Erin Meyer of INSEAD on Managing Across Cultures

DAWN - Realize the Future of Business

17 Oct 201706:40

Summary

TLDRIn this insightful discussion, Professor Aaron, a recently published author in the Harvard Business Review, introduces the cultural map as a vital tool for global leaders to navigate cross-cultural management. The map outlines eight behavioral scales to compare cultural differences, aiding leaders in adapting their styles for effective international collaboration. Aaron emphasizes the importance of understanding and respecting cultural nuances to enhance teamwork and leadership authenticity, advocating for 'authentic flexibility' to achieve global leadership success.

Takeaways

🌏 The cultural map is a tool for global leaders to navigate cross-cultural management by understanding behavioral differences across countries.
📊 The system breaks down cultural differences into eight behavioral scales, examining how decisions are made and trust is built in various cultures.
📝 INSEAD's research has positioned 55 countries on these scales, allowing for comparative mapping to adapt leadership and communication styles.
💡 Leadership styles are culturally specific and can vary significantly, requiring leaders to adapt their approach when working with different cultures.
🇳🇱 An example given is the difference between Dutch and Mexican leadership styles, where Dutch culture values egalitarianism, while Mexican culture shows more respect to authority figures.
🔄 The need for global leaders to be flexible and adapt their leadership style to the cultural context of the population they are working with.
👥 Teamwork in a global context requires understanding how actions and communication styles can create unintended perceptions in different cultures.
📞 A simple action like sending a written recap after a phone call can be perceived differently in various cultures, signaling distrust in some cases.
🔍 The advice for working across cultures is to learn about the differences between one's own culture and the culture of the people one is working with.
🗣️ Encouraging open discussions about cultural differences using humble words for one's own culture and curiosity about others.
🧘‍♂️ Authentic leadership does not preclude adapting to local culture; global leaders should embody 'authentic flexibility' to maximize effectiveness.

Q & A

What is the cultural map and how does it help in cross-cultural management?
-The cultural map is a system that breaks down cultural differences into eight behavioral scales, examining aspects like decision-making and trust-building across cultures. It helps global leaders navigate international waters by providing a framework to decode and adapt their style to the cultural context of the country or countries they are working with.
How does the cultural map position countries on its scales?
-The cultural map positions countries based on research conducted at INSEAD, which has analyzed and positioned around 55 countries up and down the eight behavioral scales, allowing for a comparative understanding of cultural differences.
What is the significance of leadership styles varying across cultures?
-Leadership styles are culturally specific and can significantly impact how teams are managed and decisions are made. Understanding these variations is crucial for effective cross-cultural leadership, as it influences the approach to authority, respect, and facilitation within teams.
Can you provide an example of how cultural differences in leadership styles can create challenges?
-An example given in the script is the situation where Mexican managers, accustomed to showing more respect to authority figures, were working with Dutch employees in a Dutch company, where the leadership style is more egalitarian. The cultural clash led to challenges in implementing strategies and managing expectations.
Why is it important for global leaders to adapt their leadership style?
-Adapting leadership styles is essential in today's globalized world because it enables leaders to work effectively with diverse populations, ensuring that they can achieve the desired results by understanding and respecting cultural nuances.
How does cultural awareness apply to teamwork in a global context?
-Cultural awareness in global teamwork is crucial as it helps understand how actions and communication styles can create unintended perceptions. It encourages adapting one's style to increase effectiveness and avoid misunderstandings in cross-cultural interactions.
What is the cultural implication of sending a written recap after a phone call in an Indonesian context?
-In the Indonesian context, sending a written recap after a phone call can be perceived as a sign of distrust, as verbal agreements are typically considered sufficient. This highlights the importance of understanding cultural communication preferences in a global team setting.
What advice does Professor Aaron provide for effective cross-cultural communication?
-Professor Aaron advises learning about the differences between one's own culture and the culture of the people one is working with. He encourages open discussions using humble words to describe one's own culture and curiosity about the other culture to foster understanding and effectiveness.
How can leaders maintain authenticity while adapting to local cultures?
-Leaders can maintain authenticity by developing 'authentic flexibility,' which involves having a strong sense of their own authentic style while also learning techniques to adapt their style to different cultural contexts, allowing them to choose the most effective approach for each situation.
What is the key to being an effective global leader according to the cultural map concept?
-The key to being an effective global leader is understanding the differences between one's own culture and other cultures, and knowing how to adapt one's leadership style to maximize effectiveness in various cultural settings.
Where can readers find more information on managing across cultures as discussed in the script?
-Readers can find more information in Aaron's article in the Harvard Business Review's 10 Must-Reads on Managing Across Cultures and by visiting Aaron's website for additional tools and resources.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Understanding Cultural Maps for Global Leadership

In this segment, Professor Aaron introduces the concept of a cultural map as a tool for global leaders to navigate cross-cultural management. The map categorizes cultural differences across eight behavioral scales, such as decision-making and trust-building, and positions 55 countries accordingly. This system allows leaders to adapt their style to the cultural context of the countries they are working with, whether it requires a more direct or consensual approach. The discussion emphasizes the importance of recognizing and adapting to cultural differences to enhance leadership effectiveness in an international environment.

