Misunderstanding:
“I can read a book or look up culture on the web. In the worse case, I can always take a one-day course.”
Fact:
Reading a book and searching cultures on the web is theoretical; doing those things won’t prepare you for life in a new place. Cultural induction programs are usually canned programs with off-the-shelf manuals and countless PowerPoint slides. They require leaders and their families to sit for hours. They get lectured to, and barely participate in discussions that matter most to them. This type of setting is ineffective.
Misunderstanding:
“Foreign cultures seem odd and uncertain.”
Fact:
Actually, once you start understanding how some traditions came about, foreign cultures are graspable
and fascinating.
Misunderstanding:
“My culture is best. Who cares about other cultures?”
Fact:
When judging another culture, we tend to make that culture wrong. Instead, you must understand why the people in your culture do things the way they do, and why the people in the other culture do things the way do. Once you understand “the why,” no one is wrong. They’re merely different. The differences make logical sense and can be dealt with in a way that’s simple and often enjoyable.
Misunderstanding:
“If I feel anxious in a new culture that means something is wrong with me.”
Fact:
Anxiety is a natural feeling when acclimating to a new culture. Such a feeling is largely inevitable and can be worked through while keeping your work at a high performance level.
Misunderstanding:
“Moving to a new culture is fun and exciting, but difficult.”
Fact:
Moving to a new culture can cause mixed feelings. It can be fun and exciting, as well as difficult. But when people realize they are not on vacation, the excitement soon ends. What follows is a period of cultural adaption. People enter this phase unknowingly. Knowing that there is an “adaptation process” with predictable feelings and steps helps leaders and their family members acclimate effectively and confidently. Soon what seemed difficult is now understandable. Things make sense and integration takes place.
Misunderstanding:
“I don’t have time to build relationships, and relationships don’t matter anyway.”
Fact:
Work flows smoother when you make a human connection. If you don’t realize that, you’re in for a bumpy ride. Living and working overseas is about establishing relationships and making those connections. It is about building and sustaining productive and trusting relationships no matter where in the world you live and work.
Misunderstanding:
“I don’t need to adapt or change when moving to a new culture, I am already flexible and know what to expect.”
Fact:
People don’t understand why a culture is the way it is. Maybe their political system made them that way. Maybe the country’s history made them that way. Maybe it’s their religion or their legal system. Whatever it is, understanding the “why of culture” helps people adjust fully to their surroundings, because they are prepared and know what to expect. They will feel comfortable and know how to behave and how to adjust their behaviors accordingly.
Misunderstanding:
“If I am an expert in my own culture, I can be an expert in a new culture.”
Fact:
If a senior executive brings masterful subject knowledge to a culture, great. But if that leader has cultural problems, they won’t be able to concentrate properly, some of their approaches to doing business, which work so well in their homeland, may not do them as well in their new environment. In such a situation, a leader needs to find their GLP, Global Leadership Persona™ and restore themselves to their native functioning ability.
Misunderstanding:
“I already know all there is to know about my culture.”
Fact:
You would be surprised to know that the majority of people I’ve worked with were not aware of their culture’s values, nor how they played them out in their personal and professional lives. When you understand your culture first, understanding the foreign culture is fast and easy, because the similarities far outnumber the differences.
Misunderstanding:
“I can function perfectly by memorizing.”
Fact:
Memorizing details can be helpful, but it will not make you effective. You must understand cultures through contrasts. Once you better understand your own culture, then you will be able to understand the other culture quicker. You will remember things easily, because you have your own culture as a reference.
Misunderstanding:
“No matter what country I move to, people are the same. What is so mysterious about that?”
Fact:
Removing the mystery from culture allows people to see similarities and differences. We’re 90% alike. But the 10% difference is where difficulties occur.
Misunderstanding:
“If something should happen to me, my company . . . or even my country . . . will protect me legally.”
Fact:
Sometimes when people go on overseas assignments they think their own country’s legal system or that their organization will protect them from legal problems. It will not. Overseas, you’re on your own, legally. Learning a little about a foreign legal system will keep you, not only safe, but out of jail!
Misunderstanding:
“Cross-cultural training is a pain; I don’t have the time to attend long boring sessions.”
Fact:
To have an impact, cross-cultural training has to have its moment. People need to be going through uncertainty to find the methods meaningful. Working on real issues in real-time is when cross-cultural training is most effective.
Misunderstanding:
“I was a success in my own country. I will not fail overseas.”
Fact:
Just because you were a success in your own culture does not mean you will succeed while on a global assignment. Learning how to adapt yourself to your new surroundings you will make you successful.
Misunderstanding:
“Living and working overseas will do wonders for my career.”
Fact:
Although living and working overseas will change you, it will not necessarily propel your career. When leaders go on global assignments they usually get better than they were back home because they’ve been exposed to many challenges, but as a leader, you are responsible for managing your career.
Misunderstanding:
“Failing on a global assignment is my own fault.”
Fact:
Not so fast! This can be yes and no. See, just because you were great in your own country, does not mean you will be great in another country. Recognizing when your productivity and effectiveness starts to flounder and asking for help is your responsibility.
Providing you services to help you get back to your “home-country goodness” is the organization’s responsibility.
You would be surprised how many leaders struggle in foreign cultures and do not ask for assistance. Most companies are happy to help a leader succeed. But if they do not ask, no one will know. Please ask!
Watch Candida’s Videos:
Cultural Misunderstanding and Facts
Stereotyping May Not Be So Bad
