are direct
versus indirect communication;
trouble with accents and fluency;
differing attitudes toward hierarchy
and authority; and conflicting norms
for decision making.
Direct versus Indirect
Communication
Communication in Western cultures
is typically direct and explicit. The
meaning is on the surface, and a
listener doesn't have to know much
about the context or the speaker to
interpret it. This is not true in many
other cultures, where meaning is
embedded in the way the message is
presented. For example, Western
negotiators get crucial information
about the other party's preferences
and priorities by asking direct
questions, such as "Do you prefer
option A or option B?" In cultures
that use indirect communication,
Interview 4
negotiators may have to infer
preferences and priorities from
changes or the lack of them in the
other party's settlement proposal. In
cross-cultural negotiations, the non-
Westerner can understand the direct
communications of the Westerner, but
the Westerner has difficulty
understanding the indirect
communications of the non-Westerner.
The differences between direct and
indirect communication can cause
serious damage to relationships when
team projects run into problems.
Trouble with Accents and Fluency
Although the language of
international business is English,
misunderstandings or deep
frustration may occur because of
nonnative speakers' accents, lack of
fluency, or problems with translation
or usage. These may also inuence
perceptions of status or competence.
Nonfluent team members may
well be the most expert on the team,
but their difficulty communicating
knowledge makes it hard for the team
to recognize and utilize their
expertise. If teammates become
frustrated or impatient with a lack of
fluency, interpersonal conflicts can
arise. Nonnative speakers may
become less motivated to contribute,
or anxious about their performance
evaluations and future career
prospects. The organization as a
whole pays a greater price: Its
investment in a multicultural team
fails to pay off. Some teams, we
learned, use language differences to
resolve (rather than create) tensions.
Differing Attitudes Toward
Hierarchy and Authority
A challenge inherent in multicultural
teamwork is that by design, teams
have a rather flat structure. But team
members from some cultures, in
which people are treated differently
according to their status in an
organization, are uncomfortable on
flat teams. If they defer to higherstatus
team members, their behavior
will be seen as appropriate when most
of the team comes from a hierarchical
culture; but they may damage their
stature and credibilityand even face
humiliation if most of the team
comes from an egalitarian culture.
Conflicting Norms for Decision
Making
Cultures differ enormously when it
comes to decision making
particularly, how quickly decisions
should be made and how much
analysis is required beforehand. Not
surprisingly, US managers like to
make decisions very quickly and with
relatively little analysis by
comparison with managers from other
countries.