05:01

🌐 Authentic Leadership in a Cross-Cultural Context

This paragraph delves into the nuances of authentic leadership within the framework of cultural adaptability. Authenticity in leadership is discussed as being balanced with the ability to adapt one's style to local cultures, a concept referred to as 'authentic flexibility.' The speaker uses the analogy of having two legs to represent the balance between maintaining an authentic leadership style and learning to adapt to different cultural contexts. The advice given is to understand the cultural differences and to practice techniques that allow for effective leadership across cultures, without losing one's authentic self. The segment concludes with a recommendation to read Professor Aaron's article for further insights into managing across cultures.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Cultural Map

The 'Cultural Map' is a conceptual tool introduced by Professor Aaron for global leaders to navigate cross-cultural management. It breaks down cultural differences into eight behavioral scales, examining aspects such as decision-making and trust-building across cultures. The map helps leaders adapt their styles when working with different countries by understanding how their cultural tendencies may differ. For instance, the script mentions the need to be more direct or consensual when giving feedback or making decisions, depending on the cultural context.

💡Cross-Cultural Management

Cross-Cultural Management refers to the process of overseeing and coordinating a culturally diverse workforce. The video emphasizes its importance in the global business environment. The Cultural Map is a tool specifically designed to assist in this process, allowing leaders to understand and adapt to cultural nuances that affect management practices, as illustrated by the discussion on decision-making and feedback styles.

💡Behavioral Scales

Behavioral Scales on the Cultural Map represent the spectrum of behaviors observed in different cultures. These scales assess how decisions are made, trust is built, and authority is perceived, among other aspects. The video script uses these scales to demonstrate the variability in cultural behaviors, such as the contrast between more direct feedback in some cultures versus a more consensual approach in others.

💡Leadership Styles

Leadership Styles are the methods and approaches used by leaders to manage and direct a group. The video script discusses how these styles are not universal but are instead culturally specific. For example, the script contrasts the leadership style in the Netherlands, where the boss is seen as a facilitator among equals, with the style in Mexico, where more respect is shown to the authority figure.

💡Authentic Leadership

Authentic Leadership is a concept that emphasizes being true to oneself while leading. The video script touches on the balance between maintaining authenticity and adapting to local cultural expectations. Authentic leaders have a strong sense of their own leadership style but are also flexible enough to adjust their approach to suit different cultural contexts.

💡Authentic Flexibility

Authentic Flexibility, as described by Professor Aaron, is the ability of a leader to maintain their core leadership style while being adaptable to different cultural contexts. The script illustrates this concept by discussing how effective global leaders can choose to lead in a way that maximizes effectiveness in various cultural settings, such as doing things the Swedish way in Sweden or their own way in Thailand.

💡Global Leaders

Global Leaders are individuals who can effectively manage and lead across different cultures and international settings. The video script highlights the importance of these leaders understanding cultural differences and being able to adapt their leadership styles accordingly. The concept of 'authentic flexibility' is central to the role of a global leader, as it allows them to maintain their authenticity while adapting to cultural nuances.

💡Egalitarian Culture

An Egalitarian Culture is one that emphasizes equality among all members of a society. The script uses the Netherlands as an example of an egalitarian culture, where the boss is seen as a facilitator rather than an authority figure. This cultural perspective influences leadership styles and expectations within the workplace.

💡Cultural Perceptions

Cultural Perceptions refer to the way individuals interpret and understand behaviors, actions, and communication within a cultural context. The video script discusses how actions, such as sending a written recap after a phone call, can be perceived differently across cultures, potentially signaling distrust in one culture while being a standard practice in another.

💡Adaptation

Adaptation in the context of the video script refers to the process of adjusting one's leadership style or management approach to align with the cultural norms of a different society or group. The script emphasizes the necessity for leaders to be adaptable in order to effectively work with diverse teams and achieve desired outcomes.

💡Harvard Business Review

The Harvard Business Review (HBR) is a prestigious business magazine that publishes articles on various management topics. In the script, it is mentioned as the publisher of the '10 Must-Reads on Managing Across Cultures,' which includes Professor Aaron's article, indicating the significance and credibility of the work discussed in the video.

Highlights

Introduction of the cultural map as a tool for global leaders to navigate cross-cultural management.

Cultural differences are broken down into eight behavioral scales to understand decision-making and trust-building variations.

Research at INSEAD has positioned 55 countries on these scales for comparative cultural mapping.

Leaders need to adapt their feedback style to be more direct or consensual depending on the cultural context.

Cultural specificity of leadership styles and the importance of adapting to local norms.

Example of Dutch egalitarianism contrasting with Mexican respect for authority in a global company setting.

The challenge of adapting leadership style to various cultural expectations in a globalized world.

Importance of understanding how actions create perceptions in different cultures for effective teamwork.

Cultural differences in communication styles, such as the American practice of summarizing calls in writing versus Indonesian expectations.

Advice on practicing explicit over-communication when working across cultures to avoid misunderstandings.

Encouragement to learn about cultural differences and engage in discussions to enhance cross-cultural effectiveness.

Authentic leadership does not preclude the ability to adapt to local cultural styles for maximum effectiveness.

Concept of 'authentic flexibility' in global leadership, balancing personal style with cultural adaptability.

Leadership effectiveness is about understanding cultural differences and choosing the right style for the context.

The necessity for global leaders to have a strong sense of their authentic style while being flexible to adapt to others.

Recommendation to read Aaron Mayek's article in the Harvard Business Review for further insights on managing across cultures.