Archive for August, 2009

Bridging Cultural Barriers, by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

One of the most extraordinary elements in Japanese culture is the role and importance of the “cute” factor in everyday life. Most males in the world grow out of the attachment to cute things and cute behavior that is typical of babies and toddlers, and is especially exemplified by girls when they are young and by many women of whatever age. In Japan, however, there has traditionally been a powerful feminine element in Japanese culture that applied to both males and females, including tough male samurai warriors.
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Bridging Cultural Barriers, by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

One key aspect of the Chinese mindset that foreigners should be aware of in order to do business in China effectively is expressed in the term bi (bee), which translates into English as unity — the condition of agreement; the combination of diverse beliefs and opinions into a whole. On a philosophical level, this is an accurate description of the traditional Chinese concept of an ideal society. However, it is especially important for foreigners in China to be aware of the fact that this view of cultural unity as a national characteristic of the Chinese was never true, and that the contemporary role of bi is quite different from what this suggests.
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Thunderbird Professor Mansour Javidan, Ph.D., tells a story about what can go wrong when global managers fail to adjust their cultural lens in a new country. Earlier in his career, Dr. Javidan provided consulting services at a Canadian oil company doing business in Syria. One Canadian executive wanted to know why Syria’s deputy oil minister held his hand every time they walked through the government offices in Damascus. “What’s wrong with this guy?” the oil executive wanted to know. “Why is he holding my hand?” Listen to Dr. Javidan’s response in the video above.

Global leaders who thrive in cross-cultural environments tend to be people bursting with energy, Thunderbird Professor Mansour Javidan, Ph.D., said Aug. 8 in Chicago at the world’s largest annual gathering of management scholars. “Your level of energy is a critical predictor of how good you are as a global leader,” Javidan said during a presentation at the 69th annual meeting of the Academy of Management, an association of about 18,000 scholars and business leaders from 102 nations. | Video: High energy global leadership (1:48)
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Bridging Cultural Barriers, by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

The cultural requirements of wa (wah), or “harmony,” in all areas of traditional Japanese society fundamentally influenced the use of the language as well as the interactions between individuals and groups. This influence included the choice of words and word-endings, depending on the age, gender and the relationship of the individuals involved and the nature of the interactions. This resulted in the development of feminine forms of speech, male forms of speech, and a “respect” form — all of which became deeply embedded in the culture.
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Bridging Cultural Barriers, by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

SEOUL — Friendships are important in all societies for business as well as social reasons, but few people go as far as Koreans in their need and compulsion to develop and keep a network of chingu (cheen-goo) or friends. The reason for this extraordinary phenomenon is that traditionally Koreans could not depend upon anyone except people with whom they had close personal and family ties …basically for anything … often including services that local officials and bureaucrats were legally obliged to do for them.
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Early in her career before she became an academic, Thunderbird Professor Karen S. Walch, Ph.D., worked as an investment consultant in Puerto Rico. One client was a U.S. millionaire who wanted to locate his business in Puerto Rico. Walch says the man failed to appreciate the cultural differences in the territory and quickly became disappointed with the rate of progress. Before long, his disappointment grew into frustration, judgment, paranoia and finally aggression. Walch wishes she knew back then about the Cultural Orientation Indicator, a self-assessment tool that Thunderbird uses in its cross-cultural communication and negotiation classes. Among other things, Walch describes the COI as a conflict management tool that can help prevent situations like the one she encountered in Puerto Rico. “If we can manage our disappointments before they get to aggression, we can actually get business done,” Walch says. “And we can actually be successful, create value and have really good relationships.” Learn more in this podcast, recorded July 16, 2009. Audio: Understanding the roots of conflict using the Cultural Orientation Indicator (3:16)

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Thunderbird Professor Denis Leclerc, Ph.D., enjoys watching students in his cross-cultural communication classes make discoveries about thriving in global business environments. “The students realize that sometimes the issues they have in teams are not due to personalities but actually due to misunderstandings and miscommunication,” Leclerc says. Students who fail to make these discoveries rarely succeed in complex global environments, which is why Leclerc describes cross-cultural communication as a core competency at Thunderbird. “The cross-cultural communication class is the DNA of what the school is all about,” he says. In this podcast, recorded July 16, 2009, he talks about the Cultural Orientation Indicator (COI), a self-assessment tool Thunderbird uses to help its students and corporate clients make these key discoveries. Audio: Making discoveries with the Cultural Orientation Indicator (1:39)

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Studying cross-cultural communication at Thunderbird has taught Allesandro Nobili to value soft skills. “Anybody can open a book and learn about finance and marketing,” says the full-time MBA student from Italy. “But what makes a difference is how you deal with people.” Nobili, who has lived and worked in three European countries, says one key for success in cross-cultural communication is learning to focus on similarities instead of differences. In this podcast, recorded July 16, 2009, he talks about the Cultural Orientation Indicator (COI), a self-assessment tool that Thunderbird uses to help students thrive in diverse environments. Audio: Alessandro Nobili discusses cross-cultural communication (2:12)

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Full-time MBA student Ajay Gundu never would have thought about working outside India before arriving at Thunderbird. Now the investment manager from Bangalore craves international adventure after his graduation on Aug. 21. “I want to go to every other place possible to learn more and more,” he says. The change in attitude came during a cross-cultural communication class at Thunderbird that uses a self-assessment tool called the Cultural Orientation Indicator. Ajay talks about the COI and its immediate impact on his career in this podcast, recorded July 16, 2009. Audio: Ajay Gundu discusses cross-cultural communication (1:57)

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