Classic books for Market Research:
The Culture Map, by Erin Meyer.
Regardless of cultural background, all individuals have unique personalities and we should never make assumptions based on where a person comes from. However, if you think that culture doesn’t have an impact on the way you do business, you can end up judging others through your own cultural view and, most likely, come to the wrong conclusion.
There have never been more English-speakers, and online translation tools can help us when we get stuck, but until there’s a Google Translate for culture, we may understand the words but miss the meaning.
In “The Culture Map”, Erin Mayer helps you to navigate some key areas that you need to be aware of when conducting business internationally. Here are five we use every day at Outman Consulting when carrying out our research:
1) Trusting: we can work together!
Is your trust in another person based on their skills and professional achievements, or do you build trust through sharing meals and personal time? Countries like the US, the Netherlands and Germany are task-based when it comes to building trust: they look to objective measures of competence, such as qualifications. Mexico, Nigeria and, India, on the other hand, tend to be relationship-based.
Market research application:
When reaching out to a new contact from a task-based culture, it’s better to start by sharing your knowledge and credentials. However, when talking to somebody from a more relationship-based country, try to build the connection more slowly and pay more attention to common interests. Business in these countries is based more on face-to-face and voice communication, with email seeming more sterile and less engaging.
2) Communicating: I get you!
What is your definition of clear and good communication? Apart from your personal preferences and experience, your answer will be influenced by the communication style of your country. If you come from a low-context culture (e.g. UK, Australia or Denmark), you will prefer precise, clear and simple messages. People from high-context cultures (Indonesia, Saudi Arabia or France, for instance) tend to rely on implied messages that are not directly expressed.
Market research application:
Be aware of the communication style of the person you are talking to. If you are working in a multicultural team, then it is best to follow low-context processes, as that way everyone understands what is expected from them. After speaking with somebody with a different communication style, recap key points and ask for clarifications to avoid misunderstandings.
3) Persuading: Let me put it this way…
Before you can persuade, you need to understand the different reasoning styles. Application-first cultures (e.g. Anglo-Saxon countries), start with a statement and then add arguments to back it up. On the contrary, for those from principles-first cultures, such as Southern Europe countries, individuals tend to first develop the theory before presenting the facts. Therefore, you need to adapt your persuasion strategy to your audience’s reasoning style.
Market research application:
Cultural differences can be very challenging, and achieving effectiveness can take a long time. If you’re working on a short-term project where speed and efficiency are key, a monocultural team may get the job done quicker. At Outman Consulting we have a multicultural and multilingual team, but we try wherever possible to match our team members to research projects in cultures where they are most familiar.
For more on this fascinating topic, check out Persuasion by Robert Caldini, another of our recommended books!
4) Evaluating: I am totally not sure what you’re saying…
When speaking with someone from a different culture, listen carefully to the words the interviewee is using. There are different approaches to give negative feedback. In direct cultures, such as Israel or Russia, is common to use absolute descriptors: totally, absolutely, strongly. Indirect negative feedback cultures, like Korea or the US, wrap negative messages in positive ones (a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!) and are more likely to use qualifying descriptors: sort of, slightly, a little bit.
Market research application:
Keep in mind your contact’s approach to negative feedback. The same % drop in sales may be described very differently!
5) Scheduling: Didn’t we say 10am?
All cultures have a different approach to time: some are linear, like the Nordics, where work is approached in a sequential way, and some are more flexible, like South America, where the focus is on adaptability and changes are common.
Market research application:
Adapt the agenda of your meeting to the time perception of the other person. Starting late, or over-running a meeting agenda, may be considered disrespectful in linear cultures. More flexible cultures will be more forgiving, though if they are also relationship-based you may need to factor in some small talk!
Talk to us to find out how we can help you.