3 Situations Where Cross-Cultural Communication Breaks Down

The cross-cultural teams are responsible for facilitating the cross-cultural communication. For that purpose, the colleagues must target an atmosphere of open communication meaning thereby, they must dare to share. Unfortunately, this is rarely easy. In fact, they face challenges that arise in three areas.

 

1- Eliciting Ideas

Participation norms differ greatly across cultures. Team members from more individualistic countries, such as the U.S. or Australia, may be accustomed to voicing their unfiltered opinions and ideas, while those from more hierarchical cultures such as Japan, tend to speak up only after more senior colleagues have expressed their views.

People from some cultures may hesitate to contribute because they worry about coming across as superficial; Finns, for example, favor a “think before you speak” approach, in stark contrast to the “shoot from the hip” attitude that is more prevalent among Americans.

Communication patterns may also make it difficult for people to participate equally in brainstorming sessions. Brazilians, for instance, are typically at ease with overlapping conversations and interruptions, viewing them as signs of engagement. But others, accustomed to more orderly patterns of communication, can feel cut off by the same behavior.

 

The fix: To ensure everyone is contributing, leaders of cross-cultural teams should establish clear communication protocols (a system of rules). A classic tactic, when soliciting ideas or opinions, is to go around the table (or conference line/video chat screens) at least once so that everyone has a chance to speak. Encourage exploration by asking open-ended questions.

 

2- Surfacing Disagreement

Public disagreement is another big source of conflict on cross-cultural teams. Members from cultures that place a high value on group harmony may be averse to confrontation because they assume it will descend into conflict and cause social failure. In other cultures, having a “good fight” is actually a sign of trust.

 

The fix: To encourage healthy debate, consider designating a devil’s advocate whose remit is to prompt discussion on different propositions.

 

3- Giving Feedback

Constructive criticism is an essential part of global teamwork; it helps to iron out some of the inevitable kinks – relating to communication style, or behavior in meetings – that disrupt collaboration. But feedback can be its own cultural minefield. Executives from more individualistic and task-oriented cultures, notably the U.S., see it as an opportunity for personal development; a “gift”. By contrast, people from more collectivist and relationship-oriented cultures may be unaccustomed to voicing or listening to criticism in public, even if the team would benefit. For face-saving reasons, they may prefer to meet one-on-one in an informal setting, possibly over lunch or outside the workplace.

Executives from low-context cultures such as the Netherlands, for example, tend to be very direct in their corrective feedback, while those from high-context cultures, such as India or the Middle Eastern countries, often favor more implicit way.

 

The fix: Leaders should encourage members of cross-cultural teams to find a middle ground. You might coach people to soften critical feedback through positive framing or by addressing the whole team even when sending a message to just one person. For example, if time-keeping is a recurrent issue, you might say;

“I always appreciate it when we’re all synchronized and we can make the most of our time together.”