Archive for May, 2009

Bridging Cultural Barriers, by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

The higher the social level of Mexicans, the more courteous they tend to be — but even the poorest Mexicans typically behave in an exceptionally courteous manner when in their normal environment, especially when compared to Americans. The exceptional cortesia (cohr-tay-SEE-ah), or courtesy, of Mexicans had some of its roots in the rituals of the Catholic Church brought to Mexico from the 1500s on, but more so in the manners and customs of the early Spanish overlords who generally based their own etiquette on that of the Royal Court of Spain.
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Please join us June 9-11 in Arizona for Communicating and Negotiating with a Global Mindset. This new Thunderbird program focuses on Global Mindset and how you can use it to increase your effective communication and negotiation performance. In this program, you will learn your own Global Mindset profile and develop an understanding of your own negotiating preferences. You will also have a chance to practice successful communication and negotiation strategy in the context of the specific cultures with which you interact in your workplace. Register here. We look forward to working with you.
– Professors Karen S. Walch and Denis Leclerc.

By Karen S. Walch

Adhato Brahma Jignasa. This ancient Brahman invocation  translates  in modern parlance roughly as, “Let us explore the meaning of knowledge”. This concept was taught recently to me by one of my former students, Vani Kapur (nee’ Uppugunduri) ‘03, and her father, Professor Aswathanarayana Uppugunduri. It is an inspiring practice and devotion for the exploration of learning that their family has adopted for generations. Their commitment serves as a valuable example of how the search for knowledge in life, in general, and for negotiation, specifically, can generate great prosperity and happiness.
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Bridging Cultural Barriers, by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

One of the cultural factors that must be taken into consideration when doing business in Mexico is the built-in tendency of many Mexicans to avoid taking personal responsibility for their behavior in their work or in other matters. And the reason for this is historical. For most of the 300-year reign of Spain in Mexico (1521-1821), the Spanish overlords treated the native Indian populations as if they were incapable of sophisticated reasoning and unable to take responsibility for their actions.
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As international marketing director for a Johnson & Johnson medical device company, Katrien Masschelein ‘03 interacts daily with people from all over the world. “Not one country is the same,” she said. “In my role I am challenged every day to make sure in my cross-cultural communication I do the right thing.” Masschelein, who grew up in Belgium, started in Scotland for Johnson & Johnson and then moved to France before taking her current assignment in the United States. Today she works closely with clients in China, Japan, Latin America, Canada and the United States. Masschelein talked about her cross-cultural communication challenges March 2 during Thunderbird’s Super First Tuesday alumni event at the Williams Club in Manhattan. Enjoy the video.

Bridging Cultural Barriers, by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

Westerners who are newcomers to Japan’s business world invariably encounter a cultural factor that appears to be irrational and results in frustration that can range from irritating, if it is explained, to maddening if it is not. This cultural principle — traditionally one of the primary foundations of business in Japan — is subsumed in the word amae (ah-my), which I define in my book, Japan’s Cultural Code Words, as “indulgent love.” But it incorporates much more than what this suggests.
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By Karen S. Walch, Ph.D.

As professors, Denis Leclerc and I can teach global negotiation primarily as a conceptual and academic course. However, negotiation learning involves not only the theory of preparation, for example, but also the application of these principles to current negotiated agreements. One of the learning methods for Thunderbird students that enhances strategic skill development is research into negotiations which illustrate effective preparation principles. The iPhone and China Unicom negotiation provides a great illustration of how negotiation goals, interdependent objectives and appropriate strategy selection are required to achieve agreement. The iPhone and China Unicom negotiation was studied by spring 2009 students as a method to understand how the issues, interests, alternatives and strategies can be pursued through negotiation. This case is a great example of how negotiation is a means to create opportunties and value for telecom consumers in the China market. Enjoy this brief video presentation of the background to the iPhone presence in China.

Bridging Cultural Barriers, by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

During the 1950s and early 1960s, I often characterized Japan as being a “black hole” when it came to information relating to corporate Japan and the government. Like black holes in the galaxies, companies and government agencies sucked in information from around the world but never gave anything back. Companies and government agencies collected tons of domestic data, but it was not made available to the public, in part because of cultural reasons.
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Two students involved in a partnership between Thunderbird in the United States and the Business Development Center in Jordan talked April 22 about the benefits of the cultural exchange.  Julie Vasquez, a U.S. citizen born in Canada, spent three weeks in Jordan this January through a Thunderbird ”winterim” program. And Ayah Younis, a graduate student from Amman, spent the spring trimester at Thunderbird with 18 other Jordanian students. The programs are part of a partnership funded by a USAID grant and coordinated at Thunderbird by Professor Melissa Beran Samuelson. Both students graduated today in Arizona from Thunderbird certificate or degree programs. They sat down in Phoenix with television and radio host Pat McMahon on “The Pat McMahon Show” (AZTV Channel 7). The video above shows highlights of the conversation.