Fish don’t know they’re in water and people find it difficult to recognize their own culture

This book is divided into an introduction and eight chapters. In the introduction part, the author, Erin Meyer introduced the topic of the book, cultural differences and her methodologies in doing the research. In the subsequent eight chapters, Erin Meyer illustrates cultural differences cross the globe and offers strategies to cope with the cultural clashes which mainly happen in the context of cross-cultural business collaboration.

The author gives eight scales to draw the culture map across the globe.

The first scale is about communicating. For different cultures, their definition of effective communication may vary. For low-context cultures, good communication is precise, simple and clear. Messages are expressed and understood at face value. Repetition is appreciated if it helps clarify the communication. For high-context cultures, good communication is sophisticated, nuanced, and layered. Messages are both spoken and read between the lines. Messages are often implied but not plainly expressed.

The second scale is about evaluating. Giving negative feedback is a sensitive art in many cultures. In some countries, direct negative feedback is appreciated, like Israel, Netherlands, Russia, Germany, etc, while in other cultures, indirect negative feedback is the norm, like Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, etc.

The third scale is about persuading. Being good at persuading your potential customer or supplier in your own culture doesn’t mean you will successfully persuade your target audience in another culture. For the cultures of applications-first, individuals are trained to begin with a fact, statement, or opinion and later add concepts to back up or explain the conclusion as necessary. Discussions are approached in a practical, concrete manner. US is the most typical of applications-first cuture. For the cultures of principles-first cultures, individuals are trained to first develop the theory or complex concept before presenting a fact, statement or opinion. The preference is to begin a message or report by building up a theoretical argument before moving on to a conclusion. Representatives include Italy, Russia, Germany, etc.

The fourth scale is about leading. In egalitarian cultures, the best boss is a facilitator among equals. Organizational structures are flat. Communication often skip hierarchical lines. In hierarchical cultures, The best boss is a strong director who leads from the front. Status is important. Organizational structures are multilayered and fixed. Communication follows set hierarchical lines.

The fifth scale is about deciding. For consensual deciding style, decisions are made in groups through unanimous agreement. For top-down deciding, decisions are made by individuals (usually the boss).

The sixth scale is about trusting. For task-based cultures, trust is built through business-related activities. Work relationships are built and dropped easily. For relationship-based cultures, trust is built through sharing meals, evening drinks and visits at the coffee machine. Work relationships build up slowly over the long term.

The seventh scale is about disagreeing. In confrontational cultures, open confrontation is appropriate and will not negatively impact the relationship. For the cultures which avoids confrontation, open confrontation is inappropriate and will break group harmony or negatively impact the relationship.

The eighth scale is about scheduling. For linear-time cultures, project steps are approached in a sequential fashion, completing one task before beginning the next. One thing at a time. No interruptions. Emphasis is on promptness and good organization over flexibility. For flexible-time cultures, many things are dealt with at once and interruptions accepted. The focus is on adaptability and flexibility is valued over organization.

One thing that can’t be ignored is cultural relativity. Two cultures may belong to the same group on one specific scale, but they may fall on different points. For example, UK, compared with China definitely has a more low-context communication style. However, compared with US, UK is relatively more high-context.

Just as fish don’t know they’re in water, people often find it difficult to see and recognize their own culture until they start comparing with others. After reading this book, I believe readers will not only better understand other cultures but also be more aware of how their own culture influences the way they do business.