Relativism and Idealism in different cultures

It’s a fact that while doing business, people also let their personalities and beliefs guide them in their decisions. What they belief in influences people in their actions, their way of thinking and their emotions. The two most important dimensions of these moral points of view are:

-         Idealism = the pursuit of a noble outcome

-         Relativism = skepticism towards moral principles

Variations in idealism and relativism were investigated in different countries. It’s only natural that there were a lot of differences between countries. The following conclusions were taken:

-         The differences in idealism and relativism around the world were more or less as expected.

-          In the western countries people change sometimes their ethics regarding the situation; in the eastern countries people put subjectivism high on the ladder and in the Middle East especially absolutism is important.

-         A position in idealism and relativism of a country could lead to predictions about their other positions about for example individualism.

Knowing this it’s clear that idealism and relativism are very important when you negotiate whit people of different cultures. Also when you know their position about these two ethics, it could tell you more about their point of view on other ethics, what can make doing business easier and less tensed.

Céline Peeters

cross-cultural training

As we repeatedly mentioned already, the globalization of business is a fact. We can’t escape it and it is very important to keep this fact in mind while hiring new staff. Not everyone has the skills to negotiate whit people from different countries, nationalities and cultures. That’s why recently training to cultural adjustment has become more important than ever.

Studies show that expatriates who take training to cultural adjustment, are better prepared, and can therefore achieve better results in there negotiations.

The training should concentrate on language, cultural differences and religion. Of course the training should be adjusted to the country the expatriates are going as well as to the company strategies.

Even though cultural training has proven to be very useful and effective, there are still a lot of companies who don’t offer this possibility to their managers.

While most companies hire and send expatriates, there is a short of this kind of training, which results in many misunderstandings and lost of time, which could easily be resolved by offering cultural adjustment training.

I think that if you do cross-cultural business, you should offer this kind of training. I am convinced it will make the companies position in the international business world stronger.

Céline Peeters

Giving feedback after a negotiation

This time I am going to focus more on negotiations, in specifically on how to give feedback. Feedback is something very crucial. It is important to give the feedback in such a way it does not cause hard feelings. The article is about Steve Jones' top 7 how to offer feedback.
1. Feedback is the most efficient when given immediately after the meeting.
2. Don't put a label on someone for his/her behaviour. For example don't say she/he is aggressive but say the way she/he spoke sounded a bit aggressive.
3. Do not only give negative feedback but also give some compliments on what they did very well.
4. If you want to make a point about something give examples, so people better understand what you are talking about.
5. Giving feedback is not a moment to show how well you do things. Explain what the best current practice is and don't impose your own way of doing it.
6.Give constructive and not destructive feedback.
7.There are 3 things you should focus on while giving feedback.
                     - behaviour during the negotiations
                     - the outcome of the negotiations
                     - the use of strategies, tool sets and precesses
It can be useful to bring in a senior executive to coach the negotiations and to help giving a good feedback. If the feedback is given in a good way it can be very useful in further negotiations.


how to give feedback

Lise Keirens

Effective multi-cultural meetings

Cultural differences are most visible during international meetings, and they will clash. The negative effects can be minimized by planning and a good organization. The chair of the meeting should clearly announce the purpose of the meeting and what he expects from the attendees.

It is important to comfort the participants by using an alternative room instead of the meeting room, for instance.

Small groups are more effective than bigger groups. If you make groups do not put people with the same culture in the same group. The head of each group should summarize their findings and bring this to the bigger meeting.

If a consensus has been agreed on a topic always confirm by repeating in a concised way what has been agreed upon. At the end of a meeting, summarize and capture the main agreements and disagreements.

In companies where participants from over the whole world attend meetings, it is very useful to take inter-cultural awareness training so misunderstandings can be minimized because there are a lot of cultural differences in etiquettes, gestures, mannerisms and ways of expression.

http://www.culturosity.com/articles/effectivemeetings.htm 

Lise Keirens 

Cross cultural advertising

There are differences in culture between various countries. Because of this differences cross cultural communication solutions are important for advertising campaigns. A campaign can be effective in one land but it might be ineffective in another land. This can be explained by the values attached to the campaign by the different cultures. First of all you have to take the language in account. If you launch a product in a country with a name that means something bad or strange in that country, not many people will buy the product. Also the slogan of the brand and the product name has to be suitable with all religions.  When you make a campaign you have to pay attention to the colors and the numbers that you use. Some countries have a lucky or unlucky color or try to avoid specific numbers. If you use images, you have to be careful which images you use because some countries are sensitive for it. And finally you also have to take cultural values into account.  (http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cultural-services/articles/cross-cultural-advertising.html)

