The
meeting went badly. Very badly.
The CMO
was thirty minutes early, and the CEO was twenty minutes late. The COO and CMO
were both attempting to lead the meeting, while simultaneously offending each
other for doing so. Meanwhile, the CFO and CIO interrupted them constantly,
both steering the conversation where they saw fit. After two hours of this,
when it was time to make decisions, the CIO was only concerned with the
short-term, cost-effective approach, while the CMO was focused on the long term
results. In the end, no decisions were made because the CEO and CFO refused to
move forward without a complete consensus from the team.
No one
anticipated that the first global leadership meeting would be such a mess. Yet
it turns out that the leaders could have been better prepared for the meeting.
How? All it takes is a little cultural awareness.
When I
say cultural awareness, I don’t mean to imply that all you need to do is be
aware that cultural differences exist. Cultural awareness comes from learning
about other cultures, with a sincere effort to understand them. On a personal
level, you can ask members of other cultures about their geography, music,
history, and/or literature.
On a
theoretical level, you can turn to Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions
Theory, as a framework for building a greater understanding between different
cultures in an organization. Social psychologist Geert Hofstede conducted a
six-year worldwide survey of employee values in 50 countries and three regions,
identifying cultural differences in six primary dimensions. These dimensions
address four anthropological problem areas that national societies handle
differently.
While
the six dimensions may seem a bit abstract, they inform important aspects of
business relationships, including how people view hierarchy, time and decision
making. These three elements cause conflict in the workplace even when there
are no cultural differences. Toss a group of people into a room who are not
culturally aware, and you get bad meetings.
Since
hierarchy, time and decision making are so often the cause of workplace
miscommunication, a client of mine asked me to discuss the different cultural
perspectives of each. Because the client has global offices in Sweden, India,
China, the United States, and the United Kingdom, I will focus exclusively on
those countries.
Keep in mind that this is a
basic overview, which involves generalizations. Ultimately, everyone you work
with is an individual who will have his or her own perspective.
Cultural Differences With Time
Let’s
start with time. There are early people and there are late people, right?
It’s
not that simple. Different cultures have different perspectives of time on a
fundamental level. Here is an overview of how the UK, U.S., China, India, and
Sweden generally approach the concept of time in business.
U.K.: In the U.K. it is customary to be punctual.
Meetings are generally time-consuming and set well in advance. Agendas are
preferred.
U.S.: In the U.S., time is seen as a precious and
scarce commodity (think about the phrase ‘time is money’). Culturally, people
in the U.S. tend to equate working time with success—the harder you work (more
hours), the more successful you will be. They see time as linear and doing one
thing at a time with a fixed schedule is preferred.
China: China is a big proponent of punctuality. In
fact, it is customary to arrive 15 to 30 minutes early to a meeting in the
Chinese culture. Other people’s time is seen as precious, due to a penchant for
humility. It’s wise to allow time in a meeting after a transaction is decided
to attain a degree of closeness. In other words, don’t shake hands on the deal
and run out the door to another appointment.
India: The Indian perception of time is not linear.
Time is not about countable, segmented hours and minutes, but rather is
measured in events, priorities, and emergency requests. Expressions of time are
expressions of intent, not mathematical.
Sweden: In Sweden, being punctual is a sign of respect
and efficiency. It is also not considered rude to set strict deadlines for
projects or decisions.
What’s Time Got To Do With a Bad Meeting?
So
let’s go back to the horrible meeting we talked about earlier. Remember how the
CMO was thirty minutes early, and the CEO was twenty minutes late? The early
leader wasn’t anxious or trying to show people up by being early; she was just
from a culture where early arrival is customary. And the CEO is from a
different culture—one where expressions of time are expressions of intent, not
mathematical. If the whole team was aware of these cultural differences, the meeting
wouldn’t have started with tension.
Cultural Differences With Hierarchy
Now
let’s move on to hierarchy. The concept of hierarchy, a system or organization
in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or
authority, varies widely among cultures. While some cultures find hierarchy to
be a must, other find it intrusive and unnecessary. Here is an overview of how
the UK, U.S., China, India, and Sweden generally approach the concept of
hierarchy in business.
U.K.: Distinct hierarchy characterizes the majority
of British companies and organizations. The decision maker’s authority is not
to be questioned, and major decisions are made at the very top. Culturally in
the U.K., the people consider a group-established order to offer a sense of
security and something with which they can identify.
