SPOTLIGHT {Send ee om moe pr 30 When Culture Doesn't Translate How to expand abroad without losing your company’s mojo “y by Erin Meyer‘that were largely lal. We interacted with ca Jesguer and centr who were with us nd cul allies Felowsufmemnbers were en inthe Samebuldingandat he very east wee inthe same (oun, which ene hat they had ar ways of communicatingand nakig decison. But ar companies internationale, thet en loyees become gogaphical dispersed and lose {heir shared asumptions and norm. People a Aiferent counties acto inputs erent, com- ‘municate differently nd make decisions die ly. Oranialy gown corprate cultures that ‘were long taken fr ranted bein to break down. ‘Mscomumunicaton becomes moe fequen, and ‘nut erdes,epeialy between th ead ofceand ‘eregional unt effts tf thesepob- lems, companies iskcompromisingatibues that in the allowing pages describe the process of catur integrin apd state How al tonal sluons can ac, "Verna with ve ee {ton rm eign. Conscouly and wey Dirngthem wil ead amore nuanced understand Ingo the rcs at ply, whlch nlf wil nrease thechanees of sos. Implicit Communication Breaks Down Incempanieswherecejone eaten thesame ‘he norm. The coe the space we share andthe smocesirar ur ula tscgounds, these ‘urtelance en unpeen cues Inthese seins we ‘eemuniateinshocand fen witout eng itsreadng our courterpat' tone of vole pik Ingup on sibeetA-anage at Lous Viton tlé sentences stead they woulda toe pit fed then something he-OK, you pete Ad fe ‘a tateiseal™ Alco work done this tmp wy witht anyone’ taking noe If way our ofc and ee Yyoustuding October budge tha ware ek, Tight sed you a comprebersive breakdown of ny crt the oct ace youshnk in yout Seat when the Bosak you can met adele, ow tht your "ye" relly means "wih oul? and igh fallow you to your ofice ater the mee {nga bartered such wayeweoninly sdusttocneanothers unspoken ces. ‘But when companies begin to expand inter ‘nal imp ommunistion ope wooing you don't tel me you need 3 boda breakomn, won send one, you say yes eventhough yor ‘meanoo tink that you aged. Because we eet In thesame place we a end ne athe bocy language—andbecase wee om efferent curs, we pata couldn read aerate even ne ‘wee within arm’ length. The more we work wits eorefem ther cauesin fang lcton te [esse ck up on ube meaning andthe more ve ‘Thecbrioussoluoa sto putin place mulpe processes that encourage employees reap key ‘messages and map out in words and pleas ‘who works fr whom with what responsi, ‘bdo wil tke whieh steps and when For may te one banlingexecutvetaidme, "Thera we inerationaized the more we wee forced te) oto nda wring what was neat and whit veasundestod. And ht was god for everybeey headquarters, the added repetioon meant beltary gle corporations str miudersgs especialy ‘becnen tha hand fn ad renal unt Tiled oa ‘akon ust. toprevere ase protans, ‘camps ten oe ay omoentt wt rae ames ‘ne downside, fous, that companies be ‘come more bareauratand communion slows down But ht steely cost at Lui Von, ‘axexample mystery par ofthe value proposer nd infses the way people work. Employees ae nothstconforabe with ambi, they embrace boca tey beets cet thecmpeny's ces. One manag tole, "Thesnore we Wipe ‘out ambiguty beeen what war meant and wit vesheardthefurtberwe wander fiom ht essa ‘mysterious igzcient in ar corporate cle hat sled ocurmocrs”| Forcompaniesinbeaty fashion and othe ste indies, the advantages of mpi cms ‘iton maybe parila tog But anyother ‘ype ofinermatonaliingcexpsmesiaveactvies hatmay bene fom ting people eave messages pen onterpretaion, andthe, 0, nad tothe ‘refi about processes tht might roe vluale ‘guy nano to iprovecooutuncaon. Fault Lines