Managing across cultures is not an easy task and it has been a challenge for the offshoring companies to  manage across different geographic boundaries and with multi-cultural teams. A culture in itself is defined as a group or community which shares common beliefs and values. A cultural group is understood by the manner in which it behaves. A person can adjust to different cultures at the same time exhibiting different characteristics depending on the birthplace, family background, language, education, religion, profession etc.

 Understanding and managing multi-cultural teams is important to let the organization achieve results and success. Unless every individual in a team with different cultures adapts to a particular organizational environment, the organization cannot move in the right direction and attain profits.

It is culture which presents various challenges, one of them being the barriers to communication. When companies outsource human resources, one of the criteria it looks for is a cultural fit. Often candidates who  are capable of topmost positions are often eliminated on the ground of cultural mismatch as they are unable to justify themselves to be adaptable to a different set of cultural attributes. Few examples make this understanding of culture much more clearer. There are individuals who are understood to be wrong or aggressive when they make eye-contact for a longer time during the process of conversation while Americans find individuals untrustworthy who do not make proper eye-contact with the other person. Then, there are Japanese who bend their head whenever they greet the other person which otherwise is thought be too cordial by individuals of other countries.

If an individual is not able to accomodate himself with the other culture, then he may go into a cultural shock the signs of which are high level of anxiety, isolation and also lack of performance on the job. So, it becomes necessary to manage across the multi-cultural teams not only  to show good performance on the job but also to stay cool, calm and stress-free. In this regard, many IT companies have come out successful as the IT workers worked their way up to breaking the cultural barriers and rising above cultural attributes such as language etc.

A manager of an organization often faces problems dealing an overseas client. Many countries may not have open-form of communication and direct communication while many may have it. A manager may also have trouble understanding the accent and fluency of the other person.

Since, no single-step approach can work towards synergizing multicultural teams, It industry or any other industry per se should adopt the following techniques:     

Acclimatize to the different set of culture: Nothing is better than adjusting to the different cultural climate. You need to accept the opinion of others gladly. This does not mean that you should hamper your work. You should be able to influence the other person too towards one’s own opinion. You need to understand the language, working style, religion and many more things need to be understood and taken up in order to get the work done.  Intervene by structurally changing the team: Now, the structural intervention requires changing the shape of the team. This includes picking up individuals from different teams and assigning them a task to complete. Create an amicable environment: Here, it becomes the profound duty of the manager to create a friendly environment between different individuals having different culture in a group. It all depends upon how one interacts and communicates with the other person having different language, origin etc. Resolve conflicts arising out of cultural differences: If at all conflict arises due to language or accent difference, a manager should try to get the messy situation patched up. Gain insight into the other culture: This requires an ample of hard work and this will also take time to learn about the other culture, language. Often this will require you to gain knowledge of the living and working style.  

Besides the above tips to managing multi-cultural teams, one should maintain that when two or more teams come across, they all need to equally work hard in order to work together.       

The Anioma culture over the time has become distinct and typical to the region, thus no ethnicity or group of people can justifiably lay claims to this culture because it is unique to the region. The uniqueness of this culture has ordinarily on its own tended to fend off arguments from quarters laying claims to the beautiful culture of this people. The Anioma culture they say speaks for itself. It has also beaten the imagination of several cultural observers on how speedily the culture and tradition of Anioma people have become homogenous in spite of the group not having common ancestral history as many historians mistakenly assume.

Although certain communities in this region can lay claim to Igbo ancestry as supported by oral history, many of these group have their histories obviously not linking them with Igbo home as their place of origin. It is for this reason that those ignorant on Anioma history fail to understand that in Anioma more than 12 languages exists in this region alone. The Agbor people who are of Ika ethnic group but agreed to join the union of Anioma with the rest of their neighbouring communities scattered around the region chiefly because all the towns and communities in this region have had a common history of relationship even many centuries before the arrival of the Europeans, and have shared common culture speak Ozzara and Ika.

The Ika people in their native language know and acknowledge this; only early Europeans and visitors to the region failed to understand this because they were particularly not interested in studying the social aspects of the people but greedily centered their interest on trade. The Ugbodu speak Olukumi (extinct form of Yoruba language,) Igbo and Igara. The Igara language is not typical to Ugbodu, else where in Evbu this language is also in use in addition to Igbo language. In Igbodo, Igbo and Ika is spoken by the people. Ika is a language similar to Bini. These languages strange to Igbo reflect in everyday usage in names of humans, articles, and chieftaincy titles shared with the Edos believed to be the ancestral home of many of these Anioma communities.  

