Japan is a strong group-oriented culture.

The Japanese feel they cannot make specific decisions because there are others outside of the meeting - who also need to be consulted before decisions can be made. Prior to these further consultations, the Japanese would also be nervous about committing to specific dates. In Japan, once a date is agreed to, it must be met for the sake of saving face. In France, there is some flexibility.

Feedback in the United States tends to be given in a positive way beginning with some encouraging words, followed by some suggestions, and ending with more encouraging words. To the Germans, this can appear insincere. To be direct is respectful. Frank might be doing better than he thinks.

Example Ota san from Japan is giving his first presentation in the United States. He begins with an apology and then provides the audience with a lot of background information related to the problem. He then discusses different options for the problem. Some of the Americans make excuses and leave before his presentation is complete. Explanation Effective presentations in the U.S. tend to be those that are reduced to the essentials with a fast track toward conclusions and recommendations. There is little patience with lots of background information or long explanations. The focus is on action. The focus in Japan, however, tends to be on complete understanding and thinking so that possible mistakes are avoided.

Cultural differences have a large influence on working relationships in todays global business environment. Part of an effective 21st century managers toolkit is cross-cultural competence. This involves not only trying to avoid mistakes, but also finding opportunities to create business value out of differences. There are two major challenges when working across cultures: the mindset challenge (moving from closed to open mindedness), and the emotional challenge (managing the psychological stress of working across differences). The culturally competent manager also operates with some key principles, such as,

focusing as individuals, respect, and openness to learning. Some of key personal attributes for succeeding in a multicultural environment are adaptability, curiosity, empathy, self-awareness, and resilience. One important thing to remember is that developing cross-cultural competence is a life-long process.
Remember: How can I know what Ive said, until I know what youve heard?

A person from Japan might be horrified to be singled out from the rest of the group. A German might dismiss it as meaningless because positive feedback seems to given all the time in the senders culture.

Good intentions dont always lead to good communication. REMEMBER these two phrases: ENCODING TO FIT DECODING FOR ACCURACY The best international communicators are constantly checking the cultural conditions and make adaptations.

An Englishman goes to Germany for the first time. Like many English people he is indirect in his communication style. During the meeting a German says, "This makes absolutely no sense to me." The Englishman is shocked. In England they might have said, "Thats an interesting idea, but have you thought about this..." They would never be so rude. He starts to get defensive and aggressive. Now the Germans look shocked!

Some body language appears to be universal, e.g., the V for victory sign is known in most parts of the world. Other body language has a specific meaning in a local context, e.g., the head nod means no in Bulgaria, but yes in most other countries. English-English

"Were playing on a bit of a sticky wicket." "Lets get down to the nitty gritty." "Lets park that."

International-English

"This environment is difficult for us." "Lets look at the details" "Lets discuss that later"

American-English

"Lets look at this from 30,000 feet." "Heres a ballpark figure for you." "That dog wont hunt."

International-English

"Lets look at the problem as a whole before we look at the details" "Heres an approximate number for you" "That is not going to work

Relationships dont always take months or years to develop. The secret is to create an opportunity to build a connection.