Eline Janssens

Intercultural training

Many people migrate to other countries because of the economic variation or the economic stability of those countries. But it isn’t easy to migrate into the culture of that country because of the differences between the countries. That is why there is so much interest in intercultural training. This training gives information about the culture and religion of a particular country. Some people say that intercultural training stereotypes people. Stereotyping isn’t good because it is based on a minimum of experimental evidence. That is why people don’t like to make judgments based on those stereotypes. Intercultural training recommends making reference on people. A strategy for this is called generalization. This is more reliable then stereotyping. People make opinions by observing people of different cultures and languages. So they traced out the commonalities in behavior and life style. Also interacting is important in this strategy, the experience that they acquire will help them later in real life. (http://crossculturalmgt.com/intercultural-training-and-steriotypes/)

Eline Janssens

Orientations in time and space

Space and time orientations can differ a lot across cultures. This is something we have to think about when negotiating with people who have a different cultural background.
In  our world it is said that there are two orientations to time, namely monochromic and polychromic. The monochromic approach is about focusing on one thing at a time whereas the polychromic vision involves the simultaneous occurrences of many things. What characterizes negotiators from polychromic cultures is, among other, the comfortability with a high flow of information and the flexibility when it comes to starting and ending meetings or taking breaks. In monochromic cultures people tend to be very punctual and they always stick to a specific, detailed way of working. Another important difference between cultures is the focus on either the past, present or future. So be mindful when you go through your plans for the future!
When negotiating with someone, you have to respect the concept of space. If you don’t do this your company may feel uncomfortable. For example, Arab cultures allow more touching whereas in Asian countries they are not so fond of it. The opinions on eye contact also differ across the world. In some cultures, eye contact is seen as a form of reliability. But, again, in Asia you are better to look down to obtain their respect. Also, certain cultures have a different approach when it comes to cross-and same-gender touching. So when greeting your potential business partner, be aware of what you can and can’t do! 

orientations in time and space 

Jeroen Manderick 

you should all take a look at this website:
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cultural-services/articles/crosscultural-blunders.html

There are a few examples of cross cultural business blunders. Some are very funny. It shows once again how important it is to have respect and to know the culture of your business partners.

Lise Keirens

Learning the other side's culture

Cross cultural negotiation is a complex process, but it can greatly increase success on the international business scene. When doing business with foreign parties, there are a lot of factors that need to be taken into account. Our way of thinking may be completely different as opposed to our foreign business partner. But when we have a good understanding in cultural differences and accept that our partners may see things in a completely different way, we are more likely to obtain a positive reaction from our counterparty when negotiating. A factor that’s vital is respecting protocol, keeping in mind that the business etiquette can vary from nation to nation. You also have to attend to your body language, because that determines your credibility. And when you think you’ve reached a deal, make sure that it is indeed the case. Because in some countries only written agreements lead to a firm deal.
So when you’re trying to clinch a deal abroad, try your very best to learn the other side’s culture, or at least try to meet them half way and persuade the other side to use some elements of your own culture.  

Cross Cultural Negotiation

Jeroen Manderick

Intercultural communication consultants

Many companies have subsidiaries in several countries and they want to promote their business and their products all over the world. But there are a lot of different cultures and languages in the world, what makes it difficult to understand each other. That is why intercultural communication is really important. Because of this importance, companies hire nowadays intercultural communications consultants. These consultants have to work as an interpreter between people of different cultures and people who speak different languages. So they have to know everything about the intercultural communication. As a result of the high demand of these consultants, intercultural communication has become a new academic field of study. You learn how people behave, communicate and how they make views about the world around them. It is good for companies to hire intercultural communication consultants because than they will minimize the chance of misunderstanding and they can avoid possible negative effects caused by bad communication. (http://crossculturalmgt.com/inter-cultural-communication/)

Eline Janssens

The four dimensions of culture

In some cultures competitive or questionable negotiation behavior may be more acceptable than in other cultures, also economic conditions can potentially influence the actions individuals are willing to take to protect their self-interests.

In this context, Geert Hofstede introduced the four dimensions of culture:    

-          Power distance

-          Individualism/collectivism

-          Uncertainty avoidance

-          Masculinity/femininity

Power distance refers to the acceptance of differences in power and wealth. This can you notice in how much interaction there is between social classes and it’s also visible in the movement from one social class to another.

