Bridging the Culture Gap

by Carte, Penny

• ISBN13: 9780749441708
• ISBN10: 0749441704
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-04-01
• Publisher: Kogan Page Ltd

Summary

Praise and Reviews "As an American who has worked in Europe for the past 3 years, I find Bridging the Culture Gapto be a practical guide for communicating and influencing across cultures. The authors use authentic and engaging anecdotes, which will help readers to understand their own culture, and other's reactions to it in the context of everyday business." Gary Kuusisto, Director, European Learning & Development, The Gillette Company "This book gives you a practical insight into cross-cultural communication in business today, based in part on the Canning team's deep experience in training over 1,000 managers and specialists in a unique Franco-Japanese adventure. Every International professional should find food for thought in this book." Francois Foix, Human Resources Coordinator, Renault-Nissan "Full of real-life examples and practical advice which reflects the experience and skills of its masterful but unpretentious authors." Andreas Molck-Ude, Head of Africa and Middle East Division, Munich Re "Canning offers tough and intensive training, but brilliant results. I believe this book will do the same thing for anyone looking for success in cross-cultural business." Takashi Kashiwagi, Head of Global Regulatory Approvals and Marketing Support, Aventis Japan As globalization gathers momentum, the contact between business people from other countries is becoming more frequent. The more national boundaries a company crosses, the greater the scope for misunderstanding and conflict. To succeed internationally, it is essential to be able to break the barriers of culture, language and set patterns of thinking. Bridging the Culture Gap, written by two of Canning's most experienced trainers, is a distillation of many years' work and is based on the real-life business situations of their international clients. You'll find out how to: interpret the party line communicate with style get your message across play the conversation game be sensitive to other cultures mind your manners avoid the usual faux pas win the deal and so much more. Packed with fascinating cases, cultural awareness scales, communication style tests and practical tips, this lively guide will help anyone - of any nationality - to become a better communicator. Whether you're planning to give a presentation to a cross-cultural group or about to negotiate with an overseas client, Bridging the Culture Gapwill ensure that your cultural awareness antennae are well tuned.

Table of Contents

About Canning	vii
About the authors	viii
Foreword	ix
Acknowledgements	xi
Introduction	1	(4)
1 Interpreting the party line	5	(18)
The harder the global organization tries to presenta united front, the greater the scope for conflict and misunderstanding. How can you bridge the gap between HQ and subsidiary?
Mission statements	6	(3)
Corporate initiatives	9	(5)
Working rhythms	14	(3)
Communication styles	17	(6)
2 Knowing your place	23	(24)
On home ground, an employee usually knows where others fit into the hierarchy, and how they expect to be treated. Abroad, however, its easy to upset people without realizing it. How can you make sure you're speaking to the right person in the right way?
Handling the hierarchy	25	(7)
Taking responsibility	32	(2)
Monitoring performance	34	(3)
Getting people to play ball	37	(10)
3 Knowing the limits	47	(22)
In their own culture, most people will have a pretty good idea of what they should or shouldn't do. But, how well do your notions of right and wrong travel?
Rules, regulations and the laws of the land	49	(6)
Gifts, favours and bribes	55	(5)
Nepotism	60	(5)
Discretion versus dishonesty	65	(4)
4 Knowing the form	69	(20)
Good manners are valued by every culture. But how international are the social behaviours you learnt at your mother's knee?
Greeting people	71	(4)
Making small talk	75	(1)
Playing the conversation game	76	(2)
Choosing what to say and how to say it	78	(5)
Trying to be funny	83	(3)
Avoiding hidden dangers	86	(3)
5 Making presentations	89	(28)
Companies today spend millions on training their managers to make more effective presentations. But will the techniques you learnt at home be equally effective when you go abroad?
Choosing the right style	91	(11)
Finding a concrete context	102	(7)
Speaking with impact	109	(8)
6 Making deals	117	(28)
The success of any deal depends as much on the strength of the relationship as on the clauses in the contract. But negotiating styles vary considerably from culture to culture. What adjustments do you need to make when you're negotiating in the international arena?
Picking the right people	119	(4)
Thinking about pace and place	123	(6)
Playing the game to win	129	(16)
7 Knowing yourself	145	(26)
Knowing yourself is the first step to knowing others. Where do you fall on the cultural preference scales? And how should you adapt your approach when you meet someone who is at the opposite end 0f the scale from you?
Relationships	147	(6)
Communication	153	(3)
Time	156	(5)
Truth	161	(3)
The meaning of life	164	(2)
Presentation style	166	(3)
A final word	169	(2)
References	171	(2)
Further reading	173	(4)
Index	177