seem to have any input. After finishing my presentation of the first main  cultural challenge, I paused briefly and looked to him for his examples, but he didn’t speak up.

He didn’t open his mouth, move his body forward, or raise his hand. Apparently, he had no example to provide. Not wanting to embarrass Chen, I simply continued to my next point. To my growing dismay, Chen remained silent and nearly motionless as I continued through my  presentation. He nodded politely while I was speaking, but that was all; he used no other body language to indicate any reactions, positive or negative. I gave every example I could think  of. I spoke, shared, and consulted with the Bernard's, but still no input from Chen.

I continued like this for three whole hours. My initial disappointment with Chen was turning  into full-fledged panic; I needed his input for the program to succeed. Finally, I decided to take  a chance. “Bo,” I asked, “did you have any examples you would like to share?”

Chen sat up straight in his chair, smiled confidently at the clients, and opened up his notebook,  which was filled with pages and pages of typed notes. “Thank you, Erin,” he replied. “I do.”  Chen then began to explain one clear, pertinent, fascinating example after another.

What had happened?

Last modified: Saturday, 16 October 2021, 2:12 PM