Appear [Breakdowns in impli commutation exacerbate the second problema internation epany faces: Employees frequent) spt nto separate ‘ampsthathavesnusversusthen” dynamic "str tofeluussndempaty for those we se dally andthore who dunklkeus. We ext hinch, ‘opethet We gh together tthe coffe machine Ins ad fete same bond wis people we dott se reguly, especialy when they speak an anf: ilar language and have expereaced the was i- Fenty When ne New York-baed anil ist tution opened ofices tn A, tsi expat highly clsorative cle, which key de! slons involve ageat del of conan, Despite How can manager adap India employees andthe rganaaton awl othe ree ofworkingina global imshrlacee WEN CULTURE DOESNT TRANSLATE 8.096 ‘Stee motes the cara sppleation of we prin: ei mesons + Ge averone ace ea myn ay re {Be hetrgereusereruere In which employes shared work nd consulted wih oe another bt remand ated rom thet Celeaguesin dhe Usted States ‘often headquarters wants tobe nchve bat Sindsthat employees’ exchanges ae hampered by Aifezencesin socal eastoms: One Taimanagerin the nani firm explained, “nT cure, tte ‘nastrongemptasson siding mistakes, nd we ae very soup erent nou decison making I ‘he Americans want ear frm sna conference cathe ned send tbeagenda teat basin vane so that wean prepare what wei eta y andget feedback tem ourpeen" ‘Unforrumtey the Tha mg olde, ist colleagues usual di’ send the agenda ntl an hour before he cl sistem was unable to pre are And tstugged to understand what was ld uring thecal because the US paras poke too quel. Healo si that he Americans ely Invited comments rm the Thais expectg thm toump int the conversions they themselves management sbest ors, the lal fice ceed hat one erectvedesetedas"wereacocsons “The morewe wipe out ambiguity between what w: meant and what was heard, the further we wander from that essential mysterious ingredient in our corporate culture that has led to our success.”‘would Bu hat ind often sot he nem fn Thaand, whee much es common to Hee Af not invited or questioned. The Thal manager summed up is pespectve hs wa. "They inte tstothemeting,butthey don suggest Wt hl sts thal they eate what wehaveto sa. The Ths ‘eam embers ended up just siting on the phone ening ging the Americans he pression hat ‘heya ein tocontiuteo were trad inpuiaing. Corporate Culture Clashes with Local Culture Asconpanis nse rules bout eommunicaten sistent, they often run nto thi prob- Tem. Consider the Dutch shipping company TNT, ‘whicbas gp premium on skcreted ‘Sencyane patra azagenent Whea moved into hina, foun tha eter of hoe vale Bt with en norms. corporat clr duly be Sime elaostp ond and more ie al aslacers in Aiaapted the styles otc Tocalciensand mate thelocal wrfore ‘The problem with hat Kind fap that a companys alte soften ake dive ofits 5 {es Let's ok t UO. Confrontation ad open ‘heagrement rea song pa of corporate a ‘ute. sone manager pt," real we beieve ‘he mare we debate openly andthe more tong tw dine in meetings the clase we get toexcel- lence ore we generate crea and the mote wweredcensk ‘ein many important growth res for LO, ‘ching Southenst Asa nt atin Ameria, ha afte sn det epost io acaltural pefer- ‘he fr group harmony A Mexien employee ine, in lesca cular, open disagreements raised de, dsespectl and to aggresive ‘An inconesian employe sid "Toa indonesian poser, contortion na poupseting extreme enti becaseitaesthe ter essen le ice Sotssomethng that wey stant avoid in feu bebe that your corporat clare wat snakes your company great ou night focus on trainningitin all your ofc, ren when ton fle wih ea practice. This can weak for compa rer ith high inovative product fre ad ferroino lea