It is therefore wonderful that in spite of difference in the histories of Anioma communities unique fusions hold the people together, though some would argue that the fact that these people have related socially and politically have been a major  factor responsible for this. Consider also that the Old Benin kingdom has also played a greater role in re-shaping and binding the region together with certain ideas and values typical to Edo.

If you have ever taken your time to watch Anioma people thrill you with any particular aspect of their culture you will surely be full of excitement. The Anioma kind of dance which requires so much energy to do is so unique that you cannot help but fall in love with the people, especially if you watch the Anioma lady traditionally appear in akwa-ocha, with white blouse and red beads, or even in just akwa-ocha tied around her waist up to her chest with her red beads and traditionally dressed her typical of Edo culture, you will indeed admire the Anioma people in their attractive traditional attire.

Several traditional kinds of dances are in existence in Anioma some of which are the Aguba Royal Dance, Uloko Dance, Egu Amala, Okanga, Egwu Osusu (Ukuani,) Egwu Oshushu (Enuani)  etc. Many of these dances are typical to the Anioma people, and the people of this region have come to master the art with ease over the time, adding fun to them. I would at this juncture advise many of our cultural organizations to find a way of making sure that our youths is trained in these our dances in order to continue to preserve them.

At the 2008 Anioma cultural fiestas put together by the enviable Organization for the Advancement of Anioma Culture held in Asaba Delta State, Otu One mind from Owa in Ika North East displayed a remarkable feat as the group emerged as the winner of the cultural show. The Uloko Cultural Group of Ndemili, Utagba-Uno in Ndokwa West Local Government had held the record of having won the even twice, in 2005 and 2006. The Otu Chukwuenyirinma of Agbor came second while Uloko Cultural Group of Ndemili, Utagba-Uno in Ndokwa came third.

Other Anioma cultural groups such as Otu Egwu Udo of Afor in Ndokwa East, Otu Egwu Aduko of Eweshi Onicha-Ukwuani in Ndokwa West, Aguba dance Band of Ubulu-Unor, Otu Chukwuedo Cultural Group of Owa-Oyibu In Ika North east, Otu Ita of Ogwashi-Uku in Aniocha south, Otu Egwu Onicha-Olona in Aniocha North have all proved to be force to reckon with in this fiesta. We wonder what happened to cultural groups from Ibusa often referred to as ‘the Congo of Africa”

Kudos should go to the organizers for believing in the distinct and uniqueness of Anioma culture, that not capable of being assimilated by any external ethnic group. One must not also fail to express much gratitude to Anioma Association USA Inc for striving and succeeding in also advancing the course of Anioma unequivocally demonstrating that the future of Anioma is not in doubt and that Anioma’s identity still lies with the group because we have not in any way lost our sight, we are relevant indeed. This is what the group tells us. I love this Anioma culture.   

Most people don’t give much thought to the actual cross cultural communication process prior to their first real cross cultural negotiation. They get obsessed with secondary details.

Cross Cultural Negotiation Skills

Imagine you are in a long line of people waiting for a taxi at the busy Paris airport. With people swarming everywhere. The noise of the street traffic competing with the noise from the airplanes in the background.

And then you hear such a large commotion, right up at the front of your taxi line. You think it is yet another bomb scare and crane your neck to get a closer look with your bags in your hands ready to move. But out of the confusion you hear laughter.

What happened?

It was only someone who began to try bargaining the price of his ride before he got inside the taxi…with a Parisian taxi driver. The tension breaks as a ripple of laughter mixed with annoyance runs down the taxi line.

It is an old story. But it does highlight cultural differences in negotiation very well.

Different Cultures Have Different Negotiation Practices

Negotiation practices differ from country to country. Some cultures expect clients to negotiate over things that would be totally unacceptable in other countries. Some cultures get upset or angry by things that are totally acceptable in other cultures.

Different cultures simply have different approaches when it comes to negotiation.
This can be intimidating when you travel to a new country to negotiate for business.
And even more so if it is your first time.

