Jan 10

Effective Global Leadership: Leading in Asia

Cross Cultural Training, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management 1 Comment »

Asian countries such as India, China and Japan are fast becoming some of the most successful global players in international business. Not only have their businesses recovered more steadily from the challenges facing the global economy, but many have experienced higher growth and performance than any other region in the world. Many western businesses are now looking to Asian companies to see what they are doing that brings them such international success. In particular, there is an increased focus on those individuals leading across cultures as they are the ones making such immense strides in international business.

Asian Lantern espion i Effective Global Leadership: Leading in Asia

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What is it that makes Asian businesses and leaders so successful? In 2010 the Hay Group conducted a survey in which they gathered information from 1,827 organisations worldwide to try to determine what made companies or leaders so successful. Interestingly, the survey found that Asian companies tend to be more willing to implement new ideas or best practice and change the way the business functions.

Samsung, one of the most successful companies in Asia, runs a series of special programmes for the top leadership team on subjects such as art, music and history to transform their members into ‘world-citizens’. By focusing on areas such as these, Samsung’s leaders are developing a broader suite of skills and knowledge that they can tap into as they develop new strategies for the company to ensure they stay at the forefront of their competition.

This is also part of the overall attitude that Asian companies convey when doing business across borders. Organisations in Asia Pacific spend more time visiting and learning from their peers than their Western counterparts. This has a strong influence on the way companies in the region manage their own employees as well. The survey showed that Asian organisations tend to transfer this curiosity to their subsidiaries, give them more autonomy and accept their ideas more readily.

The openness to new ideas and ways of thinking is definitely one aspect that makes leaders in Asia increasingly successful, however some argue that their leadership style may not be that transferable when leading across cultures. The survey showed that about half of the Asian leaders from the top five companies in Asia prefer a directive and authoritarian leadership style which respects hierarchy. While this can work in some cultures, it can also have the potential of being counterproductive to the performance and innovation of the company.

Despite this leadership style, Asian leaders seem to have developed pivotal skills in establishing external and internal relationships that enable the long-term good of the company. For example, Indian CEOs manage complex webs of external relations with the media and government while Chinese CEOs appear to be experts in the concept of personal relationship building referred to as ‘guanxi’. The importance many Asian leaders place on personal relationships, such that legal arrangements come second, can be quite a different approach to that of many western leaders.

While Asian companies stand out in contrast to other global companies in their way of networking, they also shine in how they promote or reward their employees. This can help to explain some of the vast growth and success of these top Asian companies, however they need to be cautious as promoting employees too quickly might also turn out to be counterproductive when employees don’t experience any room to develop their competencies fully or learn new business capabilities.

The hunger and curiosity for new ideas and best practices seen in Asian organisations shows a unique management style which is often extremely effective. Though the authoritarian leadership style and approaches found in many Asian cultures may be perceived negatively in some cultures, their overall interest for innovation is something that more Western countries should be tapping into and also applying to their own styles.

When leading across cultures, particularly in markets such as Asia, global leaders need to understand how the approach differs and adapt their own style to find the best of both worlds. A combination of each cultural leadership style can give global leaders and organisations a competitive edge in this increasingly challenging market.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

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Jan 09

Living and Working in Germany: Bavaria and its Uniqueness

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture No Comments »

Every September and October Munich becomes the centre of attention, especially for those who count themselves as beer lovers. In the month of September the mayor of the city taps the first keg of beer in the Schottenhammel tent on the Theresienwiese in Munich. This annual ritual officially starts Oktoberfest which is always held in the last two weeks of September each year and finishes during the first weekend in October. As Oktoberfest kicks off, massive crowds of tourists descend upon Munich from all over the world to enjoy the well-known ‘Maβ’ beer served in a one litre mug.

Germany Flag wrangel i Living and Working in Germany: Bavaria and its Uniqueness

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Although this part of southern Germany is known for its beer and Oktoberfest, Bavaria has a lot more to offer. Some may argue that the free state of Bavaria cherishes its historical traditions more than any other state in Germany, while it tends to see itself as different from the others. Foreigners are not alone when they struggle to understand the local customs and traditions in Bavaria as many Germans are often surprised by the cultural differences they encounter there.

