Managers' Forum ~ Website Reviews

The purpose of the Internet article that I reviewed is to raise an
awareness of the sensitivities to issues that arise as you participate in
moving information around the world. Information around the world is
disseminated into different languages.  According to this article, the first
responsibility is to communicate the information, whatever it may be, and the
second, is to accommodate the needs of translators, customers, and end-users.

There are specific things to anticipate for but being aware these issues and
accommodating for them can save you time, effort, and a considerable amount
of money.   The purpose of this article is to make the reader aware of these
issues.  This "guide" was written in the interest to improve communication
and thus a better understanding of the world.  Increasingly, information is
processed and massaged by the efforts of members of a virtual team - that is
a work group not necessarily in the same geographical place.  Through the use
of proliferation of e-mail, videoconferencing, the ubiquitous fax machine,
and the telephone, virtual teaming is increasingly used. As a result, teams
may never meet each other.  Today, the concept of teams is multiplying and
how efficiently and effectively people get along with one another, respect
each others ideas, and resolve their inevitable professional and personal
differences will mean the difference between success and failure.

According to the article, Anthropologists have developed
some definitions and ways of observing cultures that can prove useful when
working in a team that represents many countries, ethnic groups, linguistic
biases, and the like.  Two of these definitions are low and high context
cultures. Low context cultures expect a high level of detail in their visual,
verbal, and written communication. All the information is expected to be in
what is directly and immediately communicated. The communication is
contained, mainly, in the words and images themselves.  Some of these
cultures are the native English speakers, the Scandinavians, those speaking
German, and other similar dialects.  High context cultures pay a lot of
attention to surrounding details and content.

For example, physical location, ambiance or attire, and the specific
individual and/or organization the information comes from is also important.
L'ESCANT is the acronym the author has developed as a memory device for a
useful list that considers the similarities and differences in cultures. L is
for language, E is for educational and environmental factors, S is for social
organization, C is for context, A is for authority, N is for nonverbal
behavior, and T is for time.  All of the issues are of great importance when
doing international business.  However, if one can recognize these
similarities and differences across cultures, then they we be more successful
in the business domain.

http://www.bena.com/ewinters/sect1.html

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