U.S.: The US often has a hierarchal corporate
structure, where there is top-down control that guides business practices and
activities, and positions are ranked with levels of authority. However, the
U.S. is culturally uncomfortable with hierarchy and class systems. They prefer
the “open door policy” and using first names, or even nicknames, with
superiors.
China: In China, hierarchy influences many aspects of
business. Seating arrangements require the most influential people seated the
farthest from the door, and top ranking dignitaries face the door. A person in
a subordinate position would never speak for the group, and senior managers do
not expect or appreciate being contacted by more junior people from outside
organizations.
India: Indian businesses are often very hierarchal. In
negotiations, unless members of the highest level (company director, owner,
senior manager) are present, a decision will not be made. Roles are well defined
and once people are in their allotted position, they rarely attempt to
overturn. Leaders are respected and their instructions are unlikely to be
questioned—even raising a red flag can be seen as disrespectful.
Sweden: In Sweden, strict hierarchy is largely absent.
Everyone’s role in the group is seen as important and managers invite feedback
from all team members. In general, many angles are discussed before a
group-wide decision is made.
What’s Hierarchy Got To Do With a Bad Meeting?
Remember,
“The COO and CMO were both attempting to lead the meaning, while simultaneously
offending each other for doing so. Meanwhile, the CFO and CIO interrupted them
constantly, steering the conversation where they saw fit.”? Can you guess where
these leaders might be from? The COO and CMO are both from cultures where
hierarchy is an important and respected structure, like the UK and China, and
the CFO and CIO are from cultures that shy away from hierarchy for a more
casual, collaborative approach, like Sweden or the United States. Had these
leaders been more culturally aware, they would have seen what was happening in
the situation and been able to adjust their behavior accordingly.
Cultural Differences With Decision Making
Cultural
differences in decision making is the last topic we will cover today. This
isn’t about being indecisive or not; it’s about how decisions are customarily
made. Not understanding how this process differs among cultures can not only
create frustration, but also prevent decisions from happening at all, which
hampers progress. Here is an overview of how the UK, U.S., China, India, and
Sweden generally approach the concept of decision making in business.
U.K: When a decision is announced, it might sound
more like a proposal open to discussion yet that is not the case in the U.K.
They favor a pragmatic approach to decision making and use logical reasoning.
U.S.: In the U.S., executives are influenced by a
short-term, cost-benefit approach to decision making. They approach decisions
in a democratic fashion, operating on debate and discussion between opposing
parties. Decisions are made either to respond to challenges or create
opportunities for recognition and praise.
China: When it comes to China, decision making tends
to be authoritative, which employees rarely challenge. They trend toward
decisions based on long-term goals, instead of short-term goals.
India: All attendants of a meeting need to be
considered in the decision making process in order to maintain harmony in
India. This can create a longer decision-making process, often considered by
other cultures as time consuming. They tend to value stability when making
decisions.
Sweden: Compromising is strongly favored in Sweden. Getting
into a heated debate in a typical Swedish meeting would be unusual. Decisions
are made with great consideration because they value consensus and agreement
and feel it cannot be risked.
What’s Decision Making Got To Do With a Bad
Meeting?
Let’s
go back to that horrible meeting one last time. Remember the CIO and CMO
clashing when it was time to make a decision? The CIO was most concerned with a
short-term, cost-effective approach, as is common in the U.S. culture. This
conflicted with the CMO who was focused on the long-term results. And in the
end, the CEO and CFO were so concerned with all team members being involved and
invested in the decision, often culturally relevant in India and Sweden, that a
decision was never made.
Armed
with this basic knowledge of cultural differences in time, hierarchy and
decision-making, the horrible meeting could have had an entirely different
outcome.
I
challenge you to look more into cultural differences as you approach your
professional life. One way to do that is to look more into the Hofstede
Cultural Dimensions Theory. Another
way is to nourish your curiosity, ask questions, and really listen to what your
team members have to say. This will improve your effectiveness, improve your
work relationships, and enrich your life.
I would
love to hear any stories you have about misunderstandings at work in regard to
hierarchy, time or decision making style. Were you able to see what was
happening at the time? Are you able to see it more clearly now?
Let’s share experiences. Leave a comment below, send me an email,
or find me on Twitter.
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