Transcript Communicating and Negotiating Across Cultures

Communicating and Cooperating
with
Brazilians
Presenter:
Richard R. Gesteland
Global Management (USA)
Patterns of Brazilian and Danish
Business and Management
Behavior:
Comparing Two Business
Cultures
What is a business culture?
• A set of expectations and
assumptions about how business
people communicate, negotiate and
manage.
• There are over 6900 different
cultures in the world today.
Challenge:
How can we avoid using stereotypes when
comparing business cultures?
Solution:
We avoid stereotyping by comparing cultural
tendencies.
Cultural
stereotyping:
Cultural
tendencies:
• A lazy way of
• Description of
• “Brazilians are like
• Fact: No two
describing ethnic
differences.
that...”
differences based
on systematic
observations.
Brazilians (or
Danes) are alike.
Differences within Brazilian culture which
may affect how your counterparts there tend
to do business:
• North/south and urban/rural divides
• Generational divide, level of education
• Degree of international business exposure
• Corporate culture: Global versus traditional firms
• Individual personalities.
Comparing Danish and Brazilian
cultural tendencies in business and
management behavior: Patterns.
• Deal-Focus and Relationship-Focus
• Direct and Indirect Communication
• Egalitarian and Hierarchical Business Behavior
• Monochronic and Polychronic Time
• Nonverbal Communication (body language)
Let’s start by comparing Deal-focused and
Relationship-focused business cultures
Only very few of the world’s business
cultures are classified as Deal-focused:
• North America
• Northern Europe, including Danes.
• Australia, New Zealand.
A few more business cultures are
Moderately deal-focused:
• France, Belgium, Southern Europe
• Russia, East and Central Europe
• Hong Kong and Singapore
The vast majority of the world’s business
cultures are Relationship-focused:
• Asia, except Hong Kong and Singapore
• Middle-East, Africa
• Latin America, including Brazil.
1. Now let’s compare Deal-focused and
Relationship-focused communication
and negotiating behavior
Deal-focused
Danes:
Relationship-focused
Brazilians:
• Face-to-face meetings
• Face-to-face meetings
• Task-focused: Get
• Relationship first:
• Prefer low-context,
• Often use high-
are less important.
down to business
quickly.
direct language.
are very important.
More small talk before
business.
context, indirect
language.
2. Direct and indirect language:
• Relationship-focused people tend to
communicate using high-context
(indirect) language.
• Deal-focused people tend to use lowcontext (direct) language.
Comparing High-context and Lowcontext communication behavior:
• In low-context, direct language the meaning is
contained in the words of the message.
• In high-context, indirect language the meaning is
often contained in the context surrounding the
words rather than in the words.
When do Brazilians tend to use indirect
language?
• To be polite: In some situations using
direct language sounds rude to them.
• To avoid losing face.
• To avoid offending or disappointing
others, especially high-status people such
as bosses -- and customers.
Why do Danes tend to use low-context,
direct language?
• To be clearly understood.
• To be “honest.” Danes often equate
directness with honesty.
• Danes see no need to use cautious,
indirect language with bosses or
customers.
Edward T. Hall found that directness in
language varies predictably across cultures:
• Germans, Dutch and German-Swiss tend to be the
most direct communicators.
• Danes also tend to be direct speakers.
• Most people from Asia, the Middle East and Latin
Americans , including Brazilians, tend to use
indirect language in many situations.
Differing expectations of directness or
indirectness cause misunderstandings:
• In some situations a Brazilian counterpart
may avoid saying ‘No’ directly, thus
confusing Danes.
• Danish frankness may sometimes be
misunderstood as rudeness.
3. Egalitarian and Hierarchical
Business Cultures
Egalitarian:
Hierarchical:
• Nordic countries
• Great Britain, rest of
• North America
• Asia, Africa, Middle
• Australia, New
• Latin America
including Denmark
Zealand
Europe
East
including Brazil.
Egalitarian
Danes:
Hierarchical
Brazilians:
• Status differences are
• Status differences can
• Do not defer to the
• Tend to defer to
• Status is achieved.
• Status is ascribed.
• Few layers of
• More layers of
small.
boss.
management.
be large.
authority.
management.
4. Monochronic and Polychronic
Time Cultures
Monochronic Time Cultures:
• Germans and German-Swiss (very monochronic)
• North Americans, northern Europeans including
Danes.
• Czech Republic, Hungary, Japan
Polychronic Time Cultures:
• Southern and Eastern Europe, East Asia
• Latin America, including Brazil.
• South and Southeast Asia, Middle East, most of
Africa (very polychronic)
Monochronic:
Polychronic:
• Punctuality is
• People are less
• Meetings usually
• Meetings may not
• It is rude to
• Meetings may be
expected.
follow an agenda.
interrupt meetings.
punctual.
follow an agenda.
often interrupted.
5. Nonverbal Communication:
Danes and Brazilians
Danish and Brazilian body
language issues:
• Facial expression
• Space bubble
• Touch behavior
• Gestures.
Tips for communicating and
negotiating with Brazilian customers:
• Take time to build trusting personal
relationships
• Be prepared for indirect, vague language
when your local counterpart faces a
difficult or embarrassing situation.
Communicating and Cooperating
with
Brazilians
Presenter:
Richard R. Gesteland
Global Management (USA)