It is important to know what is culturally expected of you when it comes to negotiation.

If you are just starting out in developing your international markets, it is wise to do some homework and identify the standard expected negotiating habits in the country you are travelling to.

No matter how much research you do prior to your first cross cultural negotiation communication road blocks can easily come up. This is even more likely if your negotiation is taking place in a foreign environment to what you are used to.

So it is even more important to develop skills to ride through communication hurdles.

A Beginners Guideline

Prior to your first cross cultural negotiation give some thought on how you will keep on track.

Here is a guideline to help beginners.

If you find yourself on your own in a country where negotiation practices are different to your own, there is a strategy to follow.

Prior To Your Negotiations

Do your research on what will be expected of you. Define your schedule, and what you are expected to wear and bring. If you are a woman, be sure to verify standard practices beforehand.

Are there any standard culturally specific negotiating practices? Remember to ask for advice prior to cross-cultural negotiations.

If you feel you will be in a different environment than you are used to you have two options to consider:

Hire local representation. Some large multi-national companies hire local company representatives to facilitate all business procedures in certain countries in the Middle East and the Far East.

Arrange for a local third party to accompany you. Look for someone who can tell you if you are making any cultural blunders. This will give you a certain peace of mind.

Prior research helps, but even so, it is not always easy. You will also need to keep your own behavior and attitudes turned towards your negotiation.

This is where the following 8 points are important.

Best Practices During Your First Cross Cultural Negotiation

Ask and find out what is expected of you.

Explain that you are looking forward to the business opportunities open to both of you.

Explain that this is your first trip and you have not done business in their country before.

State your good will and that you do not mean to do anything awkward.

Ask to be told or shown what to do.

Apologize if you do or say something that seems to be out of place.

Continue to show your desire to proceed in the negotiations.

Continue to say that your look forward to doing business with them and learning more about their culture.

Keep this guideline in mind during your negotiations.

Remain constantly aware of your environment so you can implement any of these points if needed.

Use each point appropriately when needed.

Do not go overboard. Overly stating your enthusiasm or apologizing incessantly can be destructive to your negotiations in some cultures.

Use this guideline as a gentle reminder to stay tuned to where the other party is at. If you feel in any way that you need to refer to one of the points above, do so, and continue your negotiation.

Cross cultural communication is a process where you adjust your communication a little and learn to meet another culture in the area where you both feel comfortable. It is about knowing when to ask discretely for feedback to make sure you are all on the same path.

Your first cross cultural negotiation will simply be a first step in the process of adjusting to another culture. Your cross cultural communication skills improve with practice.

Follow these guidelines for your first cross cultural negotiation and you will not make people laugh.

Are you wondering if there is one simple thing you could add to your current business mix that would help you a lot throughout the whole process?

What if you had a unique cross cultural vision tool in your pocket?

Third Culture Kids

Working with a Third Culture Kid could be the solution for your company.

Third Culture Kids (TCKs) aren’t children. It is a term used in international environments. It is used generally to describe people that grew up in strong international environments.

TCK’s are the children of parents from one culture living in a second culture, and their need to find their own identity in their specific third culture. The term can also go beyond this to refer to people who grew up exposed to different cultures early on in life.

Benefits For Your Companies International Development

Growing up in such environments means these people have a unique skill set.

They have the natural ability to see things from different cultural points of view. They probably do not have one strong national outlook. They immediately look at a situation and be aware of several different cultural points of view.

Even if TCK’s are working in a culture they are unfamiliar with, they will be quicker at understanding the different cultural points of view than someone without cross cultural experience.

This means that TCK’s understand the different expectations in politeness, in respect, in professional behaviors. And they are able to adjust their own behavior, often instantaneously, to navigate through these differences.

Having a TCK on your team should help you avoid cultural communication blunders. Or at least pick up on them faster and learn how to navigate through them effectively.

Differences With Others And Their Approach

People without international experience might think cross cultural communication is only about learning about the manners expected of you in foreign place and the local traditions.

Flexibility and adaptability have more to do with your international business success. Understanding why people behave differently is more important what you see them do differently than yourself.

People with confirmed international experience tend to be more curious, adaptable and quick learners. This can bring your company the fuel it needs to go international if your company is truly motivated to adapt to the international mindset.

