Riassunto esame Lingua inglese, Prof. Zazzeroni Elisabetta, libro consigliato The Culture map, Meyer

THE CULTURE MAP

The protagonist of the story starts telling us that once she worked with a Chinese person, and she

was surprised that he never spoke, when she asked him the reasons of his silence, he told her that in

China they wait to be called. He told her a sentence of his mum: you have two eyes, two ears, but

only one mouth. You should use them accordingly.

The French are masters on implicit and indirect communication, while Americans are more explicit

and direct. In France, positive feedback is often given implicitly, while negative feedback is given

more directly. In the US it’s the opposite.

A common behaviour in India is to half-shake and half-nod the head, it suggests interest, enthusiasm

and respectful listening. If you live in India, you can notice this thing, and after a couple of days you

will understand it, but if you talk to one Indian, without ever seeing the environment they live and

work in, it might be more complicated.

Every person has his own trait, each is different from the other, but culture has a general effect on

people. It’s important to respect every culture, since everyone is protective for its own. It’s often

difficult for a person to recognize this in his/her own culture. When you talk to someone from

another culture, try to watch more, listen more and speak less. Listen before you speak and learn

before you act.

Russian and Israeli business cultures value flexible scheduling rather than organized scheduling, both

accept and appreciate open disagreement and both approach issue of trust through a relationship

orientation rather than a task orientation. But Russia prefers hierarchical approach, while Israeli

prefers an egalitarian one.

There’s a range of acceptable ways to give negative feedback in the Netherlands, and a Dutch

businessperson can make a choice that falls anywhere within that range. Similarly, there’s a range of

appropriate ways to give negative feedback in the UK, and a British businessperson can choose a

specific approach from any place within that range.

Some Dutch might employ feedback styles that are appropriate in the Netherlands as well as in the

UK, while others may use techniques that seem acceptable in the Netherlands but would be

considered inappropriate and offensive in the United Kingdom.

When you observe another culture, you see it from the point of view of your culture. Cultural

relativity is the key to understanding the impact of culture on human interactions.

In the United States and other Anglo-Saxon cultures, people are trained to communicate as literally

and explicitly as possible. In many Asian cultures (India, China, Japan and Indonesia), messages are

often conveyed implicitly. Good communication is subtle, layered and many depend on copious

subtext, with responsibility for transmission of the message shared between the one sending the

message and the one receiving it. It’s the same for Kenya, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina,

Spain, Italy, Portugal and France.

In Japan it’s important to “read the air”, that means to read between the lines.

Languages reflect the communication styles of the cultures that use those languages. Japan and Hindi

are high-context languages. Japan has a lot of homonyms, and therefor it’s important to read

between the lines to understand.

Many words in French have multiple possible meanings. There’s a level of the language that in the

sous-entendu, that basically means to say something without saying it. The other one is “deuxième

degré”: one thing might be said explicitly, but the statement may have an unspoken subtext which is

the second-degree meaning. The use of second-degree messages is a feature of French literature. La

Fontaine wrote stories that were at the first degree, simple children’s tales, but if you understand the

context, you may find a second degree of meaning (political message).

English is a lower-context language than the Romance languages, while the Romance languages are

lower context than most Asians languages.

The United States is the lowest-context culture in the world, and all Anglo-Saxon cultures fall on the

left-hand side of the scale, with the UK as the highest-context culture of the Anglo-Saxon cluster.

Brazil is the lowest-context culture in the Romance cluster.

Many African and Asians countries fall further right. Japan has the distinction of being the highest-

context culture in the world.

LOW-CONTEXT= good communication is precise, simple and clear. Messages are expressed and

understood at face value. Repetition is appreciated if it helps clarify the communication.

HIGH-CONTEXT= good communication is sophisticated, nuanced, and layered. Messages are both

spoken and read between the lines. Messages are often implied but not plainly expressed.

