The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business

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Meyer’s strategies for working in cultures that decide by consensus mostly involve getting used to how much time decisions take and using that time to your advantage. In Vietnam 15 mins late remains acceptable while parts of Myanmar and India may believe 30-60 mins as being within the acceptable range. While this can be greatly challenging, it can also be greatly rewarding, as you learn new practices and ways of thinking that enrich your life. By listening better and practicing the tips shared in the book I hope I can turn these insights into visible changes. It’s likely that although both types of cultures value honesty, cognitive cultures place a higher value on competence and personal cultures place a higher value on benevolence.

When relationships and adaptability take priority, schedules become less important and thus more flexible. Meyer also states that these cultures tend to use strengtheners, which are words that strengthen the feedback, such as “totally” or “clearly. In linear-time cultures, project steps are being organized in a sequential fashion, one task is being completed before beginning the next.

Other criticisms of deciding by consensus include that it takes too long, that the decisions aren’t flexible or adaptable to new information, and that it prevents individuals from being held accountable. Cognitive trust is task-based , and if you are an American, you know what it means: business is business. In this guide, we’ll discuss these differences, Meyer’s strategies, and her explanations for how these cultural differences developed.

Egalitarian styles of leading in countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark have flat organizational structures. Shortform note: Still, many businesses consider implementing consensus decision-making styles because the process “ often leads to innovation and creativity, legitimizes minority perspectives, and keeps hierarchy and bureaucracy in check.Meyer may pinpoint them here partly because adjusting your schedule is easier than adjusting other ways you do business or because people are particularly judgmental about scheduling. If you can remember your first business trip to Vietnam or Korea than there is a good chance that it included karaoke. On the other hand in countries where a strong organizing power/state was not always present through the ages, people had to rely much more on themself. The leader has authority and a strong position clearly distinguishing her/him from his colleagues (for example Russia). If you are an international manager, working with an intercultural team or in a cultural setting that is unfamiliar, draw up a cultural map.

Having that said, Confucianism heavily influenced the way people deal with others within their own social circle but the ideology provides little guidance on how to deal with people who are not part of one’s own social circle.

The culture map divides cultural habits into eight categories and then places each culture on the map to highlight the extent to which both cultures differ. Direct negative feedback: Giving direct feedback even in front of other people is accepted and encouraged. Confrontational – Cultures that are confrontational by nature, such as France and Israel, are able to separate the person from their proposed idea that they do agree with.