MULTI-CULTURAL

COMMUNICATION
Oakland County Employment Diversity Council
June 17, 2009
Background
 Marketing Director, IteroText Translation
Services
 Blogger/Host, Global Business Perspectives
 Masters, Communication, Thesis: Diversity
Training Effectiveness
 Conference Presenter on Self Labeling and
Hate Crimes
 Lived in both Spain and Brazil
 Communication Geek
"Diversity is
understood in its
broadest sense:
diversity of thought, of
experience, and of
background‖
What is Diversity?

Source: Pfizer
Business Case for Diversity

―The most  Raises marketing opportunities

universal
quality is  Increases creativity and innovation
diversity.―
 Enhances recruitment and retention
Montaigne
 Boosts productivity
 Ups shareholder value
 Deepens customer loyalty
 Increases employee commitment
and morale
Pick a shape

Try not to Choose the shape most

put too much
effort into appealing to you.
analyzing
why a shape
is or isn’t
appealing, a
nd
instead, just
pick your
favorite one.
The World is Flat – Global View
 Thomas Friedman’s Book
read by 3 million +
Americans today.
 95% of the World’s
consumers are outside of
the borders of the U.S.
 Technologies are breaking
through borders with
communication tools like
Email, Internet, Skype, Face
book (57 languages & 70%
Global Communication

Language Lost in Translation

 Language and culture

are at the core of all
human society
 Interpretation: Verbal
translation of words
 Translation: Written
interpretation of words
Companies get it wrong
all the time and it costs ―Finger-lickin’ good‖ Slogan
$ and productivity. translated into Chinese
became…
“eat your fingers off”
1 of 100 people
 We are citizens of a
very diverse world
 If we shrank the
earth’s population
to a ―global village‖
of only 100 people
and kept all the
existing human
ratios, there would
be:
What’s in the Numbers…
61 from Asia 50 f emal es

21 from China 50 males

17 from India 31 Christians
13 from Africa 69 non-Christians, 16 of are
non-religious
12 from Europe
21 Muslims
5 from the U.S.
6 Buddhists
1 from Australia and New
Zealand 14 Hindus
17 who speak a Chinese dialect 29 who have enough to eat
8 who speak English 88 old enough to read
8 who speak Hindi 17 of whom cannot read at all

Source:
Shift Happens – A Domestic
View
 15.6% of U.S. Workers are foreign born
 The U.S. workforce (generally ages 25 to 64)
is in the midst of a sweeping demographic
transformation.
 From 1980 to 2020, two shifts are happening
 larger numbers of younger Americans (ages 0 to
44) are ethnic minorities – Hispanics the largest
segment
 increasing numbers of white workers are reaching
retirement age.
Source: National Center for Public
Policy & Higher Education and
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Culture…also known as
 National / ethnic culture: The group assumed to be site
of child's primary socialization -- "THE Latvian culture,"
"THE African-American culture." In the U.S. this is usually
the assumed meaning of culture, and people revert to this
narrow view of culture out of habit, even when you may
have been quite explicit about defining culture more
broadly than this.
 Secondary or subgroup culture: Cultural groups we've
been socialized into: Organizational culture, professional
culture, manager culture, Muslim culture, peer
culture, prison culture, nerd culture and so on.
 Culture in the anthropological sense: the meanings and
behaviors groups of people develop and share over time.
 Capital C Culture: the high arts of
theater, painting, music, etc., or a superior upbringing.
Culture as a Toolbox

Cultural
"tools" for
Instead of saying "in this culture
making
dinner would
we make tables THAT way, we
include heat
source and
raise children or cook a meal
cooking
vessels, kno THIS way", we acknowledge
wledge of
food that culture gives us a set of
stuffs, recipe
s, knives, rule tools for the task, along with a
s for what
items are guide book that suggests how
served at
which time of we might use those tools and
day to which
kinds of what the results should look like.
guests.
What is Cross Cultural
Communication?
The process People from different cultures encode
of
exchanging and decode messages
meaningful differently, increasing the chances
and
unambiguou of misunderstanding, so the safety-
s information
across
first consequence of recognizing
cultural cultural differences should be to
boundaries,
in a way that assume that everyone's thoughts
preserves and actions are not just like ours.
mutual
respect and
minimizes
antagonism.
(inclusive)
Culture and Communication -
Context
 The general terms "high context" and "low context"
(popularized by Edward Hall) are used to describe broad-
brush cultural differences between societies. Varies on a
spectrum.
 High context: refers to societies or groups where people
have close connections over a long period of time. Many
aspects of cultural behavior are not made explicit because
most members know what to do and what to think from
years of interaction with each other. Your family is probably
an example of a high context environment.
 Low context: refers to societies where people tend to
have many connections but of shorter duration or for some
specific reason. In these societies, cultural behavior and
beliefs may need to be spelled out explicitly so that those
High Context