Right Adaptation Needed To Work With Third Culture Kids

TCKs are a breed of their own. They are used to navigating in different waters. They can be freedom lovers. They might think your set of rules and orders obsolete, simply because they have been there, done that and moved on to something else.

Does this mean Third Culture Kids’s are prima donnas? No, that would be forgetting one of their main qualities: their deep rooted ability to adapt to different environments. Simply, this will be a cross cultural relationship.

If your company is firmly rooted in one cultural environment you will need to pay attention to how the TCK and your company work together. If your company’s drive is strong enough to go international, your company’s mindset will be open to other cultures.

A Little Effort For A Great International Business “Tool”

The little bit of adjustment you will have to make to work with a Third Culture Kid is well worth the extra vision he will bring to your international business.

Your international communication will be smoother and bring faster results. Third Culture Kids with the right background for your company will probably also provide you with valuable international business insights.

If you are looking for an easy way to speed up your company’s international mindset, working with Third Culture Kids can help put your international business expansion in top gear.

Are you committed to speeding up your international sales cycles?

Learn how to combine cross-cultural marketing tools and international sales strategies for faster sales.

Join us on the International Sales Road Map

Would you like to develop your international business?
Are you a beginner at international sales and marketing?
Read the Beginners Guide Discover Your International Business

Genetic engineering is not only for plants or animals.
Rational steering is required also for cultural evolution.

A. “Virtual reality and the 21st century world economy collapse”:

The 21st century world economy collapse is a collapse of a culture, of the 20th century technology culture, of its values and attitudes and ethics and morals. The world’s population is still (March 2009) clinging desperately to the collapsed concepts and expectations and makes a huge painful effort to revive the collapsed culture, instead of to steadfastly modify it. It is sadly and exasperatingly obvious that the economy collapsed due to adherance to absurd virtual reality concepts and expectations, and that the only hope to survive and overcome the collapse is to understand its nature and to plan, and embark on, a course to a new, science-based, more rational, virtual reality culture.

B. Common human culture cannot be enforced?

http://www.the-scientist.com/community/posts/list/120/122.page#1625

“What Dov Henis writes I tend to disagree. Common human culture can not be enforced. Culture is like evolution. It happens over spans of time by selection. The process is slow. It is by nature assimilative. We tend to gloss over differences and drive roughshod. This is a mistake. Culture is popular knowledge assimilation. You try to speed up the process and the elastic snaps. Cultures wherever are to be respected and knowledge reverse engineered to appreciate the foundations of the cultures”, writes Sharbani Ranjan Kundu.

C. Survival mandates rational steering of some human cultural evolutions

What Sharbani writes I tend to disagree. Nowadays human culture can be “enforced”, steered. Until few hundreds of years ago specific human cultural phenotypes used to evolve over lengths of time by “natural selection”, which, BTW, is also “enforced” – by circumstances and environments. But in recent human history “selection” has been more and more “enforced” by some on other human cultural phenotypes, like in post WWII Japan and Germany.

Throughout life’s evolution “culture” used to evolve over spans of time in response to “enforcement” by a variety of factors including circumstances, invading genes or other organisms, or invading different cultural phenotypes. However, in recent human history humans have been playing god more and more, interfering with natural “natural selection”, accelerating cultural evolutions of many organisms, including humans’.

If you do not speed up some “enforced” evolutionary processes, the elastic snaps. You allow and promote evolution of destructive catastrophes. Wise and prudent cultural phenotypes would elect and promote rational self re-education and re-orientation.

However, human cultural phenotypes, whatever and wherever they are, that threaten the genotypic evolution of welfaring humanity, should neither be “respected” nor “understood”. The extent of their factual and potential threat should be assessed rationally and those cultures should be “engineered” to evolve without a threat to other human cultural phenotypes or to international welfare.

Suggesting,

Dov Henis
(Comments From The 22nd Century)
EVOLUTION Beyond Darwin 200
http://www.physforum.com/index.php?showtopic=14988&st=405&#entry396201
http://www.the-scientist.com/community/posts/list/100/122.page#1407

I have developed a definition of corporate culture after nearly 20 years of working with organizations and viewing them from the perspective of a cultural anthropologist as well as a strategy consultant with an MBA in finance.

