Transcript Intercultural terms explained

Intercultural vocabulary
Terms to help you describe different
aspects of culture
Importance of work
Masculine business culture
Career overshadows family
Competition encouraged
Gender differentiation tolerated
Feminine business culture
Solidarity & cooperation important
Weak taken care of
Gender equality expected
The basis of status
Ascription-based culture
Status ascribed (given) to certain groups
Older males
Members of important families
People with the right background
Achievement-based cultures
Status has to be won/earned/achieved
Young people often high positions
People evaluated on results (their track record)
Doing business with others
Deal-focused cultures
Direct approach to customer possible
Producer with the best product gets the order
Contract protects the two parties
Relationship-focused cultures
Introduction by third party essential
Time must be invested in developing the
relationship
Mutual trust is the basis of the deal
Being a boss
Individual leadership style
Directive management style
Top-down communication
Competence, authority & decisiveness expected
High power distance common
Group leadership style
Consultative management style
Two-way communication
Team-building, openness, empathy expected
Low power distance common
Getting work done
Systematic working environment
Importance of rules & regulations
Detailed plans, deadlines, action plans important
Precision & thoroughness prioritised
Monochronic culture
Organic working environment
Focuses on people
Creativity & flexibility encouraged
Polychronic culture
Interacting with others
Formal communication style
Use of titles (academic or professional)
Politeness & protocol important
Common in ascriptive cultures
Informal communication style
Little use of titles or polite forms
Speaking plainly is encouraged
Common in achievement-based cultures
Speaking your mind
Indirect communication style
Vagueness common (implicit style)
Tact & diplomacy prioritised – high context
Important to read between the lines
Direct communication style
Directness common (explicit style)
Clarity & honesty appreciated – low context
Things can be taken on face value
Showing your feelings
Emotional cultures
Enthusiasm, pleasure, anger & disappointment
shown openly
Extensive use of gestures & facial expressions
Neutral cultures
Calmness is appreciated
Emotions kept under control (disguised)
Little use of gestures or facial expression
Straight-faced communicators
Conversation etiquette
Overlapping
Interruptions common – sign of interest
Often than one person speaking at a time
Common in emotional cultures
Turn-taking
Interruption uncommon – sign of rudeness
Wait your turn to speak
Common in neutral cultures
The meaning of silence
Silence indicates different things in different
cultures & contexts
The person is thinking
The listener has understood
The listener has not understood
Lack of interest – even annoyance
Tolerance of silence is either high or low
Other non-verbal signals
Proxemics (space)
How close do you stand?
How large is your personal zone of privacy?
Oculesics (eye contact)
Does direct eye contact indicate honesty or rudeness?
Kinesics (gestures)
How extensively are gestures used & what do they mean?
Haptics (touch behaviour)
How frequent is physical contact between speakers?