In each of the following situations, identify one or more waysthat cultural differences may be leading to miscommunication.
1. Alan is a U.S. sales representative in South America. Hemakes appointments and is careful to be on time. But the personheâs calling on is frequently late. To save time, Alan tries to getright to business. But his hosts want to talk about sightseeing andhis family. Even worse, his appointments are interruptedconstantly, not only by business phone calls but also by longconversations with other people and even the customersâ childrenwho come into the office. Alanâs first progress report is verynegative. He hasnât yet made a sale. Perhaps South America justisnât the right place to sell his companyâs products.
2. To help her company establish a presence in Asia, Susan wantsto hire a local interpreter who can advise her on business customs.Kana Tomari has superb qualifications on paper. But when Susantries to probe about her experience, Kana just says, âI will do mybest. I will try very hard.â She never gives details about any ofthe previous positions sheâs held. Susan begins to wonder if there?sume? is inflated.
3. Stan wants to negotiate a joint venture with an Asiancompany. He asks Tung-Sen Lee if the people have enoughdiscretionary income to afford his product. Mr. Lee is silent for atime, and then says, âYour product is good. People in the West mustlike it.â Stan smiles, pleased that Mr. Lee recognizes the qualityof his product, and he gives Mr. Lee a contract to sign. Weekslater, Stan still hasnât heard anything. If Asians are going to beso non-responsive, he wonders if he really should try to dobusiness with them.
4. Elspeth is very proud of her participatory management style.On assignment in India, she is careful not to give orders but toask for suggestions. But people rarely suggest anything. Even aformal suggestion system doesnât work. And to make matters worse,she doesnât sense the respect and camaraderie of the plant she man-aged in the United States. Perhaps, she decides gloomily, people inIndia just arenât ready for a woman boss.
In each of the following situations, identify one or more waysthat cultural differences may be leading to miscommunication.
1. Alan is a U.S. sales representative in South America. Hemakes appointments and is careful to be on time. But the personheâs calling on is frequently late. To save time, Alan tries to getright to business. But his hosts want to talk about sightseeing andhis family. Even worse, his appointments are interruptedconstantly, not only by business phone calls but also by longconversations with other people and even the customersâ childrenwho come into the office. Alanâs first progress report is verynegative. He hasnât yet made a sale. Perhaps South America justisnât the right place to sell his companyâs products.
2. To help her company establish a presence in Asia, Susan wantsto hire a local interpreter who can advise her on business customs.Kana Tomari has superb qualifications on paper. But when Susantries to probe about her experience, Kana just says, âI will do mybest. I will try very hard.â She never gives details about any ofthe previous positions sheâs held. Susan begins to wonder if there?sume? is inflated.
3. Stan wants to negotiate a joint venture with an Asiancompany. He asks Tung-Sen Lee if the people have enoughdiscretionary income to afford his product. Mr. Lee is silent for atime, and then says, âYour product is good. People in the West mustlike it.â Stan smiles, pleased that Mr. Lee recognizes the qualityof his product, and he gives Mr. Lee a contract to sign. Weekslater, Stan still hasnât heard anything. If Asians are going to beso non-responsive, he wonders if he really should try to dobusiness with them.
4. Elspeth is very proud of her participatory management style.On assignment in India, she is careful not to give orders but toask for suggestions. But people rarely suggest anything. Even aformal suggestion system doesnât work. And to make matters worse,she doesnât sense the respect and camaraderie of the plant she man-aged in the United States. Perhaps, she decides gloomily, people inIndia just arenât ready for a woman boss.
