dealing with managers from various cultural backgrounds

8/12/2019 Dealing with managers from various cultural backgrounds

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R. Attri Professional Effectiveness Series, Paper No. 4, May 2010

Copyrights 2011 S. Venkatesan / Raman K. Attri

DEALING WITH MANAGERS FROM VARIOUSCULTURALBACKGROUNDS

SRIMAN VENKATESAN RAMAN K. ATTRI A successful relationship with ones manager results in satisfaction at work, chances of growth and increased pay,and general happiness. Conversely, a poor rel ationship with your manager can inhibit a persons chances of successat work, and will most likely lead to frustration and stress which can also affect other areas of life. Whiledeveloping good rapport with your manager, the cultural differences may come in between hampering a successfulrelationship. This article will provide some proven tips to successfully work with managers from different culturalbackgrounds and respond effectively in various inter-cultural work situations commonly occurring between amanager and employee of differing cultures.

HOW DOES IT MATTER THE IMPACT OFCULTURALDIFFERENCESBETWEEN YOU AND YOUR

MANAGER

An American manager once asked his Japanesesecretary to book a flight for his travel from one city toanother. The secretary responded after doing someresearch, Sir, perhaps you would prefer to take thetrain." The boss said, "No, I would like to take a flight."The secretary became a little discomfited and replied,"There are many other ways to go." The boss said"Maybe, but I WANT to fly." The secretary becameeven more uncomfortable and she said, "It would very

difficult". The manager grew increasingly irritated untilhe realized that there were no flights between thosetwo cities and the Japanese secretary was merelytrying to convey that fact to him in a manner that sheconsidered appropriate. #

A British boss once asked his new, young Americanemployee if he would like to have a lunch with himeach day. The employee was happy at this opportunityto build a rapport with his manager and respondedenthusiastically, Yeah that would be great! The bossexpression immediately turned stern and he walkedaway saying, "With that kind of attitude, you might aswell forget about your job!" The employee wasbewildered and shocked at this. Later, when he calmeddown and checked with his colleagues, he realizedthat, in England saying "Yeah" in that context is seen asrude and disrespectful. #

# Examples are courtesy of an untraceable source.

The above real-world examples show that culturaldifferences between you and your manager can have areal impact on your work and career and cannot besimply laughed off. You might unwittingly offend yourmanager or lose his/her trust. You should consideryourself lucky if a cultural difference results in merely afunny incident. In the worst case, cultural differencescan result in major blunders that can even lead to lossof jobs for completely avoidable reasons. Take forexample the simple issue of eye contact. Making directeye contact with a superior is generally consideredrude in Asian cultures. For American managers, lack ofeye contact is a sign of untrustworthiness. Imagine theconsequence if an American manager and an Asian

employee meet without an understanding of culturaldifferences.

The world is a diverse place and people come withdifferent cultural backgrounds, mental orientationsand prejudices. We are now living in an age ofglobalization and outsourcing. People are routinelythrown into situations where they have to interactwith colleagues and customers from other countries.Given this scenario, it is perfectly possible - evenprobable -that you may have a manager whosebackground is totally different from your own. One ofthe authors has worked for managers from over tendifferent nationalities in a period of less than five yearswithin the same multi-national company. Sometimesadjusting to managers from different culturalbackgrounds and management styles can be difficult oreven frustrating, but it is a crucial skill that has to belearnt especially in the context of today s world. Inthe next section, we will present a few general, broad-


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based strategies for dealing with managers of differentcultural backgrounds. Note that, here we are nottalking about different management styles. We areconfining our attention to the effect of culturaldifferences. Even within the same culture, there can bemanagers of different styles.

GENERALSTRATEGIESFOR DEALINGWITHMANAGERS OF DIFFERENTCULTURAL

BACKGROUNDS

In order to have a successful relationship with amanager whose background is very different from yourown, you first need to understand and accept thedifferences. A very common mistake is to expect otherpeople to think the way you do. Recognizing that

other people can have perspectives very different fromyour own is the first step towards developing a goodrelationship. In fact, it is these differences that makethe world a beautiful place to live in. Celebrate thesedifferences instead of being resentful or scornful ofthem. In any case, you cannot get your manager tochange his/her perspectives simply by being resentful.Dont wonder why people act the way they do. Justaccept them as they are.