Living and working in Germany can be a completely different experience in Bavaria than in other parts of the country. Anyone living and working in Bavaria should try to gain an understanding of the customs, behaviours and traditions that are unique to this part of Germany.

Here are a few cultural mannerisms and attitudes that you may come across in Bavaria:

  • A unique combination of traditional and modern values and attitudes towards life and business
  • A distinct dialect which even Germans from the North can find hard to understand as it differs quite a bit from High German
  • A tendency to use double negations. For example: ‘Der Fonsi hod koa Gschpusi net’, meaning ‘The Fonsi has never not had a girlfriend’
  • The use of the subjunctive as an expression for politeness. For example you may often hear men say ‘I waar soweid’ when waiting for their wife when she still isn’t ready to go. In other words, they will be ready when their wife is
  • A special weather condition which can only be observed in the alpine regions called the ‘Föhn’. This kind of ‘downslope’ wind can cause migraines or sleeplessness but it is also responsible for the gorgeous blue sky often seen in this region
  • The biggest per-capita-consumption of beer at 215 litres a year
  • Beer from the widest selection of 631 regional breweries in the state all brewed by the same German purity law
  • Culinary specialties like ‘Brezn’, ‘Weiβwurscht’ (Bavarian veal sausage) or ‘Hendl’ (roast chicken) which are typically eaten with beer during Oktoberfest
  • Traditional costumes worn for daily purposes as well as cultural festivities. Some of the most well-known include ‘Lederhose’ and ‘Dirndl’ for women which usually consists of a traditional blouse, dress and apron which is said to give a stunning figure to every woman no matter the size.

Living and working in Germany can be very exciting and different when Bavaria is the selected destination. If you are going on an international assignment to Bavaria be sure to prepare yourself by researching this part of Germany thoroughly so you know what to expect. A cross-cultural awareness training course can also help you to further expand your understanding of German and Bavarian culture so that you can make the most out of this unique social and professional experience.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

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Jan 04

Intercultural Weddings: How Cross Cultural Awareness Can Help to Create a Lifetime of Happiness

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture No Comments »

It might appear surprising that when two people fall in love and decide to spend their life together, they often face their first real test as a couple when they start organising their wedding ceremony. Organising weddings can be quite a challenge for the couple and their families, especially when the wedding unites two people from two or more different cultures.

Muslim Bride Shelton Muller i Intercultural Weddings: How Cross Cultural Awareness Can Help to Create a Lifetime of Happiness

© istockphoto.com/Shelton Muller

Intercultural weddings are becoming increasingly popular as people become more prone to global mobility and cross-cultural relationships. Although the number of intercultural weddings is on the rise, many couples still lack the fundamental understanding they need to make sense of and successfully cope with the numerous cross cultural differences they will face in their intercultural relationship. A high level of cross cultural awareness is vital to successfully bringing together two families through an intercultural wedding.

An interview by Helyn Trickey on CNN highlighted how the number of intercultural weddings grow as the number of people living and working in different countries increases. Often when people of two or more different cultural backgrounds get married, they tend to blend their different nationalities and cultures into one to form a new family culture. In many cultures intercultural weddings have traditionally been seen quite negatively, but an increasing number of people feel more optimistic about the positive possibilities a long-term intercultural relationship can bring.

When a couple starts planning the wedding ceremony, they may struggle at times to both celebrate and respect their own cultural traditions and heritage. Susanna Macomb, author of the book Joining Hands and Hearts: Interfaith, Intercultural Wedding Celebrations says that one way to make an intercultural wedding ceremony an enjoyable experience for all members of both families is for the couple to consider and clarify the different cultural traditions and values they believe in to create a mutual understanding before attempting to plan the ceremony.

This allows the couple to identify any aspect of the other culture which is either drastically different or perhaps considered offensive to the other culture. This in turn will not only help to ensure that they deal with any cultural differences of how they’d like to celebrate their wedding ceremony, but it will also help them to further discover the things that they have in common which will strengthen their relationship even more. Being aware of the symbolism used in both cultures can make a wedding more meaningful for both families.