competion. nother wands, your fonposte caltute hs le to extreme innovation =e = tena Sohee as = torte ‘ing theres ‘tere ty bebest ognoeloca clare oreto Preset ogaitonl core or example, Google bleve thar ts sucess Tare he eal of strong oration culture Partoftutcsetvoles ig emplopeesiotset postive feedback. The compan’ performance re ‘er begins by letractingmanagets, Usk the ‘ings ths employe did eyo Onion doce ‘ny "ist one trg ds perc coulddotobavea ‘bimerimpst* When Google moved into anc, ese ht in that county, pote words asd springy anders proved more song ‘the oogefarmto sve aperfomancereien, was ‘confred.Where was the soto oak abot ab em areas What i this empoye corel wel?” ‘Te postive wording sounded ovr the top” But ‘Googe’ corporate cultures stone tat often ‘spender acl preferences the French manager ‘de, "fer ive yaa Goole rae, Yana {youwearenow aroup ofFech people who give epaetendace na ery ure a Greatinga strong corporate cate that pretty ‘much these fom Befingto Ysa ths ster and more efficent nterally Butt ares ‘ike company withasrangatare pales fempoyees who can tno that culture and trains ‘hemo workandeaveina gly creda Jon Butfyouhze therareSanl who wl calerge suthonty fours and encourage him to doso, You ‘ay ind that is egalitarian dectes keeps him fromlong dens wthlorl cine snd spp Planning for Your International Culture pestnitieshow ca the preent enmanication breakdowns, fault ines, ad ther isk? AS with ‘ort call and ogeieatuon functions tbe ‘espace wlvary bom asetocase Nenad, sy experience suggests that f companies apply ome round lesa are mae to ‘ape et eur new couse witout one eystersti. entity the dimensions of difference. The cerpratecltueandnationlone Sunes ‘herevint dpensonr along wich hose cles‘ay Ar decsons made by consenss does the bos decide? re melines an strctre oem ineveryone mind riefey tthe of he company’s ccs? Only fer you've figured cut ee the eure pons areeas youaepans or eng with hes, "Ws imporan to yeform hs analy slong ‘ple cimensons, bese manages ed obec ‘ualaerece ow toe ortwofetues, often ‘ausngunenycted problems (See my My 204 HER te "Navgating the Ctra ie) ori ‘ance, rend exetiesempecingsbalg fom US caleagusare rutin tipped upby Americans reluctance ove harsh feedback, wile expe Americans a often Bade y heir outwaly Pteand ssly ware French bosses savage igus That ai, you ean peal rede the fetencesyousctsly have to manage oust hee forfour dimetsions. (or more on how to conduct youransias ete Parr Rai) ‘Give everyone a voice. Ato youcan ary many ules coding cure an comport fi tion, theone ou abst maetadpt sensing ttateveryeutura goup ished practi ems, ‘hismvtvesspplyingtre tenets ring sneetings doer imeractons especially when people are paistingemoeey When you ite eal efces to phone o video ‘conferences end the aganda well advance ot the same dy and designate 3 ime for those each cation wo speak. This allows ptt adequately prepare hex comments nd doube- Checker thcaleages + Iss hat eveyone ue patl Eng, speaking sony and cy andassg soneanetorecp the Gscusin, pci when conversa speed + Checkin wih itematonal partcpant every five for 10 minute and svt thet spel “ay in utfiom Than?" er"Budsaee dd you ave yeaa” you lew these basis. youl go tong way ‘oma revesting people fom inking that het coleapiein hercules "never speak pbeche ‘hey ae hiding information have notin acon tribute ors they wantourinpt, tact ty lone a wen Protect your most creative units. As your company expndsgogaphicaly map out heres of the oganteion usualy anctonal ni) that ‘aly benvlyoncreativty and muta ajstment to Achleveterbusinessobjcties Draw asing aan ‘hovers and et communication within the == ‘anmelden “ninectngs tht aes predeine "ewer inthe company, where sere is no lear benef to leaving things open toate ‘on, go ahead ad foal all ysems, processes, and casmunications. The aes that lend them selves tomore exp prods nce nance, Hand pedicte, "You might want to put everything in wing to void misperceptions iter on, you dnt bare an ‘employes handbook, orf your handbook some tines age june oct detled oe Bat ‘before ou stat rafting precise ob descriptions, ‘make su you have protected the rtf yar com any thy or imps cammonietion ond rocesesforbusine cee. Tain everyone in key norms. When ents: inga ew male, youllnevably have adapt some of he lea nos. Bt you shold ao in Joc employes adapt some of our coro norms For enample, LOral oer prog ce “Manag Conontation, whieh teachers met ‘alagproihtoexressingdrgreemeatin mens Employes around the wold hear bo the poe tancetbatefosucren inthe compas AChnese ‘employe tokdme,“Wedoa?tdothis typeof debate ‘adsionly inchs, btthese walsh aight same of expres dering ops which ‘nehavedl come topractoeand appecte, eve meting made up of ny Chinese "aan which priest on tak rented lien bt as ag operations in strongly re tioncip ented socetes such ar and Ngee ‘ape tanpble bene fom geting employes to ‘Maps, rtertunthe ther you (ne Gata employe tld me, “The task-orientedSPOTLIGHT ON THENEW GLOBAL LEADER neatly ges sa common wokpatfar within the company, ac when Texas based employees re cellaboating wah Arbs or Beata or Nigerians, ‘weave mir approach, Cultural erences oythtusashrdasseme companies” ‘Be heterogeeaus everywhere o9%ot your ‘engineers in sangha are chinese and 9% of our [Hxenpersin Lendonare rts, our ih sk faving fault ne appeal he Shanghai en plopoesatetn thi thires anal tose in London Iueinthi fies he fs may widen. And amos ‘le Shanghlemployees are men whe moe of ‘he london employees ze waren, hing ay ge. ‘rena, Tue steps sar nenne erst Ineachlocton Mix the tars an uncon amon, Jocaoas. ste staff embers tobuld beget caltualundesanding. ‘When BusinessObjects, 2 company based in ‘France and the Unted Sates, expanded in nda, clara diferecesquic) arose egg comme Peaoa up anddown the hierarchy Oe US. man fae Sah tone, “often ped information fom individual on Suny tafe female skng Input bt gta reponse.Thelack of communi tin eastoundng” When poke with ana, he ‘i, Sarah sere emis ect omy sal th ‘utgetingmmyOKor even copyingme Those mals ‘Should go te mediety but she sero purpose fallese route proces Ofcourse, When) stffeces thse eal they ae pared” ‘Thiernve sinor cultural mibundestanding seated enone aggravated by he atta lhe Joelempioyeesin Bangalore had ypenttheirentie "hes tn ini; une were in aposton to see things fom the other perspective The maj were sa ‘re engines ner twenties, And the Calor fice war madevp entirely of American midcaeet, ‘makeing expe, none whom ha ever been © Inda Asmalisuethrestened tos themes ‘Aeron ae toface meting wth Sara's ‘eam and Sani’, dorng which the misunde standing was explained ané worked throush, -Businesobjece took furter ses to at the co Jaboration back on tack Five engineers rom the Indian ofc yer et Calor fra mnts, and tre Americans moved to Bangalore. Some ‘Amescana seat bed in bangalore were ied ot ‘Sanjay’ team and Surah ied ever inans vg In cafona it by bitte divisiveness decreed andasusseofuty emered. ‘oerrma cutrme right should never be a afer thought. Companies that don plan for how cd ‘vidi emploees andthe gant as. wle ‘wlladat tots realbesofa lbs marketplace i Teonerrterfindthereeves suming Desist funpodcedcuturalpatboles. andy tetine ey regain their tance, heir economic oppartuaty may haves. © nner Sette ie nen arcane”