Examples:
 Less verbally explicit communication, less
Small written/formal information
religious  More internalized understandings of what is
congregation communicated
s, a party
with  Multiple cross-cutting ties and intersections
friends, famil with others
y
gatherings, n  Long term relationships
eighborhood  Strong boundaries- who is accepted as
restaurants belonging vs who is considered an "outsider"
with a regular
clientele, on-  Knowledge is situational, relational.
campus  Decisions and activities focus around personal
friendships, r face-to-face relationships, often around a
egular pick-
up games. central person who has authority.
Asia and the
Middle East
Low Context

Examples:  Rule oriented, people play by external

large US rules
airports, a
chain  More knowledge is
supermarket codified, public, external, and accessible.
,a
cafeteria, a  Sequencing, separation--of time, of
convenience space, of activities, of relationships
store, sports
where rules  More interpersonal connections of shorter
are clearly
laid out, a duration
motel.  Knowledge is more often transferable
USA and  Task-centered. Decisions and activities
Germany
focus around what needs to be
done, division of responsibilities.
The Notion of Time

Low Context High Context

 Linear - distinct and  Circular - a flowing

manageable commodity that can’t
be controlled
segments  schedules, agendas
 Time is $ and appointments-
 Deadlines are flexible because
involvement and
critical/promises interaction with
people are
considered more
important
Be Careful of Yes or No

Yes No

 Many high context  Low Context

cultures will say yes cultures are more
while in a group willing to say no
setting to avoid when requests
embarrassment cannot be fulfilled.
 Notion of saving
face
Leaders and Change Agent
Traits
 Must come from the top down
 Co-created vision not a response to legal
issues
 Possess self knowledge and awareness
 Curious about others
 Open to new ideas and willingness to learn
 Doesn’t live in a world of absolutes but in
shades of gray
 Can communicate clearly in various forms
 Passionate about change
 Ability to motivate others
Adapting Management Styles

If these  Deal with performance issues upfront and as a group.

issues  When assigning a task to team, ask them to create a
become
apparent, try detailed work plan before agreeing to any deadline.
one or more  Once a deadline is agreed upon, tell the team that you
of these
ideas. Please expect them to come to you if, for any reason, meeting it
don’t insult becomes doubtful.
multicultural
employees  Coach any employee who comes to talk to you
who can privately, on ways to sell his/her ideas to the rest of the
manage your team. Or provide a coach or mentor within the team who
expectations
by can perform that function.
indiscriminate
ly applying  When an employee seems to agree to do
these something, especially in a non-committal way, paraphrase
solutions to until you understand his/her concerns. Don’t ask yes or
them.
no ?s.
 Make sure everyone—not just your multicultural
employees—knows that performance evaluations will take
into consideration how well people meet expectations to
Cross Cultural Tips
 Research the cultures to gain understanding of
a culture
 Set clear agendas and expectations of
interactions/meetings
 Avoid using slang and idioms, choosing words
that will convey only the most specific
denotative meaning
 Listen carefully and, if in doubt, ask for
confirmation of understanding (particularly
important if local accents and pronunciation
are a problem)
 Recognize that accenting and intonation can
cause meaning to vary significantly
Cross Cultural Tips Cont…
 Respect the local communication
formalities/styles, and watch for any changes in
body language
 Be careful of written word choices as your
communication will be analyzed thoroughly by the
recipient
 Investigate a culture's perception of your culture by
reading literature about your culture through their
eyes before entering into communication. This will
allow you to prepare yourself for projected views of
your culture you will be bearing.
 If it is not possible to learn the other's language, it is
Platinum Rule
Who knows the golden rule?
Do unto others as you would have done to
yourself.

Who knows the Platinum Rule?

Do unto others as they would have done to
themselves.
-Must understand in today’s workplace
-Miscommunication-greatest workplace
hazard
-The typical consumer is changing
-The composition of the American
workforce is changing
-Marketplace has gone global and isn’t
going back
Multicultural Communication

Remember: Every person and every

situation is unique and different.
Questions?
Contact Information:
Beverly Cornell
www.globalbusinessperspectives.com
[email protected]
248-556-6746
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/beverlycornell
Twitter: @beverlycornell