One Hindu-Catholic couple who recently celebrated an intercultural wedding were able to combine traditions to create something even more special. Candles and fire play an important role in both Hindu and Catholic weddings. In Hinduism, an oil lamp with five wicks resembles the five elements wind, earth, fire, sky, and water. In Catholicism the lighting of candles is a symbol of devotional intention. Rebecca and Jayant Menon were married by interfaith minister Macomb who took into account both of the meaningful elements from Catholicism and Hinduism to build a bridge between the two different cultures and religions.

Making a wedding work between two people representing different cultures is not too different from making any intercultural interaction work, whether social or professional. An awareness and consideration of what each person values and respects can create more fruitful relationships and reduce cultural misunderstandings. Cross cultural awareness can help both intercultural couples and multicultural team members to be more open and understanding of each other to communicate and love successfully when encountering the adventure of a different culture and might thus even make the walk to the couple therapist redundant.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

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Jan 03

Working Effectively across Cultures: Perceptions of Time

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector 2 Comments »

Time is one of the most precious commodities in today’s modern world, however the value we give to time and how we manage our day by it is not universal. Many professionals working across cultures are surprised by how their international counterparts manage meetings, projects or other business activities. Different interpretations of being ‘on time’, the importance placed on deadlines and how people refer to the past, present or future are just some aspects of how time can be perceived differently across cultures.

Working effectively across cultures requires an awareness of different perceptions of time which will help to reduce the complexity of international business and put you in a better position to manage and harness cultural differences.

Clock DNY59 i Working Effectively across Cultures: Perceptions of Time

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There are so many components of time that need to be understood when working across cultures that it can become quite confusing. Dutch interculturalist Fons Trompenaars suggests a simple model which puts attitudes to time into two general categories: sequential and synchronic. With these terms Trompenaars attempts to describe how people around the world generally manage their time and how time impacts on their behaviour and mindset.

In sequential cultures Trompenaars argues that time is dealt with in a specific logical order. For example people from a sequential culture may prefer to have a detailed agenda for meetings and regular milestones throughout the life cycle of a project. They rely on this structure and can find a more flexible approach to time frustrating. Time tends to control and influence what people do in sequential cultures, and many will find value in the expression ‘time is money’.

People in synchronic cultures tend to manage their time quite differently than those from sequential cultures. In synchronic cultures people will have a much broader and more flexible perception of time. As such time is adaptable and allows much more freedom for tasks to be achieved. People from synchronic cultures don’t tend to be slaves to time but rather they use time as a guidance for how they structure their day and life. In synchronic cultures people will approach tasks in a much more open way and not be as beholden to deadlines and timeframes. Rescheduling a meeting at the last minute, showing up a few minutes after the meeting start time or missing an agreed deadline are all things they accept readily.

While this approach may frustrate those from a sequential culture, their more rigid and structured approach to time can seem inflexible and too strict to those from synchronic cultures. Here are a few additional different attitudes you may find in sequential and synchronic cultures.

As you read through the list ask yourself what you agree with the most. Then think about how someone with the opposite approach may perceive you.

 

Sequential cultures Synchronic cultures
People tend to do one thing at a time People tend to do multiple things at a time
Times are precise and punctuality is valued Times and deadlines are guidelines that people may intend to meet but won’t always
Time is limited – time is a resource that needs to be efficiently used Time is a tool, a subjective, mouldable concept
Logic, efficiency and speed are the focus of business Relationships are the focus of business and will improve efficiency
Tasks are sometimes secondary to time Sticking to time is secondary to building relationships
Meeting deadlines is commended Completing the task well is more important than meeting deadlines
The future is a continuation of the present The future is interconnected with the past and present

 
The importance that people give to time can vary dramatically. Working effectively across cultures requires the ability to not only identify different perceptions of time, but it also requires the skills to be able to manage business and relationships when attitudes to time are so drastically different. Attending a cross-cultural awareness course like Working Effectively across Cultures can give you an understanding of how cultures control time or let it control them, and how behaviours are therefore impacted.

Whether you see time as money, something to be controlled or something that will guide you from one point to another, think about the above attitudes to time you may find and be aware of how you may be perceived by your international counterparts when working across cultures.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

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