Article About the Lewis Model free essay sample

By Jacqueline McLean Jacqueline McLean FInstAM is Senior Lecturer in HRM (Human Resources Management) at Manchester Metropolitan University. She has worked with the IAM in many different roles since 1992 and is currently a Trustee. cultural awareness training. It aims to bridge the gap between diverse cultures (Dewald and Self, 2008), ensure that negative occurrences, such as culture shock, are reduced, and develop international managers and those who have interaction with other cultures to perform competently and effectively (Edwards and Rees, 2006). Research has shown that in Europe and the USA, between half and two-thirds of ? rms provide cross-cultural awareness training for their international managers (Bennett, Aston and Colquhoun, 2000). Contents of such courses include cross-cultural communication, international negotiation skills and working in cross-cultural teams. Gaining a deeper understanding of different cultures, such as those mentioned in Figure 1, can enables us to, for example: Identify similarities and differences between cultures. Cope with and adjust to differences in cultures, so that offence is not given. Identify and understand why people do what they do and behave the way they do. Work proactively with cultural differences, to produce mutually satisfying and unifying outcomes (Kumar and Chakravarthi, 2009:44; Lewis, 2007:69). Furthermore, having an appreciation of such cultures helps us to remove our cultural blinkers, overcome our sometimes negative assumptions and develop an understanding of, and an af? nity with, other cultures (polycentrism; Morrison, 2002). We are all different; globalisation and the creation of the global village have con? rmed that. The challenge for ? rms is to harness cultural differences and create and sustain competitive advantage. Culture, as we have seen, can open doors as well as close them, build bridges as well as destroy them and add value in unprecedented ways. Cross-cultural awareness is an opportunity for ? rms and associated stakeholders to adapt to life in the twenty-? rst century global village and integrate and communicate effectively with other cultures. In the words of Edward T. Hall and Mildred Reed Hall â€Å"The single greatest barrier to business success is the one created by culture†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Cross-Cultural Communication Communicating across Cultures Jacqueline McLean and Richard D. Lewis* comment on the ways in which globalisation is creating a multicultural corporate landscape. Globalisation is, without doubt, carving a new, multicultural corporate landscape. Its march across the globe shows no signs of abating and it has enabled societies, both near and far, to be drawn closer together in a culturally rich and diverse global village. Citizens of this village are working, communicating and interacting with each other and each others’ culture and conducting business together in ways they have never experienced before (Liu and Lee, 2008). This poses its own challenges for managers, who not only have to manage global and local business operations, but also an increasingly multicultural workforce, which possesses multiple perspectives of reality, varying levels of knowledge, education and experience and who are the product of societal norms, values and personal belief systems. If not properly managed, such cultural differences have, according to Hall (1995:21), the potential to â€Å"ruin a partnership that otherwise makes perfect sense† and lead to â€Å"management frustration, costly misunderstandings and even business failures† (Hoeklin, 1995:ix). This lends more credence not only to the effective management of multiple cultures, but also to awareness and understanding of culture, how it makes us who we are, what we are and why we behave the way we do. Importantly, within this management context, managers must also know how best to communicate with individuals, and global business partners, on a cross-cultural basis. The march of globalisation has turned conventional management on its head, making the management task a more dif? cult, challenging and complex one. Moreover, as many business decisions have become globalised, managers’ roles have become intertwined with issues of cultural adaptation and con? icts in communication, exacerbated by cultural diversity (Xie et al, 2008). Thus, a knowledge and understanding of how to manage crossculturally is of vital importance, to ensure that the management task is a more informed and effective one. Two key aspects of this are cross-cultural communication and cross-cultural awareness, as we shall explore later. Cross-cultural management has been de? ned by Adler (1991: 10-11) as the study of â€Å"people in organisations around the world†¦ it trains people to work in organisations with employee and client populations. It describes organisational behaviour across countries and cultures. She adds â€Å"†¦importantly, it seeks to understand and improve the interaction of co-workers, clients and†¦partners from different countries and cultures†¦ it expands domestic management to encompass international and multicultural spheres. † As Soderberg and Holden (2002) 30 manager summer 2010 point out, cross-cultural management is often referred to as the tactic for dealing with cultural differences w hich have, in the past, become synonymous with friction, con? ict and miscommunication. Experience is no defence either. Firms who operate internationally, and managers who are experienced or maybe even quali? ed in international business, are by no means immune from the scourge of misperception, misjudgement and mistakes in managing the intricacies of cultural relationships with stakeholders, customers and suppliers (ibid). If managers and their ? rms do not effectively promote organisation-wide empathy with, and sensitivity to, cross-cultural issues, it may potentially have a catastrophically-negative effect on people’s ability to communicate with each other and, ultimately, the ? m’s reputation and success, both at home and internationally (Harris and Moran, 1979). Cultural diversity is a phenomenon in its own right and is interwoven with a rich tapestry that, if explored and exploited, could yield ? rms incalculable and tangible bene? ts and generate a source of competitive advantage (Hoeklin, 1995) in this geoknowledge economy. Culture can be de? ned as a â€Å"†¦ system of ass umptions, values and norms transmitted by socialisation to the next generation†¦ it is seen as something members of the community have or belong to† (Soderberg and Holden, 2002:108). In essence, people from different cultural backgrounds