Intro to Cross-Cultural Communications Preparation for the World Championships Enigma Robotics Spring 2013

Topics What is culture? – Western Culture – Eastern Culture – Latin Culture – Middle Eastern Culture – African Culture Influences Ten Dimensions of Culture Cultural Preferences of the USA Cultural Difference Examples Best Practices

What is Culture?

Western Culture The term Western culture has come to define the culture of European countries as well as those such as the United States that have been heavily influenced by European immigration. Western culture has its roots in the Classical Period of the Greco-Roman era and the rise of Christianity in the fourteenth century. Other drivers of the Western culture include Latin, Celtic, Germanic and Hellenic ethnic and linguistic groups. Today, the influences of Western culture can be seen in almost every country in the world.

Eastern Culture Eastern culture generally refers to the societal norms of countries in Far East Asia (including China, Japan, Vietnam, North Korea and South Korea) and the Indian subcontinent. Like the West, Eastern culture was heavily influenced by religion during its early development. In general, in Eastern culture there is less of a distinction between secular society and religious philosophy than there is in the West.

Latin Culture Many of the Spanish-speaking nations are considered part of the Latin culture, while the geographic region is widespread. Latin America is typically defined as those parts of the Central America, South America and Mexico where Spanish or Portuguese are the dominant languages. While Spain and Portugal are on the European continent, they are considered the key influencers of what is known as Latin culture, which denotes people using languages derived from Latin, also known as Romance languages.

Middle Eastern Culture The countries of the Middle East have some but not all things in common, including a strong belief in Islam and religion is a very strong pillar of this society. The Arabic language is also common throughout the region; however, the wide variety of dialect can sometimes make communication difficult.

African Culture The continent of Africa is essential two cultures—North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. The continent is comprised of a number of tribes, ethnic and social groups. One of the key features of this culture is the large number of ethnic groups—some countries can have 20 or more—and the diversity of their beliefs Northwest Africa in particular has strong ties to European and Southwestern Asia. The area also has a heavy Islamic influence and is a major player in the Arab world. The harsh environment has been a large factor in the development of Sub-Saharan Africa culture, as there are a number of languages, cuisines, art and musical styles that have sprung up among the far-flung populations.

Cultural Influences Culture is not part of your DNA It is the culmination of learned experiences

Ten Dimensions of Culture

Ten Dimensions of Culture (cont.)

USA vs…. Before you can understand another culture, you must first understand your own cultural preferences!

Cultural Preferences of the USA Focus on material achievement over quality of life Focus on “I” instead of “we” Focus on results over personal relationships Focus on commitment to schedules, punctuality, and short-term gains Focus on implicit, straight- forward communication based more on fact than emotion, in informal manner Focus on distance and clearly marked boundaries Everyone has a voice Have tolerance for ambiguity over predictability Prefer experience and examples over theory, prefer details over big picture Strong need to change environment to fit need

Cultural Difference Examples USA vs. Brazil USA vs. China USA vs. Czech Republic USA vs. Netherlands USA vs. Russia For each country, identify some key cultural differences and think about how you might approach someone from that culture differently

Brazil

USA vs. Brazil Differences in all dimensions except Structure, but key differences are those for Time, Action, Communication, and Competitiveness

China

USA vs. China How would you change your communication style for differences in Environment and Communication preferences?

Czech Republic

USA vs. Czech Republic How would you change your communication style for differences in Structure?

Netherlands

USA vs. Netherlands How would you change your communication style for differences in Environment?

Russia

USA vs. Russia How would you change your communication style for differences in Action and Thinking?

Sources Indicator-COI/56/

Appendix A Best Practices for Initial Contact Avoid long, complex sentences – Too easy for a non-native speaker to lose track of where sentence is going. – Decoding real-time verbal communication can be tricky! Keep sentences short and simple to make effective Avoid idioms and phrases a non-native is not likely to understand, e.g. – Sports phrases – “the whole 9 yards”, “out in left field” – make little sense to a non-native speaker – Television generated phrases – Seinfeld, South Park and The Simpson’s have generated memorable (maybe infamous) phrases, but don’t expect a non- native speaker to be familiar with the meanings Use humor wisely – What may seem funny in our culture may not come across well to a non- native speaker Avoid direct or forceful language – Can be considered rude in many cultures

Appendix B Dimensions of Culture Details Environment – Control - Attitude that social/natural environments can and should be changed to fit needs – Harmony – consensus decision making – Constraint – External forces determine outcomes Time – single focus vs. multi-focus – Commitment to schedules vs. multi-tasking – Fixed vs. fluid – precise definition of punctuality vs. loose – Past, present, future – Precision, short-term gains, focus on future Action – Being vs. doing – focus on relationships and reflection vs. action Communication – Low vs. High context – Implicit communication vs. precise communication – Direct vs. indirect – straight-forward vs. saving face – Expressive vs. Instrumental – emotional/eloquent style vs. factual/dispassionate – Formal vs. Informal – adherence to etiquette/protocol vs. dispensing Space – Private vs. Public – distance/clearly marked boundaries vs. overlapping

Appendix B Dimensions of Culture Details (cont.) Power – Hierarchical vs. Equality – differentiated power structure vs. minimizing Individualism – Individualistic vs. Collectivistic – focus on “I” vs. “we” – Universalistic vs. Particularistic – focus standards vs. exceptions Competitiveness – Competitive vs. Cooperative – material achievement vs. quality of life Structure – Order vs. Flexibility – predictability vs. tolerance of ambiguity Thinking – Deductive vs. Inductive – theory/abstract logic vs. experience/examples – Linear vs. Systematic – focus on individual components vs. big picture