XL…Erin Meyer的文化地图

Today, whether we work with colleagues inDusseldorf or Dubai, Brasília or Beijing,New York or New Delhi, we are all part of aglobal network (real or virtual, physical orelectronic) where success requires navigatingthrough wildly different cultural realities. Unless we know how to decode other cultures and avoid easy-to-fall-into cultural traps, weare easy prey to misunderstanding, needless conflict, and deals that fall apart. Yet most managers have little understanding of how local culture impacts global interaction.Even those who are culturally informed, travel extensively, and have lived abroad often have fewstrategies for dealing with the cross-cultural complexity that affects their team’s day-to-dayeffectiveness. Often the cross-cultural challenges that arise could be avoided by learning a fewbasic principles. For example, the answer to the simple question, “When should I speak andwhen should I be quiet?” varies dramatically from one culture to another. I learned this lesson the hard way over a decade ago when, ironically, I was supposed to becoaching a top French executive at the French car manufacturer Peugeot Citroën. He and his wifeasked for help with the cultural adjustments they’d need to make in regard to their upcomingmove to Wuhan, China. Bo Chen, the Chinese country expert assisting in my meeting with them,arrived early. A 36-year-old Paris-based journalist from Wuhan, Chen was articulate, extroverted,and very knowledgeable. He was to have prepared two or three concrete business examples toillustrate each cultural issue I would be covering. As I began the session by outlining on a flipchart the cultural issues the Bernards needed to grasp,I was carefully keeping an eye on Chen so I could help facilitate his input. But Chen didn’t seem to have any input. After finishing my presentation of the first maincultural challenge, I paused briefly and looked to him for his examples, but he didn’t speak up.He didn’t open his mouth, move his body forward, or raise his hand. Apparently, he hadno example to provide. Not wanting to embarrass Chen, I simply continued to my next point. To my growing dismay, Chen remained silent and nearly motionless as I continued through mypresentation. He nodded politely while I was speaking, but that was all; he used no otherbody language to indicate any reactions, positive or negative. I gave every example I could thinkof. I spoke, shared, and consulted with the Bernards, but still no input from Chen. |121.03ChangeThis I continued like this for three whole hours. My initial disappointment with Chen was turninginto full-fledged panic; I needed his input for the program to succeed. Finally, I decided to takea chance. “Bo,” I asked, “did you have any examples you would like to share?” Chen sat up straight in his chair, smiled confidently at the clients, and opened up his notebook,which was filled with pages and pages of typed notes. “Thank you, Erin,” he replied. “I do.”Chen then began to explain one clear, pertinent, fascinating example after another. What had happened? Often the cross-cultural challenges that arise could beavoided by learning a few basic principles. For example,the answer to the simple question, “When should I speakand when should I be quiet?” varies dramatically fromone culture to another.“ Since the Bernards, Chen, and I were participating in a cross-cultural training program, I decidedto simply ask Chen for an explanation of his actions. “Bo,” I exclaimed, “you had all of thesegreat examples! Why didn’t you jump in and share them with us earlier?” “Were you expecting meto jump in?” he asked, a look of genuine surprise on his face. He went on to describe the situationas he saw it. “In this room,” he said, turning to M. and Mme. Bernard, “Erin is the chairman ofthe meeting. As she is the senior person in the room, I wait for her to call on me. And, while I amwaiting, I should show I am a good listener by keeping both my voice and my body quiet. InChina, we often feel Westerners speak up so much in meetings that they do this to show off, orthey are poor listeners. Also, I have noticed that Chinese people leave a few more seconds ofsilence before jumping in than in the West. You Westerners practically speak on top of each otherin a meeting. I kept waiting for Erin to be quiet long enough for me to jump in, but my turnnever came. We Chinese often feel Westerners are not good listeners because they are alwaysjumping in on top of one another to make their points. I would have liked to make one of mypoints if an appropriate length of pause had arisen. But Erin was always talking, so I just keptwaiting patiently. My mother left it deeply engrained in me: You have two eyes, two ears, butonly one mouth. You should use them accordingly.” As Chen spoke, the cultural underpinnings of our misunderstanding became vividly clear tothe Bernards—and to me. |121.03ChangeThis The experience was, frankly, rather humiliating for me: this was a cross-cultural trai