Advantages of cct

The challenges of finding people who will succeed in an international setting and providing
them with the preparation they need to become effective are considerable, and companies
and other organisations often underestimate the investment required to make such transitions
go smoothly.

The fact is that up to 40% of assignments where experienced managers are sent abroad fail
to deliver the results expected by corporate headquarters. A major cost of failure is time. A
disastrous expatriate assignment can take years to repair as a new manager is selected,
briefed and trained, damaged local morale and trust are re-established, and lost market
opportunities are assessed and reacted to.

This is not only detrimental to the company but to shareholders and indeed the managers
themselves. So with the risk of failure so high how can organisations ensure successful
international assignments?

THE CULTURAL QUANDARY

The most important aspects in the effectiveness of international assignments are training and
support. A study conducted by Diane van Ruitenbeek from the University of Manchester
researching the 'psychological contract' between an organisation and its international
employees found that two major factors influencing poor performance were a lack of
understanding of local culture and language problems.

On the whole, most basic aspects of local culture will be different from our own and even
the most every day activities like driving a car or buying food become unfamiliar,
unpredictable and unreliable.

Our society works because we assume the majority of our tribe has the same beliefs and
values that we stick to. We gain comfort, safety, connection and much more from belonging
to familiar groups. Employees that are being relocated need to be aware of local culture in
order to gain those same benefits in their new location.
GETTING BY IN BUSINESS

For employees sent overseas the biggest part of local culture they will experience is business
culture and this will often prove the toughest challenge. When taking up a role in another
country it is easy for employees to fool themselves into thinking that everything is broadly
the same.

"Up to 40% of assignments where experienced managers are sent abroad fail to deliver the
expected results."

They encounter people who often look like them, sound like them (after hours of language
training!), and smile and agree with their initial statements. However, any attempt to impose
home country values and beliefs will often lead to frustration and an inability to achieve
targets.

Avoidance of this comes when, before relocating, employees look at their own culture and
instead of assuming their way is the only way they consider 'otherness'. They are not going
into a microcosm of sameness and must acknowledge that within the world there is an
infinite variety and diversity of people and corporate behaviour.

For example, strict timekeeping is likely to be impossible to implement in Latin countries.

Direct criticism of staff in front of others in Asian countries will cause the recipient
embarrassing loss of face and the use of indirect language to soften the impact of what is
being said will be met with annoyance by Germanic people who prefer a direct approach.

The examples above have a large emphasis on effective communication with new
neighbours, acquaintances and colleagues, and even on a very basic level, is probably the
most critical requirement to a quick and effective settlement.
Equally, the ability of employees to make themselves understood in the workplace
demonstrates commitment to the job, and helps establish partnerships and co-operation.
Managers need to acquire the skills to pass on and discuss information to achieve the desired
outcome.

It is therefore somewhat surprising to learn of the indifference many companies still pay to
the acquisition of basic language skills. At best, arrangements are made for a programme of
drip feed tuition in the destination country after arrival (very often difficult in practice as the
assignee becomes too involved in their new role), at worst there is an expectation that the
individuals own language (or English!) will be the acceptable medium of communication.

OILING THE WHEELS

For any employee, embarking on an overseas project will bring large cultural shifts. To
bring success organisations need to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible and
evidence indicates that lack of appropriate training and support means that employees will
struggle and often fail.

"A disastrous expatriate assignment can take years to repair."

Going back to Diane van Ruitenbeek's study, one-quarter of those participating suggested
that they had been let down by their organisation. Their pre-departure expectations of the
job, working and living conditions had not been met and they indicated that their job
satisfaction, commitment and performance had suffered correspondingly.

These people reported that they were more likely to quit the assignment early.

The feelings recorded above are reflected by employees all over the world, although much
of the time this is unbeknown to the organisation. For employees, uprooting themselves and
their families to complete an overseas assignment is a big deal and it is only fair that
companies invest in them to ensure that they are properly prepared to work in a new country
by providing suitable training.
Ten tips for cross cultural communication
Here we come up with certain tips for you to improve your cross cultural communication
skills:

Ø    Be lucid

English is the language used mainly for cross cultural understanding. This doesn’t mean that
you have to be fast and fluent in your language. All you have to do is to slow down the
language that you say and make it much clear and ensure the pronunciation that you make is
lucid.

Ø    One at a time

Never ask too many questions to the listener at a time. For example avoid questions like
“shall we stop here or should we move on?”  While you are in a cross cultural situation make
sure either of the questions is asked and let the listener make his choice in giving the answer.

Ø    Evade off-putting queries

Use of negative queries have created many misunderstandings in the cross cultural
communications. In certain yes/no queries the answer for a negative question may be ‘yes’
showing the response for the question. For example consider the “question are you not
eating?” may be ‘yes’ which means ‘yes, I am not eating.’ But while giving an answer simply
as ‘yes’ the listener may be confused thinking that you might have  meant that you are eating.
So better avoid such off-putting queries.

Ø    Take turns.

In cross cultural communication, you make take turns i.e. once you make your point clear
then you must wait for the response of the other.

Ø    Note down

If you couldn’t get the proper idea of what is being explained then do have a habit of writing
it down so that you can refer it later. This will be in the case of large figures like a billion in
UK means 1,000,000,000,000 whereas in USA means 1,000,000,000.
Ø    Be compassionate
The main essence for the cross cultural communication is being relaxed at its most. If you are
willing to give an encouragement to those who are weak at English then it will help to
develop a confidence, support and a deep trust in you.

Ø    Verify gist

While communicating across cross cultures never make any assumptions about what the other
person has understood. Always try to be a good listener and make sure you make a summary
of what you explained before you stop so as to verify. To ensure the cross cultural
communication this is an effective way.

Ø    Shun jargon

Idioms, slang and sayings are something which can’t be completely grasped by even the most
well educated foreigner. So the problem which is to arise is that the words will be tacit with
its missed meaning.

Ø    Stare at the humor.

Business is considered with much of seriousness in almost all the cultures. Etiquette and
professionalism will be observed all the time. While using humor or joke in any of the
business context think about how the other culture understand that and in reason for that
many of the cultures do not appreciate them. An example is that, the sarcasm of brutish
mainly creates a negative impact abroad.

Ø    Maintain etiquette

Almost all cultures have different etiquette while communicating. So the best way is to
undergo an awareness training on cross cultural communication or some research on the
target culture.

Cross cultural communication is the way which is used to minimize the misunderstandings
and maximize the understanding to create strong relationships.