The easiest way to think of corporate culture is that it is an energy field that determines how people think, act, and view the world around them. I often compare culture to electricity. Culture is powerful and invisible and its effects are far reaching. Culture is an energy force that becomes woven through the thinking, behavior, and identity of those within the group.

Corporate culture is created naturally and automatically. Every time people come together with a shared purpose, culture is created. This group of people could be a family, neighborhood, project team, or company. Culture is automatically created out of the combined thoughts, energies, and attitudes of the people in the group.

I have worked with entrepreneurs and venture capitalists involved in the start-up of technology companies. They want to work on the corporate culture once the company is profitable or “in the black”. It is much more difficult to change the corporate culture once it has emerged than to proactively create the corporate culture they want from the start.

The corporate culture energy field determines a company’s dress code, work environment, work hours, rules for getting ahead and getting promoted, how the business world is viewed, what is valued, who is valued, and much more.

Every company or organizations has numerous corporate cultures. For example, the marketing department and the engineering department may have very different corporate cultures which are both influenced by the overall organizational corporate culture. Many times these two sub-cultures clash.

Culture shows up in both visible and invisible ways. Some expressions of corporate culture are easy to observe. You can see the dress code, work environment, perks, and titles in a company. This is the surface layer of culture. These are only some of the visible manifestations of a culture.

Surface Layer of Corporate Culture: Visible Expressions
·Dress Code
· Work Environment
· Benefits
· Perks
· Conversations
· Work/Life Balance
· Titles & Job Descriptions
· Organizational Structure
· Relationships

The far more powerful aspects of corporate culture are invisible. The cultural core is composed of the beliefs, values, standards, paradigms, worldviews, moods, internal conversations, and private conversations of the people that are part of the group. This is the foundation for all actions and decisions within a team, department, or organization.

Core Layer of Corporate Culture: Invisible Manifestations
· Values
· Private Conversations (with self or confidants)
· Invisible Rules
· Attitudes
· Beliefs
· Worldviews
· Moods and Emotions
· Unconscious Interpretations
· Standards
· Paradigms
· Assumptions

Business leaders often assume that their company’s vision, values, and strategic priorities are synonymous with their company’s culture. Unfortunately, too often, the vision, values, and strategic priorities may only be words hanging on a plaque on the wall.

Corporate culture is actually the container for the vision, mission and values. It is not synonymous with them. In a thriving profitable company, employees will embody the values, vision, and strategic priorities of their company.

What creates this embodiment (or lack of embodiment) is the corporate culture energy field that permeates the employees’ psyches, bodies, conversations, and actions.
Companies need a good definition of corporate culture before they can begin to understand how to change the corporate culture.

Improving organizational culture can be a big challenge for the organization and its members. Focusing on a few important steps will help you get started in improving organizational culture Getting the right training for your employees is the first step toward improving organizational culture. The other important steps for enhancing organizational culture include:

Analyze your organization’s existing culture and compare it with customers’ expectations and perceptions.

Form a diverse team of interested and enthusiastic people in an organization to enhance the organizational culture.

Get your team to discuss the current culture and explain the parts of the culture that are already great and need to be supported. Then create a vision of the culture you want to create, taking into account the entire current picture of the organization.

Provide the appropriate training to the team members regarding the vision of the culture.

Communicate to everyone to bring awareness about the team and organizational leadership, that this isn’t a band-aid, quick fix; but an ongoing, strategic intention to build a more attractive culture that fits the needs of the organization and that can improve its culture.

Get the cultural team excited. Help the team recognize that not everyone else in the organization is going to think that these efforts are worthwhile immediately. Remember that enthusiasm is contagious. Do what you can to keep the enthusiasm of your team high. If their excitement falters, remind them of the vision they created to re-invigorate them.

Culture improvement is like any other change, as it requires champions. The champion needs to be someone who is passionate about creating the new culture.

Any change will have a greater chance of success with momentum. Thus, get started but be committed to building momentum and staying with it. It will be one of the most rewarding efforts you and your team will ever engage in and with this you can bring great improvement in your organizational culture.

The above-mentioned lists are the specific tips that have enhanced and improved the organizational culture of various organizations. Obviously, these are not the only things you can do to enhance your culture , but these will provide you with a good starting point.