Individualist cultures care the most about the rights and needs of themselves. Important here are self-reliance, freedom and individual achievement. Collective cultures are more about family, organization and community.

Uncertainty avoidance refers to how comfortable cultures are with uncertainty and risk. Cultures who aren’t very comfortable with risks and, will make policies, procedures and rules to determine what actions must be taken under certain circumstances.

Finally, masculine cultures will value assertive, aggressive, competitive behavior. Performance and justice will be very important in these cultures. Feminine cultures will value relationships, trust, compassion and quality of life.

I think it’s very important to take a side in each of these matters and stick by your values. Also, in my opinion it’s very important to respect other’s points of view. 




Céline Peeters

Ethics in cross-cultural business

Because of the growth in international trade in the last decades, a better understanding of customs and expectations in cross-cultural negotiations has become necessary. To better understand the dynamics of the negotiating process, it’s important to take institutional factors into account. One of the greatest challenges here is the need to understand and manage differences in business styles due to cultural factors. These differences include ethics.

Businessmen are frequently challenged to keep a high ethical standard while working under pressure in a high competitive surrounding. With the new global economy, this challenge includes dealing with countries and competitors whose ethics differ from there owns.

Two schools have been prominent in the debate over ethics: the absolutist school and the relativist school. The absolutists believe that there should be a single set of moral principles, like a universal code. In theory this would mean that businesses and international trade would be more efficient and effective, because they would all operate according to the same set of moral principles. According to the relativist school, on the other hand,  what is right and wrong should be determined by the individual or a group of individuals.

There exists of course a set of human values that cut across most cultures, but there is also a moral grey area in which cultural differences can create uncertainty and surprise. That’s why it’s very important to be informed about the habits and differences between cultures while doing business.

Céline Peeters

How do negotiation styles and techinques differ across cultures?

Cross-cultural negotiations are not just about foreigners closing a deal. Different cultures mean different languages and different customs. It is important to have respect for those customs. I am giving a few examples.
In some countries like the USA it is normal to have direct eye contact with your business partner and to leave a certain distance  while interacting. But in countries like China direct eye contact is considered rude and in the Middle East business people get up very close. In China and Japan it is considered very polite to give business gifts but in the USA and the UK it has a negative effect.
This will all have an impact on the negotiations and can be learnt through cross cultural training. The training is built on three principles:
    -The Basis of the Relationship: in South America and much of Asia business is personal, these people will only make deals with people they know. This is a big difference with European countries and the USA.
    -Information at Negotiations: Western countries focus on rationality and facts. Other counties focus more on the presentation.
    - Negotiation Styles: the way in which different countries approach negotiations varies.
With a good training you are more likely to succeed in your negotiations.

cross cultural negotition


Lise Keirens

Cross-Cultural Communication

There can't be cross-cultural negotiations without communication. Immediately we see the first problem, difference in languages.

Both parties need to make an effort to overcome problems. The first thing you should do when there is a heated problem is to stop, listen and think, if necessary, step back and reflect on what is going on before you act because it is very possible you misinterpreted what had been said.
A possible solution to this problem is active listening, you repeat what you think you have heard so it can be confirmed that you understood well.
An other solution is to ask an intermediary who is familiar with both cultures and languages to follow the negotiations. They can also down strong statements that would be considered appropriate in the other culture. But a mediator can also cause an extra difficulty in communication. When he has the same culture as one of the parties, it could lead to bias. The mediator will be more supportive for that person, even when bias is not intended.

It is very important that people understand the potential problems of cross-cultural communication so they can take it into account.

cross cultural communication strategies
Lise Keirens

Underestimating and overestimating of the cross-cultural aspects

When you negotiate with people from all over the world, you have to look at different cultures. Not only national culture but also race culture, educational culture, religious culture, gender culture and many more cultures are important to look at when you try to understand the thinking of the person who you negotiate with. As we look at the Chinese for an example, there is a difference between the Chinese who were born at the countryside and the Chinese who were born in the city. So we do not only have to think how to negotiate with the Chinese, because there are so many Chinese who all have different cultures beyond just being Chinese.

It is also important not to make incorrect assumptions if the person who you negotiate with has a background that looks like yours.

Because of the importance of communication, on which rituals have a major impact, training your negotiation skills is really important. This might take time but you run fewer risks and it will be more likely to become successful. (http://knowledge.insead.edu/CrossCulturalNegotiations080408.cfm?vid=39)

Eline Janssens