This raises the obvious question how to understandthe differences between you and your manager? Thebest way to do this is by due diligence doing yourresearch ahead of time and talking to colleagues ormentors who know better, or who are from the sameculture as your manager. The Internet has a wealth ofinformation on how to deal with cross-culturaldifferences. If you are part of a LinkedIn group, you canpost a question in a discussion forum. If you are stillnot sure, you can get a clarification straight from thehorses mouth - ask your manager in a gentle manner.For example, you might say, In my culture, we use ourfinger to point to things. I hope this habit of mine is not

considered offensive in your culture. This is a verystraightforward and honest approach that can putboth of you at ease with each other. Remember, it ispossible that your manager is concerned about hurtingyou culturally as you are concerned about hurting him.

When you do your research on your managers culture,pay attention to the following aspects of his/herculture:

Communication styles and greetings: Americanstend to be very open and forthright in theircommunication. Japanese prefer an indirect andrespectful way of communication, avoiding directnegative responses. Americans tend to addresspeople by first name, irrespective of their job title.They also expect others to do the same. In Asiancultures, addressing a senior executive by firstname could quickly lead the employee out of thecompany. Also, try to understand the role ofhumor in your manager s culture. Does yourmanagers culture consider humor a healthy partof everyday work or is humor at work consideredsilly and fatuous? In any case, completely avoidany humor that might sound racist or abusive.Also, every culture has specific slang terms andcolloquialisms.

How meetings are perceived in that culture: Managers from different cultures tend to viewmeetings differently. According to John W. Adamsin Guide to Living & Working Abroad, in Germany ameeting is a vehicle for a manager to exchangeinformation. Employees are expected to be wellprepared and do not expect to be questioned orchallenged. For British and Dutch managers, itcould be a forum for debate ideas and come upwith a recommendation and an action plan. Every

employee the meeting is expected to make acontribution. In France, a meeting is for the boss toannounce decisions which have been madeelsewhere or to solicit specific information. It is nota forum for debate.

Significance of gestures: The same gesture canmean very different things in different cultures. Aharmless sign like the thumbs-up has a verynegative meaning for Iranians. Pointing fingers isconsidered rude by Chinese. Keep in mind thatthere is no such thing as a universal form ofcommunication. Take the simple gesture of asmile. It is not unusual for Americans to exchangesmiles with complete strangers. In India, smiling atunknown female employees can be consideredrisqu.

General work and food habits (especially lunch): In India, it is very common to see people arrivinglate for work and leaving late. In Germany, peoplestart and end work punctually at the stated times


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and weekend work is unheard of. Suppose you arein a meeting with Dutch or Danish associates and itgets to be lunchtime. If you break off and go to agood restaurant, they will think you are not seriousabout the business. They prefer a sandwich and aglass of mineral water. On the other hand, if youare meeting with French or Spanish associates, andyou offer them a sandwich instead of going to arestaurant, they will feel offended and think you'renot serious.

How the manager-employee relationship isgenerally perceived in that culture: In some Asiancultures like Thailand, an employee is expected toobey his/her manager without any debate orchallenge. In the US, it is perfectly normal foremployees to challenge and debate with theirmanagers on operational aspects.

It is worth investing time on learning these importantthings. After all, having a great relationship with yourboss translates into a better work life, a better careerand probably higher pay, so why not do yourhomework? Make yourself aware of some gesturesthat may have unique meanings in your managersculture. Other way is also true in case you find thatyour manager has least the idea about differentcultural notions of your culture. Subtly and slowlyeducate him too. Good idea would be to call him forsome family events or gathering but brief him aboutcustomer before the event and possibly coach a bitduring the event.

Also, bear in mind that everyone carries some culturalbaggage in their mind. For example, a person may havea stereotyped image of people of a certain country orculture based on hearsay. If your manager is from adifferent country or culture, you might be at thereceiving end of such stereotyping. While this is

unfortunate and completely unfair, getting emotionaland aggressive will not make things better. By beingangry and demanding respect, you will only loweryourself in your managers opinion. The on ly way tohandle such stereotyping is to keep your cool and earnrespect through solid performance and results. Thinkabout your own opinions and mental stereotypes. Youprobably developed them over years maybe theywere handed to you by your parents or family. Is itreasonable to expect your manager to discard his/her

cultural baggage just because you are not willing toaccept it? Try to command rather than demandrespect.

If your manager is openly racist or abusive to the pointthat it affects your performance, or if you areconcerned that your managers stereotyping can affectyour career prospects, you do not have to take it lyingdown. Most companies have clear policies againstracism. Talk to a HR manager or a mentor whom youtrust. If racism is de eply embedded in your companysculture and you are a victim, then you are probablybetter off trying to find another job.