For further assistance, contact the Organizational Culture Center. Organizational Culture Center is a leader in implementing or changing the organizational culture of organizations, whether a profit or nonprofit entity. To receive special reports on organizational culture that includes resources, ideas and advice you can log on to www.organizationalculturecenter.com.

Before the Dictionary of American Sign Language was published, people involved in the medical field and deaf education only saw deaf people in terms of their deafness or hearing loss. They never would have though that Deaf people had their own culture.

Carol Padden defines a culture as: learned behaviors of a group of people who share a language, rules for behavior, traditions, and values. Deaf culture fits this definition just like every other culture in the world. They have a language, values, rules for behavior, and traditions.

Language

American Sign Language is the language of choice for the members of the culture of the Deaf. If you are not fluent in American Sign Language, you are not part of this culture.

American Sign Language is a real language just like any other language. William Stokoe was the first to publish the truth about ASL–that it has its own structure, grammar, and syntax separate from English.

ASL is a real language and is the natural language of the Deaf.

Values

American Sign Language is the most valued in Deaf culture. Speech and spoken English do not compare to the natural language of the deaf. Even if a deaf person can read lips, comprehension is no where near that of ASL.

The preservation of ASL is also a value in the culture of the Deaf. Sign systems have been invented to try to help deaf children learn English. These systems include Signed English, Cued Speech, and Sign Supported Speech, to name a few. These systems are not supported in Deaf culture and are not even languages. These systems have deprived deaf children of learning their true language and the ability to communicate naturally.

Not speaking is a value in the culture of the deaf. Because speech is often forced on deaf children, it represents deprivation and confinement to a Deaf adult. If you are hearing, know ASL, and are around a Deaf friend, turning and speaking to someone else leaves the Deaf person out and is incredibly rude.

Socializing is highly valued in the culture of the Deaf. When you are deaf, having a social life is very important because there are usually very few Deaf people in a community. In a hearing world, having Deaf friends is necessary for support. Before text messaging phones, Deaf people would only communicate with their deaf friends through letters or in person. Today, Deaf people still take advantage of the time they have with their Deaf friends. They will stay at a gathering for hours and leave very late. Long goodbyes are more than common.

The members of the culture of the Deaf also value the literature of their culture. These are stories and cultural values that are passed down through signed communication. Deaf culture also has its own art, stories, poetry, theatre, jokes, games, and books. These avenues teach about Deaf culture and Deaf pride.

Rules for Behavior

It is not rude to stare in this culture. Not staring is actually rude in this culture. When someone is signing to you, if you break eye contact, you are very rude.

Facial expressions are required when you are signing. Some non-manual behaviors are part of ASL grammar.

When you introduce yourself in Deaf culture, you use your full name. Deaf people also ask each other for information about where they’re from (what city they grew up in), what school they went to (what residential school they attended), etc. The Deaf community is very small, so they try to find these commonalities with each other early in their introductions.

Deaf people also label themselves in different ways. People in hearing culture tend to label deaf people by their hearing loss–hard of hearing, hearing impaired, etc. In hearing culture, being hard of hearing is seen as better than being deaf. These labels are viewed the exact opposite in the culture of the Deaf. Deaf people call themselves one thing and one thing only when they are part of this culture–Deaf. The term “Deaf” has nothing to do with the degree of hearing loss. Using the term “hard of hearing” is actually viewed negatively in the culture of the Deaf. Using it makes it look like you think you’re better than everyone else (because that’s how it’s viewed in hearing culture). Using the term “hearing impaired” insinuates that you think there is something wrong with deaf people and that they desire to be “fixed.” This is actually the opposite of what members of the culture of the Deaf believe; they are Deaf and proud! The terms “deaf” (“little d”) and “Deaf” (“big D”) are also used and have much different meanings. “Little d” refers to someone who cannot hear while “big D” refers to someone who is part of Deaf culture and shares the language, values, behaviors, and traditions of that culture.

A basic definition of organizational culture is the collective way we do things around here. It involves a learned set of behaviors that is common knowledge to all the participants. These behaviors are based on a shared system of meanings which guide our perceptions, understanding of events, and what we pay attention to. As Sun Tzu, a Chinese military general from 3000 BC, indicated in his explanation of strategy, culture forms an integral part of any organizational strategy. It consists of Tao – the created and shared beliefs, values, and glue that holds an organization together, and it also involves the very nature of the organization. Culture is about individuals in a group sharing patterns of behavior. There is no cultural absolute. Because culture is relative, we have the power to create a culture that is the best fit for an organization’s future direction.

