Cultured Conversation
"Culture eats strategy for breakfast."
Peter Drucker
When you think of the culture of an organization, you generally think of team outings, motivational quotes painted on walls and words like vision and mission. Essential elements of your daily corporate life, of course. But that’s only half the picture. The true culture of an organization is in it’s very DNA. It is witnessed in the way people talk to one another, the way a meeting plays out and the direction taken on every idea.
What value does a culture hold?
To start with, culture affects an employee’s happiness as it builds their everyday environment.
Unhappy employees are 10% less productive than their happy counterparts, according to Entrepreneur. A small number with an enormous impact.
They leave a familiar culture at home – influenced by heritage, financial status, and so on – and head to the office only to be plunged into unfavourable surroundings. They’re not going to stick around too long, let alone be happy enough to drive towards that mission statement. Supervisors can bid the most promising business strategy adieu with a demotivated team on hand.
Building an ideal culture is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Like anything to do with people, an organisation’s culture has its nuances across countries and even within them. Take a quick look at the chart below for a snapshot of this difference.
Western Europeans and North Americans focus on results, goal-orientation, and achievement. In comparison, South America leans toward fun, excitement, and a light-hearted work environment. On the other side of the world, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand prefer interdependence and coordination. Asia, in particular, has been known to opt for a cooperative, respectful, and rule-abiding corporate culture.
How does this translate into the daily workday?
Consider an international conference call with counterparts in other parts of the world, a South American will be more likely to give their opinions at will compared to someone from Asia, who will wait for a superior to give permission to do so. The call, and your presentation, can be managed based on this simple insight.
Similar cultural insights can be applied when visiting an international location. Americans will be surprised at the familiarity amongst colleagues in India, and their Indian counterparts will do well to remember that personal boundaries are marked differently among the former. A simple conversation over coffee can be a successful business interaction when one is armed with this information.
These are just some of the instances where culture plays a pivotal role. You can expand it to the UI you create, the tone of your presentation, or even a carefully-worded e-mail.
Step into your professional interactions well-versed in cultural nuance and its power, and you will find yourself astounded.