One of the great challenges of the global economy is communication between cultures.Have the necessary guidelines to facilitate understanding can be the difference between success and failure.However, most managers who do business internationally do not know how much culture influences their work.

Erin Meyer is an expert recognized in the field of international businesses and in her book the cultural map (Peninsula editions, 2022) describes the eight points or differential scales of cultural features and facilitates the tools to face in the most effective way themost common communicative challenges in the world of international relations.

This university professor at INSEAD and Intercultural Consultant decided to write the book to help with this problem and this need to be able to communicate and understand each other with people from different cultures.

He has always worked in the business world, so he considers that the public who could be more interested in the book has a business profile.However, he believes that anyone might interest and even benefit."When I give a conference there is always someone who comments' now I understand why my husband/wife acts like this," he says.

Each chapter of the book is consecrated to one of the eight scales of the cultural map.And each of them, places between 20 and 30 countries on an axis.The important thing on a scale is the relative distance between two countries, a person of any of them can use the concepts that the author presents to relate to her colleagues from other places.Now, to interpret the map you have to keep in mind that the country's position is not fixed, the individual differences then enter into play.

The impact of barriers

Cultural differences may seem little.But if one is not aware of the differences and is not armed with strategies to manage them can "ruin a meeting, demotivate their employees, frustrate foreign suppliers and hinder the achievement of objectives greatly".

Let us be aware or not, the subtle differences in communication patterns from one country to another have a tremendous impact on how we understand each other and, therefore, how we do our work.

An example that Meyer puts is a characteristic gesture of India: a movement halfway between denial and assent.If one travels for business, he soon discovers that the gesture does not indicate disagreement, doubt or lack of support.On the contrary, it suggests interest, enthusiasm or, sometimes, listening respectful.The writer says that after one or two days, foreigners take a mental note of their apparent meaning and then they can interpret the gesture well when negotiating an agreement.

However, if with these same partners we interact frequently by email or by phone, the day we have to close a treatment in a videoconference we do not know how to interpret a gesture like that, so even if they agree, we redouble efforts to convince them.

Another example was lived by the author herself.During the promotion of the book, Meyer presented his text in the United States and several countries in Europe.When finishing and asking if someone had any questions, several people always raised their hands.However, when Dynamics came to Japan, nobody raised his arm.

A Japanese partner of his team, however, took the initiative and, staring at three people, asked directly them.In all three cases there were questions.What happened?The Japanese explained to Meyer that in his culture, if they want to ask anything they stare at the speaker and wait for it to propose to speak.

The eight scales

Communication.The communication styles are divided by the author in those of low context and those of high context.In low context cultures, such as the American, communication must be simple, clear and explicit.Meanwhile, in high context, such as Japanese, it depends on unconscious assumptions on common references and shared knowledge.

Evaluation.Another important issue in international businesses is how negative feedback is handled.In "direct" cultures such as the Russian or German, an intensifier tends to be used, a word that reinforces the meaning of criticism as absolutely, totally or very.In the "indirect", such as the Japanese, attenuators are used that soften criticism.

Persuasion.When convincing, people of cultures such as Italian or Spanish begin by presenting their positions and then add theories that support them.However, other cultures, such as the American, are based on principles and follow the opposite order.

Leadership.The author distinguishes between two styles.One more hierarchical, where the chief-employed distance is wide, status is important and organizational structures are fixed.Another more equal, in which the chief-employed distance is short and the best boss acts as the same facilitator.

Decision.There are countries in which companies make decisions in a consensual manner, each election is taken in groups.On the other hand, there are those in which a single person makes the decision that affects all or a part of the company.

Confidence.Trust is a very important issue when communicating, but the companies of each State Gest it in a different way.Meyer distinguishes from those in which trust is generated through activities associated with business - a confidence that is based on tasks - of others that is generated from “meals, exit glasses or be in the coffee machine” where thedevelopment is slower and is based on personal relationships.

Disagreements.Countries like France or Germany tend to confrontation, they understand disagreement and debate as something positive.Others like Japan or Thailand see the debate as something negative, for them confrontation is something inappropriate.

Planning.Companies from countries such as Germany or Switzerland carry the stages of a project in order, completing one before starting the next, following an order, respecting the deadline and calendar.However, companies in India or Nigeria address the stages of a project in a fluid way, changing task as the opportunity is presented, the objective is adaptability.

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