A FEW SPECIFICTIPS FOR DEALINGWITHMANAGERS FROM DIFFERENTCULTURAL

BACKGROUNDS Be honest and keep your word: This is a really

simple thing, but honesty is one language that isuniversally understood and appreciated. Do not tryto be extra nice and make promises you cannotkeep- even in small things. Remember thatpunctuality is a subset of honesty. Even if youdont understand your manager a bit culturally,rest assured that you will have his/her respect ifyou consistently deliver value as promised.

Do not be condescending or patronizing towardspeople who are from countries less developedcompared to your own. By the same token, do notexcessively fawn over people who are from moreaffluent societies. Everyone, irrespective of his/herbackground, job title, wealth, or skin color is ahuman first and deserves to be treated withrespect and courtesy.

Dont overdo it: Good manners are veryimportant. However, do not be excessively

apologetic or thankful.

Watch what you say: A few years back, over ateam lunch in the US, one of our colleagues wasdiscussing a joke he had seen on television theprevious evening. In an episode of the popular TVshow Seinfeld, he had seen a grumpy characterwho was nicknamed the Soup Nazi. What he didnot realize was that one of the people in the table


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was a German, and the reference to the Nazi didnot go well with him, since Germans are verysensitive about their pre-World War II history. Youcannot offend your boss like this without invitingunpleasant consequences for yourself! The goldenrule is to completely avoid anything that mightsound sarcastic, racist or offensive. Often, we talkabout something which we consider humorous andperfectly harmless. However, what is harmlesshumor for us could be very offensive for a personfrom a different culture.

Respect yourself and your own culture: Everyculture and every individual has merits anddeserves respect. Avoid putting down your ownculture in order to sound flattering to a personfrom another culture. Accept and respect yourselffor who you are. For example, if you are non-alcoholic, you need not feel shy and apologeticwhen everyone else is having beer at a teamdinner.

SUMMARY

1. Cultural differences between you and your manager canhave a real impact on your work and career and cannot besimply laughed off.

2. Understand and accept the differences instead of beingresentful or questioning why?

3. Do your research on cultural differences ahead of time.Pay attention to the following:

Communication styles and greetings How meetings are perceived in that culture Significance of gestures General work and food habits (especially lunch) How the manager-employee relationship is

generally perceived in that culture

4. Remember that everyone carries some cultural baggage intheir mind.

5. If you feel that your manager is being unreasonable andthat his/her cultural bias is affecting your work and careerseek help from HR or from a mentor you trust.

6. A few specific tips:

Be honest and keep your word Respect yourself and your own culture Politeness is important, but dont overdo it Watch what you say Do not be condescending or patronizing

About Authors

Sriman Venkatesan is a training professional with a strong interest in business psychology. His global work experience spans acrossthe US, India, Singapore and Taiwan. He is a keen observer of human behavior and is passionate about enabling people to work attheir best. Over the course of his career, he has worked with over ten different managers from various backgrounds andnationalities. This diverse experience has motivated him to share his learning in the form of this book. Sriman has a Masters inengineering from the Ohio State University in the USA (with a University Fellowship award) and an MBA from Alagappa University,India. He also holds an Advanced Certification in Training and Assessment. He is also a member of the Singapore Training andDevelopment Association. He regularly writes blogs on best practices in training delivery. He can be contacted at:[email protected], Blog: http://corporatetrainingexcellence.blogspot.sg/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/srimanvenkatesan

Raman K Attri is Global Learning and Training Consultant. He has over 15 years of project management,product development and quality management experience in leading MNC product development corporations.He has earned numerous international certification awards - Certified Management Consultant Certified QualityDirector, Certified Engineering Manager and Certified Project Director, to name a few. He holds ProfessionalDoctorate, MBA in Operations Management and Master in Technology and Bachelor in Technology. In additionto this, he has over 60 educational qualifications, credentials and certifications in his name. His research and

training interests are in learning, development, performance management, research management and productdevelopment. He can be contacted at: E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://rkattri.wordpress.comLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rkattri/
mailto:[email protected]://corporatetrainingexcellence.blogspot.sg/http://www.linkedin.com/in/srimanvenkatesanhttp://www.linkedin.com/in/srimanvenkatesanmailto:[email protected]://rkattri.wordpress.com/http://www.linkedin.com/in/rkattri/http://www.linkedin.com/in/rkattri/http://rkattri.wordpress.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.linkedin.com/in/srimanvenkatesanhttp://corporatetrainingexcellence.blogspot.sg/mailto:[email protected]

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