Observing Culture

Culture plays out in a variety of ways. We can identify the specifics of it from how information is communicated, feedback is given, performance is managed, and projects are co-coordinated within the organization. It is reflected in the way the corporation or institution is structured; whether work is conducted cross-functionally or within silos, how the hierarchical levels are set up, and the types of job titles used. Culture is often defined by the systems that are used, the processes that are followed, and the rituals, symbols, and stories that abound in the organization. It is even reflected in how meetings are held in an organization.

Corporate Culture as an Obstacle

When working towards company goals or when trying to effect change in the organization, your organizational culture can be the very thing that trips you up. If insufficient effort is put towards identifying aspects of the culture that may impact on what you are trying to achieve, then insufficient actions will be taken to circumvent obstacles in a timely manner or harness the way things are done in an opportune direction. This is best explained through an example.

An organization espouses that “people are our most important asset” as part of its new philosophy. However, employees witness a senior executive being escorted off site with his belongings by security guards after being laid off. They receive an e-mail explaining where they will be sitting and who they will be reporting to in the future restructure – with no fore-warning or personal contact. Training and development opportunities for employees are stopped in order to cut costs. Actions that consistently reflect a certain core culture will more effectively emphasize to employees what the leadership’s true values are than any widely publicized statement. If a direction is truly desired, then all actions that will reflect the required culture need to be considered and instituted accordingly.

Aligning Culture for Success

Once a strategy is set for the organization, the way deliverables are produced in the organization needs to be examined and challenged. This is to ensure that every process is geared towards achieving the strategy.

Every component of the corporate culture needs to underpin what is required from all stakeholders in order to realize the strategic goals. There must be a reinforcing stream of communications. All the actions in the organization need to translate into the cultural realities. A culture can be created or reinforced through the use of socialization. Avenues for socialization abound in functions like selection, placement on the job, job mastery, the measurement and rewarding of performance, and recognition and promotion. Reinforcing a culture can emerge through the stories told and the folklore propagated and, most importantly, through the adherence to chosen important values. The key to the success of the above is to ensure that the culture you wish to socialize others into is an ideal one, necessary for breakthrough performance in your work area or organization. If it is not, then you need to involve everyone in the evaluation and creation of a more suitable culture.

Strong Leadership is Required

One of the surest ways to align the culture to the organization’s strategy is to apply leadership practices that are also aligned. The leaders, at all levels, need to know what the required culture is and then determine ways of establishing practices and procedures in all operations that will closely reflect the desired culture. They also need to role model the very behaviors they wish exhibited by everyone in the organization and provide the necessary support to others that will enable them to function accordingly as well. Particular attention also needs to be given to all communications.

Leadership needs to be front and center to create a corporate culture that works.

For a graphical view of the Cultural Paradigm, click here, http://www.sergaygroup.com/what_is_corporate_culture.html

Two factors that are rarely present in any domestic projects, but cannot be avoided when going offshore, are geographical distance and cultural differences.

Geographical distance might be a factor in terms of unfavorable time zone differences but today most of the offshore service providers ensure that their business hours are adjusted to ensure that you have several hours of overlap per day in common.

However the impact of cultural difference is something that should not be ignored when going offshore. Depending on the location you are offshore outsourcing to, cultural differences can vary from minor if you nearshore, for instance in Ireland or Eastern Europe to a real cultural clash if you offshore to low cost countries in Asia such as India or China.

So far India has been the most favored offshore outsourcing destination and continues to be a dominant player in this field. The Indian service providers have matured over the years in providing offshore outsourcing services and are able to manage cultural differences when working with clients across different geographies. However, one area that has so far not received significant focus is educating their clients on these cultural differences. Unless the clients understand these cultural differences, it is hard for them to understand and appreciate them. For example, if you are in a meeting with an Indian service provider, you will observe that the most senior person in the team from the service provider will lead the discussions and his sub-ordinates would only speak when his / her boss asks them to do so. In UK business culture sub-ordinates can interrupt a conversation at anytime if they have a valuable contribution, but if this etiquette was followed in India it would be considered disrespectful. 

