The Culture Map

14 Jul 2023

Erin Meyer writes about how cultural differences leads to difficulties working across cultures. Good book, must read if you work with people who are not from your same country. She analyzes countries across 8 scales.

• Communication: low-context vs. high-context
  • US is lowest-context.
  • Need to read between the lines in high-context.
  • Context related to expressiveness of language, multiple meaning, size of vocabulary.
  • Most misunderstandings between two high-context cultures.
  • Low-context leads to least misunderstandings.
• Evaluating: direct negative feedback vs. indirect negative feedback
  • US uses a feedback sandwich, with negative feedback given between two pieces of positive feedback.
  • Chinese will not criticize openly or in front of others.
  • Dutch will give straight honest feedback.
  • French will offer lots of negative feedback.
• Persuading: principles-first vs. applications-first
  • Applications-first learns how to use formula.
  • Principles-first learns how to derive pip before using it.
  • American portraits will be photo of face. Japanese portraits will have surroundings.
  • Chinese people think macro to micro.
  • Western people think micro to macro.
  • Misunderstanding of not getting to the point.
  • Misunderstanding of trying to pull wool over your eyes.
• Leading: egalitarian vs. hierarchical
  • Danish is egalitarian, boss is one of the guys.
  • Russian is hierarchical.
  • Communicating to other party directly versus having to go through their manager.
• Deciding: consensual vs. top-down
  • Ringi where idea is shopped around, consensus is built and idea goes up the hierarchy.
  • American bosses make call and rest implement without consensus.
  • Trade off between decision speed and implementation speed. Consensus faster at implementation, but slower in decision.
• Trusting: task-based vs. relationship-based
  • Related to the reliability of legal system. Can only rely on relationship to hold people accountable.
  • Business deals made through personal relationships by having long meals and drinking.
• Disagreeing: confrontational vs. avoids confrontation
  • French arguing loudly and publicly.
  • Japanese avoiding any disharmony.
  • Chinese guanxi, concept of face.
• Scheduling: linear-time vs. flexible-time
  • German and Japanese on schedule.
  • Brazilian starting and stopping whenever.

What is the purpose of meeting?

• In a good meeting, a decision is made -> American.
• In a good meeting, various viewpoints are discussed and debated -> French.
• In a good meeting, a formal stamp is put on a decision that has been made before a meeting -> Chinese and Japanese.