PAUL: We’re having this conversation at the perfect time, because we’re just about to start planning a research programme for a new global client. And I know you’ve just finished reading a book that could really help us to shape that piece of work. 

DEBORAH: That’s right Paul. It’s a fantastic book called The Culture Map. Written by an author called Erin Meyer, who’s a professor at a leading international business school. It’s one of those books that is so fascinating that you read it really quickly. I found myself jotting down loads of notes in the margins, because so much of the content resonated with me. 

PAUL: OK, so we’ve got a few things to talk about then! But before we get into the detail, give me a quick summary. 

DEBORAH: Well really the book is about how easy it is to fall into cultural traps when you’re working with people from different backgrounds. Erin Meyer has created a model for decoding how those cultural differences have an impact on international teams.  

Of course everyone is different, but broadly speaking there are some common characteristics in terms of how people work and communicate in their cultures, particularly when it comes to feedback.  

And if you’re not aware of those differences when you’re working with colleagues from another country, you can end up causing confusion, or even offence. And you may not even realise why. 

PAUL: So, in effect, some cultures are renowned for being straight talkers, and others are perhaps more subtle in the way they communicate? 

DEBORAH: Absolutely. You can also think of it as ‘taking things at face value’, versus ‘reading between the lines’. Erin Meyer talks about High Context and Low Context here.  

High Context communication is sophisticated, nuanced and layered. You have to read between the lines to truly understand the message, because it might be implied but not expressed plainly.  

At the other end of the scale, Low Context communication is precise, simple and clear, often with detailed instructions. 

People from Asian countries like Japan and Korea tend to fit into the High Context category more than those from English-speaking countries. 

PAUL: Can you give me an example of how that could cause confusion if, let’s say, a Japanese person was working with a British or American colleague on a project? 

DEBORAH: OK, adapting one of Erin’s examples, imagine an American is leading that project, and there’s an urgent deadline coming up. She needs a couple of the team to work over the weekend. So she asks her Japanese colleague if he can work on Saturday. He replies “Yes, I think so. It’s my daughter’s birthday though.” 

How would you read that response? Would you expect the Japanese colleague to show up on Saturday? 

PAUL: I would. He said “yes”, after all. 

DEBORAH: And that’s exactly what I’d expect you to say, as someone brought up in the UK, where the preference is for Low Context communication (precise, simple, taken at face value). 

But this is an example of where there can be misunderstandings. The Japanese colleague, being from a country that tends to favour High Context communication (reading between the lines) probably thinks that saying “It’s my daughter’s birthday though” makes it clear that actually he won’t be showing up for work on Saturday. He would expect his American colleague to read between the lines. 

PAUL: So, like the American leader, I would have ended up very frustrated in this scenario! It sounds like the way around this is to learn to listen to what is meant, rather than what is said in those High Context cultures? But that can’t be easy when you’ve grown up in a culture where people say exactly what they mean. 

DEBORAH: Absolutely: speak less, listen more, and clarify if you don’t understand. And really it doesn’t matter where you are on that scale between High and Low – it’s where you are in relation to the culture you’re dealing with. That’s the awareness that you need. 

PAUL: This is a particularly interesting topic for me at the moment because I found out last year that, although I’ve lived in the UK all my life, I have some Dutch heritage that I wasn’t aware of. So I’ve been travelling around the Netherlands, learning some of the language, and discovering more about the country. And I love so much about the Dutch way of life, but the one part I just cannot come to terms with is how blunt and direct many Dutch people can be. It’s so alien to me as an Englishman, and makes me very uncomfortable. 

DEBORAH: That’s a classic example. British people tend to be very careful with their words, whereas the Dutch are often very direct. They have no problem saying to somebody: “That was a dreadful presentation.”  

Here’s a good test to see which approach feels more natural to you. If one of your colleagues answered their mobile in the middle of an important meeting, would you say afterwards: “That was completely unprofessional”, or would you water it down with something like: “It might have been better to take that call after the meeting”? One of those will feel more natural than the other. 

I’ve seen this first hand when I’ve been working in countries that are much more direct in their feedback. I was once in a meeting in Germany, where one person gave some really blunt feedback to another German colleague. I was a little taken aback, not being used to seeing someone given such a public dressing down. 

But a few minutes afterwards we all had a coffee break, and I could see those two people joking and laughing with each other. I joined the conversation to ask what was going on, and the person who had been rebuked said: “Why shouldn’t we be laughing? That feedback was really helpful – I needed to know. It’s absolutely fine.” 

That was a fascinating example for me of the difference between what Erin Meyer calls Direct Negative Feedback and Indirect Negative Feedback. She outlines a similar example in her book. 

PAUL: I wonder what that means for line manager communications? I’ve just finished a programme of comms training for about 150 global line managers in one of our client organisations.  

And many of them told me during the sessions that they manage multi-cultural teams. So what implications do you think The Culture Map has for the way in which line managers work with their teams? 

DEBORAH: There is definitely scope for misunderstanding here, and even for undermining yourself with your team.  

In countries that have a relatively flat hierarchy within organisations – like Denmark and Sweden for instance – it’s common for managers to run their teams in an egalitarian way. They’ll ask their team members for opinions, and that’s seen as good and strong leadership. I think you’d find quite a bit of this in the UK too. 

But if you took that approach in an organisation that has a strong hierarchy – perhaps in Japan or China – then you’d be seen as a weak leader. Your team would be asking themselves: “Does he not know how to do his job?” You have to give instructions and lead from the front in those cultures. 

Again, if you’re not aware of those differences, and you try to take good practice from one culture to another, it probably isn’t going to work. You’ll lose credibility. 

As Erin Meyer says, in this scenario you need to be flexible – sometimes egalitarian, sometimes hierarchical. And we have to be really clear with our teams about what we expect and how we’re going to work. We can’t just assume that everyone is going to work in the way that we do. 

PAUL: So aside from reading The Culture Map ourselves, what can we do to put some of this insight into practice? 

DEBORAH: Well firstly, I absolutely recommend that you do read the book. It’s a really eye-opening and thought-provoking piece of work. I felt like Erin Meyer was holding up a mirror in front of me, and helping me to think about these things from a new perspective. 

I think one of the important things to remember is that you don’t have to try to be someone else. For instance, if you’re an English person working with a group of Dutch or German colleagues, don’t try to copy them and give direct feedback in the same style. That could end very badly! 

But do think about your own awareness, and what you need to spend more time on. Watch what makes local leaders successful. 

If you’re working with colleagues from a country that can be direct with feedback, prepare yourself for that scenario. There’s no point getting offended if you receive some, as they will think they’re being helpful and that you appreciate the clarity. 

Otherwise it’s likely that team relationships will break down, and everyone will get frustrated. 

So for me, it’s more about building collective awareness of differences, rather than changing our behaviour all the time.