How does working cross-culturally add a layer of complexity to already complex decisions?
Cross-cultural work makes for an unfamilar environment with often difficult to frame problems especially if one is trying to fit concepts of decision-making from an individualist as functional basis of communal involvement. According to the late anthropologist Clyde Klulkhohn, "People typically feel their own cultural beliefs and practices are normal and natural, and those of others to be strange, or even inferior- abnormal."
This is often an unending challenge in cross-cultural workplaces. Furthermore the longer the expatriation period the more pronounced are the instances of opportunities for greater self-awareness perhaps which provide new insights especially where one is given the opportunity to approach the possibility that, "...we must learn to understand the 'out-of-awareness' aspects of communication. We must never assume that we are fully aware of what we communicate to someone else. There exists in the world today tremendous distortions in meaning as men try to communicate with one another." (Hall:1959, p. 29). This is only magnified in cross-cultural environments.
How has this altered your decision-making experiences?
Cross-cultural work makes for an unfamilar environment with often difficult to frame problems especially if one is trying to fit concepts of decision-making from an individualist as functional basis of communal involvement. According to the late anthropologist Clyde Klulkhohn, "People typically feel their own cultural beliefs and practices are normal and natural, and those of others to be strange, or even inferior- abnormal."
This is often an unending challenge in cross-cultural workplaces. Furthermore the longer the expatriation period the more pronounced are the instances of opportunities for greater self-awareness perhaps which provide new insights especially where one is given the opportunity to approach the possibility that, "...we must learn to understand the 'out-of-awareness' aspects of communication. We must never assume that we are fully aware of what we communicate to someone else. There exists in the world today tremendous distortions in meaning as men try to communicate with one another." (Hall:1959, p. 29). This is only magnified in cross-cultural environments.
How has this altered your decision-making experiences?
Often I am forced to simply dispel the illusion of anticipation in preparing to make decisions. Thus the distance perhaps between the stages of a decision overwhelmingly rely upon the pareta principles. In many developing nations it perhaps at times appears that 20% of the labour does constitute 80% of the work required.
Especially I at times take great strides in attempting to understand how to adapt to what often appears to be zero lead time. However in all aspects time is not always a relative factor across cultures. The lenses of constraints are dependent upon tolerance and organisational constraints can often appear excessive from the outside observer. However active listening as described is useful. Especially when the listening is cultural. This often prescribes the "letting go" of paradigms and listening, if you can find a track, for heuristics.
For example in Arabia a watch may simply be a beautiful ornament. In working for local contracts even the simple task of a permission slip for a visit to the dentist could take two weeks. In Korea, sudden swerves in strategy can often appear to arise at any time. One must have a flexible portfolio of options especially in teaching materials to specify the current flavour of the moment.
It often appears the content and context relevancy of information and its effective use has a very short shelf life. Any information is better than none eveen a scrap of data in some cases is more than many possess. Risk and uncertainty appear often as the comfort zones as change might be the only constant. It often appears many decisions are unprogrammed even when they would better to be or vice versa as quite a paradox to observe. What constitutes traditional cultures from a cross-cultural perspective often appears in the business world as highly vertical and narrow authoritarian streams of unidirection.
However during a break between classes yesterday as I reposed on a bench under the only cast shadow I could find in the spring afternoon sun a senior lecturer of leadership actually a retired general from the ROK Armed Forces gently wandered up to my perch. For the next seven minutes I was able to bounce of these course materials off of his acquired mind. He seemed extremely surprised that I would have any interest in his field. He was also surprised I remembered meeting him about six months ago. So time constraints are mentioned by Hall as being probably the most determinant factors especially in cultural perceived notions surrounding time.
So I would suggest that time issues are probably the most difficult aspects of decision making differences which I have encountered. I would describe Arabia as having a, "hurry up and wait" philosophy and Korea as having a, "hurry up, trip and hurry up again" philosophy. These are both very difficult and challenging to ameliorate from a western concept of time making in management decisions. Also very difficult to communciate such matters as the relevance decreases with the degree of internationalisation of a company, group or community.
Hall, E.T.(1959, 1981) The Silent Language, Anchor Books.
Kluckhohn, C.(1952) Mirror for Man, McGraw Hill.
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