share the same basic concepts, such as symbols, customs and traditions – but they view and interpret them from a multiplicity of different lenses and perspectives. This leads them to behave in particular ways, which others from different cultures may feel are peculiar, alien, or even contrary to the way they behave, according to their own belief systems, values and norms. This provides a further challenge to managers to develop a working knowledge of their own, as well as others’, asic cultural traits. Such a policy would minimise or prevent the occurrence of, for example, culture shock, particularly in situations where expatriates undertake international assignments in countries with which they are unfamiliar. We have to accept that globalisation is here to stay. So, in that respect, ? rms have an opportunity to capitalise upon the diverse knowledge, values and experience of a multicultural workforce (Dupriez, 2000 ) and view cultural diversity as a resource and opportunity, rather than as a threat (Schneider and Barsoux, 1997). One of the most important skills of a manager is the ability to communicate effectively with others. It is a reality that many of today’s managers engage with a multicultural workforce, work in or lead cross-cultural teams (either face-to-face or virtually) and engage in simple or complex negotiations with other international business leaders. Thus, a working knowledge of cross-cultural communication ensures that individuals can live and work in a multiethnic, multilingual and multi-disciplinary society (Kumar and Chakravarthi, 2009). As a concept, cross-cultural communication focuses on how people from diverse cultural backgrounds communicate with each other, both verbally and non-verbally, including nuances in language (Wells and Spinks, 1994). Developing a knowledge of how individuals communicate and interact across cultures is important, as culture underpins communication and in? uences who individuals talk to, what is discussed between them and the success or otherwise of the communication process. Importantly, our communicated behaviours are largely in? enced by the culture or country in which we have been brought up (Zhang and Zhou, 2008). The Lewis Cultural Types Model *Richard D. Lewis is one of the world’s leading experts on cross-cultural communication and is Chairman of Richard Lewis Communications, an international institute of cross-cultural communication and language training, with of? ces in more than twelve countries. He lectures and consults worldwide with clients that include The World Ba nk, Nokia, Rolls Royce and Unilever. He is author of many classic works in cross-cultural communication, including ‘The Cultural Imperative’. Adler, N. (1991). International Dimensions of Organisational Behaviour, PWS-Kent Publishing Company, Boston Bennett, R. , Aston, A. and Colquhoun, T. (2000). High impact training: Forging leaders in the global frontier, Human Resource Management, 39, 2 3, pp 173-84 Dewald, B. and Self, J. T. (2008). Cross-cultural training for expatriate hotel managers: An exploratory study, International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Administration, Vol 9(4), pp 352-364 Dupriez, P. (2000). ‘Culture et management: un vieux couple, pour le mieux et pour le pire’, in P. Dupriez and S. Simons (eds) La resistance culturelle: fondements, applications et implications du management intercultural, De Boeck and Larcier, Brussels Edwards, T. and Rees, C. (2006). International Human Resource Management: Globalization, National Systems and Multinational Companies, Financial Times/ Prentice Hall Hall, W. (1995). Managing Cultures: Making Strategic Relationships Work, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester Harris, P. R. and Moran, R. T. (1996). Managing Cultural Differences: Leadership Strategies for a New World of Business, Gulf Publishing, Houston Hoeklin, L. 1995). Managing Cultural Differences: Strategies for Competitive Advantage, Addison Wesley, London Kumar, M. and Chakravarthi, K. (2009). Cross-cultural communication, The Icfai University Journal of Soft Skills, Vol III, No 2, pp 43-47 Lewis, R. D. (2007). The Cultural Imperative: Global Trends in the 21st Century, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, London Liu, C. H. and Lee, H. W. (2008). Cross-cultural communication, Review of B usiness Research, Vol 8, No 6, pp 138-142 Morrison, J. (2002). The International Business Environment, Palgrave, Hampshire Schneider, S. nd Barsoux, J. L. (1997). Managing Across Cultures, Prentice Hall, London Soderberg, A. M. and Holden, N. (2002). Rethinking cross-cultural management in a globalizing business world, Vol 2 (1), pp 103-121 Wells, B. , and N. Spinks. 1994. Organisational Communication: A Strategic Approach. Dame Publications, Houston, TX. Xie, A. , Rau, P. L. P, Tseng, Y. Su, H. and Zhao, C. (2008). Cross-cultural in? uence on communication effectiveness and user interface design, International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 33, pp 11-20 Zhang, T. and Zhou, H. (2008). The signi? ance of cross-cultural communication in international business negotiation, International Journal of Business and Management, Vol 3, No 2, pp 103-109 summer 2010 manager 31 A model that can be utilised within cross-cultural communication and cultural awareness training is the Lewis Cult ural Types Model. The model categorises cultures into three main headings: linear active, multi-active and reactive, as illustrated in Figure 1. References The Impact of Cultural Diversity Cross-Cultural Management Figure 1 A brief explanation of the three categories is as follows: Linear active cultures tend to be task-oriented, highly organised planners. They prefer direct and straightforward discussions, based on reliable data and prefer to adhere to logic, rather than emotions. Multi-active cultures are emotional, loquacious and impulsive, who attach great importance to family, people, feelings and relationships. They are multi-taskers and poor followers of agendas. Reactive cultures are listeners, who rarely initiate action or discussion, preferring ? rst to listen to, and establish, the other person’s position before reacting to it, formulating their own opinion. They are very people-oriented and respectoriented. Cross-Cultural Awareness Training The growth of globalisation, and the opportunities it has created for international ? rms, has led to a proliferation of cross- Copyright of Manager: British Journal of Administrative Management is the property of Institute of Administrative Management and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holders express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.