Culture map 1. Communicating, 2. Evaluating & 3. Persuading

• INT1
• MBO
• Studiejaar 3

The Culture Map

      Exploring cultural differences 

Q: how can we measure 'cultural differences'? 

The Culture Map

We will be exploring ('measuring') cultural differences, 

looking at 8  dimensions. 

These dimensions will be worked out on a 'map'.  

 

 

What is the biggest cultural
difference between Holland
and Spain?

1. Communicating 

Business case

• Purchase drill machine
• Soilmec SR60 from India
• Date of invoice: Dec. 13th
• Purchase condition: new     paint, delivered port   within  6 weeks.  

 

 

Business case

So the machine MUST be shipped by January 25th to Mexico for a job at the airport of Mexico City.

 

Important and vital question (made in person by buyer at closing the deal): "Can you make it in time?" . 

Answer Indian supplier: "I think we are ok, we do our best"

 

 

"I think we are ok, we do
our best"
Is this answer a 'low-context'
one or a 'high-context' one?

1. Low context
2. High context

FYI : Mumbai port, February 26th 

Business case

Answer: "I think we are ok, we do our best"

Indian meant: 'difficult, almost impossible' 

German understood: 'ok', so all fine.  

 

 

Low context communication 

•  Precise, detailed and specific
•  Use of written confirmations ('so we meet for dinner at 20.15 hrs' ) 
•  'No means no, yes means yes​' 
  
•   'What you see is what you get'
• ​   Use of contract​s
•    Mainly in ‘open’ societies, countries with ​a relative short history                      ​(E.g. U.S.A. and  Australia).   

 

 

High context communication 

•  Not specific, reading & listening between the lines
•  Assumptions ( 'dinner will be around 20.00 or so, as usual, I reckon' )
•  'Yes' means ' yes', and sometimes it means ' no' as well'
  
•   A handshake to close a deal; 'a man a man, a word a word' 
•   Mainly in ‘closes’ societies, countries with ​a relative long history ​                      (E.g. Japan and Iran).   

 

 

The image shows
closing a deal in a:

1. Low context country
2. High context country

In which way is Sandra Bullock communicating:

1. In a low context way
2. In a high context way

Mr. Díaz is a Spanish manager working in a plant in China. 

It is Friday and he received a call from an important client who likes to visit the plant on Sunday to see the production of a product in which he is interested to buy. 

Mr. Díaz is going to ask Mr. Chen if he can attend to this visit. 

 

 

Will Mr. Chen be working/receiving the client for a moment on Sunday?

1. Yes, of course
2. No way!

Work in progress

Please confirm  your group’s choice of a 3rd (Non-EU) country  to compare with ‘our own countries’. ​E.g.: U.S.A / China / Russia / Saudi Arabia / Brazil / Mexico/ Australia. ​

Twinspace:  visit Assignment 2-1 Communicating- ‘Low Context ​

vs High context’  for more background information as well as for  ​

a default ‘8 scales’ Excel sheet you can use as a tool. ​

2. Evaluating 

How can we describe 'feedback'?
What is 'feedback'?

'Feedback'

'Information about reactions to a product, 

a person's performance of a task, etc. 

which is used as a basis

for improvement.'

. 

Source: Oxford dictionary  

 

'Feedback'

Now an example of feedback to 'a person's performance 

which is used as a basis for improvement.'

. 

Question to you: is this direct feedback or indirect feedback?  

 

How does the given
feedback by Simon
feel to you?

1. Direct feedback
2. Indirect feedback

Direct feedback  

•  Can be direct to a member in a group/class/public
•  Very clear: 'in order to improve results' 
•  Feedback on a task  ≠ feedback of a person !! (someone can really like           the person but totally burn a task (report, job done) down to earth.                 Words used:  "It's nothing personal"
  
•   Use of upgraders: 'very, extremely, totally etc' 
• ​  'Bad is bad' => so no words as  'could be worse/better'
•    E.g. Russia, Israel and The Netherlands   

 

 

Who has been totally, the very best, the even greatest 'upgrader' in the whole wide world in the last decade? 

Indirect feedback  

•  One-on-one, personally (not in a group/public)
•  Soft words, diplomatic, subtile  
•  Avoiding 'losing of face/dignity'
  
•   Use of downgraders: 'perhaps, it might be, a bit, in a way,                                      to some extend etc.' 
• ​  E.g.  Japan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand    

 

 

'In the middle group'  

                     Feedback:   3 x positive, 1 negative

                     (last one is the 'real and decisive' one).

                   

                    Danger: missing the vital/real critics

Feedback towards a French manager working in the USA:

 "You work hard (1), you are doing well with co-workers (2), you understand the business (3), however your sales results  are not as expected". 

French manager: "Thank you very much, this is the best work review I have ever received".

A month later: fired due to low sales results....

'In the middle group'  

                     Feedback:  full of 'undergraders'.

                                      

    

Danger: missing the 

true meaning of feedback 

What do British mean when saying:
"There is a small problem with our flight booking"

1. I have forgotten to book our flights
2. There is a minor and easy to repair problem with our tickets

What do British mean when saying:
"Lovely weather we are having"

1. Apparently, rain is considered good weather
2. This weather is awful

What do British mean when saying:
"I have felt better"

1. I feel a little bit worse than usual
2. I feel horrible. Why did I drink all that Guiness

3. Persuading/convincing 

How do you 'sell' your idea/ proposal/product?  

Same idea/proposal/ product, same arguments but....

Please find the difference!

Option A: International excursion   

Read the text carefully... try to think wether this is a 'why (because) first' or a 'how (result) first' way of 'selling' the international excursion to students. 

"The Mercedes Benz plant, a Bremerhaven tour and ending with a tour and beer tasting at Beck's brewery in Bremen. See here the first possibible destination which will be organised in the last week of March. As it is important during the 2nd grade to live and see from nearby theory in practice. Please let your tutor know a.s.a.p. whether you will join".​

Option B: International excursion   

Read the text carefully... try to think wether this is a 'why (because) first' or a 'how (result) first' way of 'selling' the international excursion to students. 

" During the 2nd grade it is important to live and see from nearby theory in     practice. Therefore, an international excursion will be organised in the last week of March. The first possible destination is Bremen: logistics (Bremerhaven), production (Mercedes Benz) and marketing (Beck’s brewery).​ Please let your tutor know a.s.a.p. whether you will join."​

Why first (principles first)​

- starting to explain theory, reason, concept, idea ​( 'the because') 

- ending with a fact, an opinion, conclusion, result​

​

How first (applications first)​

- first starting with a fact, opinion, conclusion or result​ ('the result')

- secondly explaining why/how one has com  to this fact, opinion,        

   conclusion, result​

How are daily news items build up in your country? 

We are going to read two texts with the same words.. though they seem different. 

Can you tell wether it 'why first' or  'how first'?

'This morning there has been the weekly meeting of the Government's COVID-19 team. In the meeting ministers and experts are joined. Today's advice is to enjoy life more, but maintaining the 1,5 meters. This means terraces can open again for the summer'​
This way of telling the news is in a:

1. Why first way
2. How first way

Can you see the difference?
'​The terraces can open again for the summer. Today's advice is to enjoy life more, but maintaining at 1,5 meters. This is the outcome of this morning's weekly meeting of the Government's COVID-19 team. In the meeting ministers and experts are joined.'​
This way of telling the news is in a:

1. Why first way
2. How first way

Today's job 

Please work out in your group the Evaluating and Persuading dimensions 

for your 3 countries.  ​

​