Another typical observation with Indians is that they are never comfortable saying “No”, especially if you are a client. For example, if you go to a store to buy a shirt and realize that the shop is about to close, you can still walk in (even after the till is closed)  and the store will ensure that your needs are being served, even it means that they have to keep the store open for another 30 minutes. In IT project scenarios, project members will not mind compromising their family commitments just because they cannot or do not want to say “No” to their clients.

Most Indians are not comfortable giving bad news. They believe that they should give people good news and when it comes to giving the bad news, they are either very quiet or find alternative ways to communicate the bad news. This is an important aspect to understand as many clients get “surprises” about their project related issues at a very later stage and keep wondering why the issue wasn’t highlighted during the weekly review meeting.

So the key in offshore outsourcing is not just finding the right projects and the right people to deliver them, but building capability within your team to work with in a culturally diverse environment. Though this may sound very difficult, the solution is simple. Most client organization can successfully “bridge” the cultural gaps by implementing the following tips.

1. Training – Most of the offshore service providers have special “western cultural orientation” programmes for their team members working on offshore projects. These training programmes help them to understand the culture of a specific country including business culture. On similar lines it is important for client organizations to build a training programme for their own staff to educate them on the culture of the offshore destination. This can be achieved by

Identifying an internal team member who has experience with both the cultures. For example an organization may have a person of Indian origin who has spent considerable time in India and then moved to your country. Usually a person who has worked in India for a couple of years and then relocated to your country (and spent about 5 to 6 years there) would be the most ideal candidate. This person would be able to educate your team on the cultural differences and can act as a lead trainer.

Seek the services of an offshore advisory specialist. Offshore advisors have vast experience in working with different cultures and have a culturally diverse team who can impart the relevant training to your team members. Most of these offshore advisors understand the cultural differences at different stages of outsourcing and hence are an ideal choice for such training programs

Request that your service providers carry out training programs specifically tailored for your teams. This could also prove useful to a certain extent and has its own limitations based on the vendor’s experience of doing business in that particular geography. Also ideally the cultural training should be carried out prior to engaging with a vendor so that from day one of the interactions, your team is able to leverage their knowledge regarding the business culture of the vendor organization.

Since the business culture of each company is different, it is important for you to educate the service providers about your company’s culture – the attitudes, thought patterns and behavior norms. Many companies ignore this aspect, but this is an opportunity to improve the productivity and experience of their onshore-offshore teams.

2. Visiting the Offshore location – This is very helpful and provides your team members an opportunity to experience what the offshore location is like and how people communicate, behave, work, socialize, etc. However, it is not possible for an organization to send all their team members to the offshore location as it would be an expensive proposition. But sending different people (wherever possible) each time there is a requirement for someone to travel would prove useful. Also ensure that people who have visited the offshore location share their experiences with their colleagues and are made a part of the training programme to make most use of their experience.

3. Organizing Cultural Events – As mentioned above, most of the offshore service providers have training programs for their staff. Also, most of the offshore service providers today celebrate events such as Valentine’s Day, Independence Day (US), Halloween Day, Christmas, etc to educate their teams. On similar lines, clients can organize events (with the help of the offshore advisors, vendors) that are important in the offshore location. This will give the client team a learning opportunity.

4. Movies as a training guide – English movies are seen across the globe and as result, many people worldwide educate themselves, besides entertainment, from these movies. Companies can also adopt a similar learning approach by encouraging their people, who are involved with the offshore projects, to watch local movies / documentaries (with English Subtitles) from the offshore locations.

The tips mentioned above is not an exhaustive “To do” list to bridge the cultural gaps, however it is a guide to help your team members understand and enable them to appreciate the cultural differences that they would come across while working on a day to day basis with the offshore teams.

To summarize, offshore projects have special aspects that managers must be familiar with, such as cultural diversity. The long-held belief that technical qualifications are sufficient to ensure project success has proved to be wrong from everyday on-the-ground experience of global multicultural teams in the offshore outsourcing environment. To ensure the success of the offshore project a multi-skilled, collaborative approach to bridge the cultural gaps is very useful. By learning from others experience, bridging the cultural gap at an early stage can help you avoid the cost in terms of cross-cultural communication blunders, project delays, team conflicts and overall productivity.