High-context cultures tend to have a long shared history. Usually they are relationship-oriented

societies where networks of connections are passed on from generation to generation. Japan is an

island society with a homogeneous population and thousands of years of shared history, during a

significant portion of which Japan was closed off from the rest of the world.

By contrast, the USA, a country with a few hundred years of shared history, has been shaped by

inflows of immigrants from various countries around the world, all with different histories, languages

and backgrounds. Americans learned quickly that if they wanted to pass a message, they had to make

it as explicit and clear as possible.

Edward Hall, an American anthropologist, used the analogy of the marriage: if a couple is married for

fifty or sixty years, can gather enormous amounts of information just by looking at each other’s faces

or gestures. Newlyweds need to state their messages explicitly and repeat things to ensure that they

received the message correctly.

In the Netherlands, if you don’t say things straight, people don’t think you are trustworthy. If you’re

from a low-context culture, you may perceive a high-context communicator as secretive, lacking

transparency, or unable to communicate effectively.

You may be considered a top-flight communicator in your home culture, but what works at home,

may not work so well with people from other cultures.

In high-contest cultures, the more educated and sophisticated you are, the greater your ability to

both speak and listen with an understanding of the implicit, layered messages. In low-contest

cultures, the most educated and sophisticated business people are those who communicate in a

clear, explicit way.

British speak more between the lines than Americans do, this is particularly visible in British humour.

British tend to deliver jokes with a deadpan face, and as result they say that Americans don’t

understand irony.

What is obvious common sense to someone, may not be common sense to others. In the UK is

common sense that at the end of a meeting you recap what has been decided, frequently followed by

a written recap, including individual action items.

In the UK and the USA, if you send someone an email and that person doesn’t have the answer at

their fingerprints, common sense calls for the receiver to respond within 24 hours saying when you’ll

give the answer.

If you don’t understand, ask open-ended questions. Before repeating yourself, stop talking; you can

always come back to that topic later.

When talking to Americans, Australians and British, be transparent, clear and specific. Explain why

you are calling, at the end of the phone call recap all the key points or send an email repeating those

points. If you aren’t sure of what you have been asked to do, ask for clarification, don’t read between

the lines.

On multicultural team, most misunderstanding takes place between people who come from two

high-context cultures with different roots, like Brazilians and Chinese. In this case the message

received is different from the message sent.

In multicultural team you can follow some rules:

 One person would recap the key points orally, with the task rotating from one team member

to another.

 Each person would summarize orally what he would do next.

 One person would send out a written recap, again on a rotating basis.

The more low-context the culture, the more people have a tendency to put everything in writing.

Compared with European and Asians, Americans business tend to have organizational charts, titles,

written objectives, performance appraisals.

Many high-context (Asia and Africa) documentation is considered less necessary. The tendency to put

everything in writing, which may suggest o high-context colleagues that you don’t trust them to

follow through on their verbal commitments.

If you work with a team that has both low-context and high-context members, putting it in writing

reduces confusion. Make sure to explain up front why you are doing it.

:

NEGATIVE FEEDBACK

Managers in different parts of the world give suggestions and criticisms in different ways. Chinese

learn to never criticize a colleague openly or in front of others. Dutch learn to be honest and give the

message straight. Americans are trained to wrap positive messages around negative ones. French are

trained to criticize passionately and provide positive feedback sparingly.

Direct cultures use “upgraders”: words like absolutely, totally, strongly. Indirect cultures use

“downgrades”: words that soften criticisms like kind of, sort of, a little, a bit, maybe, slightly.

In Germany, people use strong words when complaining or criticizing in order to make the message

registers clearly and honestly. British are very indirect.

Most European cultures are on the direct side of the scale, while Russian, Dutch and Germans are

particularly prone to offering frank criticisms.

DIRECT NEGATIVE FEEDBACK: negative feedback to a colleague is provided frankly, bluntly, honestly,

not softened by positive ones. Descriptors are often used. Criticisms may be given in front of a group

(Russia, Israel, Netherlands, Germany, France, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Australia, Italy).

