Navigating the cultural minefield
Harvard Business Review - E. Meyer
To common to rely on clichés, stereotyping people from different culture on just one or two
dimension. This can lead to oversimplified and erroneous assumptions.
Culture is too complex to be measured meaningfully along just one or two dimensions. Therefore,
E. Meyer has designed a helpful tool = Culture Map.
Culture map is made up of eight scales that represent the management behaviours where cultural
gaps are most common. By comparing the positions of the nationalities, the user can decode how
culture influences day-to-day collaboration.
1. Communicating
Low-context cultures, good communication is precise, simple, explicit and clear. Messages
are understood at face value.Repetition is appreciated for purposes of clarification, as is
putting messages in writing.
High-context cultures, communication is sophisticated, nuanced, and layered. Messages
are often implied but not plainly stated. Less is put in writing, more is left open to
interpretation, and understanding may depend on reading between the lines.
2. Evaluating
3. Persuading
The ways in which you persuade others and the kind of arguments you find convincing,
derive from your culture's philosophical, religious, and educational assumptions and
attitudes. Specific thinking is breaking down that arguments. However, holistic thinking is
Harvard Business Review - E. Meyer
To common to rely on clichés, stereotyping people from different culture on just one or two
dimension. This can lead to oversimplified and erroneous assumptions.
Culture is too complex to be measured meaningfully along just one or two dimensions. Therefore,
E. Meyer has designed a helpful tool = Culture Map.
Culture map is made up of eight scales that represent the management behaviours where cultural
gaps are most common. By comparing the positions of the nationalities, the user can decode how
culture influences day-to-day collaboration.
1. Communicating
Low-context cultures, good communication is precise, simple, explicit and clear. Messages
are understood at face value.Repetition is appreciated for purposes of clarification, as is
putting messages in writing.
High-context cultures, communication is sophisticated, nuanced, and layered. Messages
are often implied but not plainly stated. Less is put in writing, more is left open to
interpretation, and understanding may depend on reading between the lines.
2. Evaluating
3. Persuading
The ways in which you persuade others and the kind of arguments you find convincing,
derive from your culture's philosophical, religious, and educational assumptions and
attitudes. Specific thinking is breaking down that arguments. However, holistic thinking is
