With today’s advanced communication tools it’s easier and less expensive than ever for people from different cultures to communicate with one another.

Although business professionals across the globe converse face-to-face or screen-to-screen, it doesn’t mean that their particular cultural mores and language discrepancies won’t interfere with their ability to effectively communicate. In order to manage an international project with multiple teams, complete an acquisition or otherwise manage a prosperous business, it’s critical to be sensitive to other cultures and improve business communication skills to fit the conversation.

A recent article in Chief Learning Officer magazine argues that there are a number of flaws in the way that many businesses undertake their cultural sensitivity training. Improperly designed cultural training programs can create a larger divide by adding to the “us versus them” narrative that the training should dispel. Many programs are more focused on avoiding offensiveness rather than successfully navigating different cultures to advance business goals. The author, Susana Rinderle, advocates for more training that stimulates “authentic relationships” and “effective communication.”

Follow these tips for improving effective communication skills across cultures.

Be Aware of Cultural Timelines

Project managers and other business personnel should be conscious of what their foreign partners’ calendars look like. Certified IT project manager and project management instructor at Merit Career Development Prince Knight explains that project timelines should acknowledge cultural holidays and other periods, otherwise there may be delays and missed deadlines that better cultural awareness could avoid. As examples, Knight notes that the entire month of August as a popular vacation time in Europe, Christmas is an extended holiday period in Scandinavia and in the U.S., and September as a busy back-to-school time.

Knight also advises people to acknowledge cultural differences within their own country, since many U.S. companies have diverse employees from different cultures, religions and ethnic backgrounds.

Strive Toward Universal Communication

To ensure effective communication, businesses should work toward succinct, universal speech and writing that is consistent and identified so that all team members understand. Many companies conduct business in English or other major languages. However, fewer problems arise from language issues than from idioms or expressions that are “lost in translation” or misunderstood. A famous gaffe involved American and British businesspeople negotiating an agreement. All was going well until the Americans attempted to wrap things up by asking for a “John Hancock” on the document. The British were confused. “Who is this, John Hancock?” they said.

Frequently checking with cross-cultural counterparts and recapping the conversation can help ensure that everyone is on the same page and there won’t be misunderstandings, but it’s also smart to eliminate some common mistakes.

• Cut the small talk - Although chit-chat is common in offices around the U.S., small talk in another culture or language may just become confusing and not the ice breaker you’d hoped for, Boston World Partners explains in an article posted to Boston.com. “The weather is not the catch all topic you think it is, neither are sports,” the article advises. “Both are a favorite way to start a meeting here in Boston (It’s 100 degrees! Did you see the game last night?) But if you’re doing business in a climate with very little variation or extremes, the weather is probably not something people naturally discuss. It’s also worth noting baseball is a sport where we play a world championship against ourselves and possibly Toronto. Once you leave the continent, most people just don’t care.”
• Avoid idioms, analogies and phrases - Speaking of sports, there are a number of sports analogies that can easily play into casual business conversations, but when you’re working with other cultures where a given sport isn’t popular, talking about “hitting a homerun” can come off as confusing or—worse—potentially insulting. Before you try to explain your thoughts or ideas, think through what you’re going to say and filter it for any https://www.businessenglishresources.com/learn-english-for-business/student-section/business-vocabulary/most-common-business-idioms/. It’s also a good idea to do some research on the other cultures’ common phrases and misconceptions—there’s a lot to learn from past business embarrassments.
• Prepare for varied emotions or behaviors - Just as different cultures have various expressions for common thoughts or events related to popular culture, people also express themselves and their body language differently. The University of Colorado’s Conflict Research Consortium explains that in some cultures behavioral constraint expectations can make “reading” another person difficult, while in other cultures people may react more strongly when arguing or debating than expected based on the cultural norms.

Analyze Differences

One of the most effective ways to improve cross-cultural communication is to take an analytical look at what makes two cultures different. Merit Career Development’s 2-day Cross-Cultural Communications course tackles this head-on by exploring the Big Five culture differences exposed by business: time, space, things, friendship and agreements.

By looking at these differences in small groups and analyzing their effects on thought, emotion and communication, people are more truly culturally sensitive and can have a more fruitful dialogue with other cultures.

"Business Ethics” is a dangerously murky term with real and profound effects. Ethics are a vital part of every decision, not just hiring practices and the handling of corporate resources.

With the prevalence of social media and the ease of accessing information through technology, training your employees on ethics is more important than ever. Every single decision has the chance to drastically affect how the public perceives a company.

Companies that have invested in ethical compliance education for their entire staff have achieved praise from critics and fervent support from consumers. Conversely, companies that have shirked this responsibility have been met with exorbitant legal battles, vocally dissatisfied customers, and critical condemnation.

Although many aspects of business ethics seem obvious, every decision made has an ethical component. Without a clearly defined and understood corporate code of ethics, seemingly insignificant decisions can lead to enormously expensive legal gray areas.