INDIRECT NEGATIVE FEEDBACK: negative feedback is provided softly, subtly, diplomatically, in

private. Positive messages are used to wrap negative ones. (Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia,

Kores, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, UK, Canada, USA).

Stereotypes about how directly people speak generally reflect their cultures’ position on the

Communicating scale, not the Evaluating scale. French, Spanish and Russians are stereotyped as

being indirect communicators because of their high-context, implicit communication style, despite

the fact that they give negative feedback more directly. Don’t try to be like other cultures, it’s

possible to be too direct, and

therefore being offensive and

inappropriate.

Cultures from quadrant A accept their

direct criticism in a positive manner. It

is not meant to offend you. Quadrant

B tend to speak and listen between

the lines, give negative feedback

sharply and directly. For instance,

Russians pass messages between the

lines, but they give direct criticisms.

Dutch say that all the positive feedback just strikes us as fake and not motivating. For them, the word

“excellent” is saved for rare occasions, “okay” is neutral. Americans use “excellent” all the time,

“okay” seems to mean “not okay”; “good” is a mild compliment.

The same difference is reflected in the ways children are treated in school. In the USA teachers give

gold stars and comments like “keep it up!”, “almost there…give it another try!”. In France they use

red lines and fat Xs.

People from quadrant C provide evaluations explicitly, low-context with positive and negative

feedback. The positive comments should be honest and detailed. They provide open appreciations.

Quadrant D give negative feedback softly, subtly, and implicitly. Negative feedbacks are given in

private, as well as positive ones. Feedbacks are given slowly, over a period of time, so that it gradually

sinks in. They often use food and drinks to blur an unpleasant message. Say good and leave out the

bad: focus on the positive things, so they’ll work that way.

PRINCIPAL/APPLICATION- FIRST REASONING

It's important to persuade others to support your ideas. The kind of arguments you find persuasive

are deeply rooted in your culture’s philosophical, religious and educational assumptions and

attitudes.

In Germany, people try to understand the theoretical concept before adapting it to the practical

situation, they analyse all the conceptual data before coming to a conclusion.

Americans focus on practicalities rather than theory, so they are much more likely to begin with their

recommendations.

PRINCIPLES-FIRST REASONING (or DEDUCTIVE REASONING) = begins with a fact, or opinion and later

add concepts to back up or explain the conclusion as necessary. Begin the message or report with an

executive summary or bullet points. Concrete manners. Theoretical or philosophical discussions are

avoided (Italy, France, Russia, Spain, Germany).

Derives conclusions or facts from general principles or concepts: All men are mortal → Justin Bieber is

a man→ Justin Bieber will die.

Argentina, Brazil, Sweden, Mexico, Denmark are pretty much in the middle.

APPLICATION FIRST REASONING (or INDUCTIVE REASONING) = first develop the theory or complex

concept before presenting a fact, statement or opinion. Begin a message or report by building up a

theoretical argument before moving on to a conclusion (US, Canada, Australia, UK, Netherlands).

General conclusions are reached based on a pattern of factual observations from the real world. You

travel to Minnesota several times during January and February, you observe that the temperature is

below zero, you will conclude that Minnesota winters are cold. Empirical observation leads you to

draw conclusions.

Compared with other European cultures, the UK is quite application-first, but if compared to the USA,

it’s principle-first.

Different cultures have different systems for learning, influenced by philosophers who changed the

approach to intellectual life in general and science in particular. Aristotle is credited with articulating

application-first thinking. British thinkers popularized these methods. Descartes developed a method

of principles-first reasoning: the scientist formulates a hypothesis, then seeks evidence to prove or

disprove it. Hegel introduced the dialectic model of deduction: it begins with a thesis, then it’s

opposed by an antithesis and the two are reconciled in a synthesis.

These approaches are also visible in the legal systems.

Principle first thinkers like particle examples, but they prefer to understand the basis of the

framework before they move to the application.

In a multicultural group provide practical examples to capture the attention of your application-first

listeners; after answering some theoretical questions, provide some practical examples.