You can never take it back

In an attempt to solidify his core demographic, Mike Jeffries, the CEO of clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, publicly belittled the people he felt did not fit the company’s image. During an interview, he casually condemned those who did not meet the brand’s image as being unworthy of wearing their clothes. Consumers found this statement to be offensive and unethical, resulting in a 15% drop in sales and a 10% drop in share price. However, the remarkable part of this incident is that the backlash came six years after the comments were made.

In 2013, social media websites brought the CEO’s comments to a much larger audience than imagined at the time of the interview. The permanent and public nature of social media and electronic record keeping changed a forgotten comment into an irreversible and hugely expensive PR nightmare. Almost every major news outlet picked up the story and these articles still appear prominently with a simple Google search of Abercrombie & Fitch.

The CEO’s unethical comment, along with ethical issues of racial discrimination in hiring practices, have resulted in millions of dollars in legal fees, a diminished clientele, and highly expensive restructuring of ethical training and policies for A&F. However, offhand remarks or discriminatory hiring practices are by no means the only unethical actions with drastic tolls on businesses.

Who Owns the Information?

Poorly drafted IT policies regarding the ownership of information created on company computers can also place a business at risk of being perceived as unethical. The lack of clear policies and workforce training regarding the content of e-mails, accessing social media, and personal communications on company computers create easy opportunities for issues of harassment. Only proper training in ethical use can help shield a company from liability.

Ethical decision-making has a direct and profound impact on a company’s brand and can result in substantial expenses if not handled properly. Taking ethical compliance education seriously, drafting and implementing clear policies and guidelines are of vital importance in today’s business.

With successful startups like Uber, giants like Comcast, A&F, and the Livestrong Corporation being crippled by unethical behavior, business ethics are a pressing need in every workplace.

Interested in safeguarding your business from ethical issues? Click here to learn more about Merit Career Development’s business ethics training courses and consulting services.

Managing Different Generations in the Workplace: Part Four

The modern workplace is now home to four generations of employees—Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z. Each has its own unique perspectives and varying experience levels. Although generational differences can affect everything from team building to company morale, managers can leverage these differences to create a cohesive work environment and an effective training experience.

In our previous posts, we discussed Generations X, Y and Z. Now it’s time to look at all four generations and discuss how leadership can bridge communication gaps in the workplace.

Using Generational Differences to Improve Training

Training magazine explains that the core values of each generation can vary widely. Gen Xers and millennials desire an even alignment between work and home life, while Generation Z longs for social opportunities. As a result, older generational employees may view Gen Zers as less loyal to the business. And in turn, the youngest staff members might see their counterparts as workaholic stalwarts who refuse to change.

But playing on these differences in the training setting can increase learner retention and build relationships between the generations. Managers should mix generations during instructor-led training and design the training to include activities that energize each generation like lectures, group activities or online polls. Gen Xers can impart experiential wisdom to their younger constituents, who can reciprocate by sharing their knowledge of the latest technology and cultural trends.

Accommodating for Communication Styles

The generations also handle communication differently from one another. Baby Boomers and Gen Xers tend to prefer direct and immediate contact, such as phone or face-to-face conversations. Conversely, millennials and Gen Zers tend to favor e-mail and text messaging. However, they all want frequent, quality feedback.

To avoid crossed signals, Forbes suggests that managers set clear guidelines for what’s expected from company communications. This way, all age groups are aware of one another’s learning preferences and aim to bridge the gaps. Too much reliance on a single approach might alienate some employees, so a combination of face-to-face meetings and emails is the right medium to communicate across generations.

Ditch the Stereotypes and Mentor Instead

Finally, the three generations of employees are driven by different motivators. Generation X workers have entrepreneurial spirits that are fed by completing projects individually, while both the younger generations enjoy working collaboratively with like-minded, creative people. Millennials and Gen Zers seek more guidance and acknowledgement in comparison to Gen Xers, which can cause misunderstandings, Forbes magazine explains.

As with most things, responsibility lies with all the parties. Leaders need to understand the importance of feedback, but Generations Y and Z have to realize that praise isn’t handed out with ease. The beginning of real communication is understanding what the other person prefers and finding a good middle-ground. Assuming particular intention—like a Baby Boomer accusing a millennial of disrespect because she emails rather than picking up the phone—is a recipe for conflict. And relying on stereotypes—like Baby Boomers are technologically challenged or Gen Yers have no loyalty to the organization—can really get in the way.

One way to aid this kind of understanding is to form mentoring partnerships between employees of the different cohorts. Each generation has something to contribute, and it’s often in one-on-one relationships that this becomes apparent. Managers and trainers can use this technique to enhance learning, deepen understanding and build stronger communication between the generations. Realizing that there is more than one way to see the world, and learning from each other, can lead to employee growth, new ideas and unique solutions to business problems.