10 steps to cross-cultural communication
If you want to do more to break down the cultural barriers affecting your company, try these tips for improved communication.
1. Understand different culture types and the interaction between them
Map out these factors and look for intersections between different groups. Target your communication efforts here, as these are the pressure points where culture clashes are likely to occur.
2. Plan communication centrally and deploy locally
When communicating across cultures, strategy should have a clear and common purpose, but not be tied to a single geographic location.
3. Invoke personal power
Strategy and process will take you so far, but if there’s ever been an area that requires communicators’ human discretion and energy, this is it.
4. Look at the big picture
Look beyond the template of a desired culture — it might not fit. Corporate culture isn’t the only influence in the organization, so work out what other forces are at work and how they interact.
5. Build an effective communication platform
Build a platform that draws on the skills and talents of all employees. This will help to build an effective, positive culture. People really are an asset!
6. Encourage a knowledge-sharing culture
Exchange of information is essential if the organization is to learn and move forward in a global, multi-cultural environment.
7. Leverage diversity
This approach facilitates cultural understanding and is a valuable differentiator in the global economy.
8. Adapt your website
List all subsidiary/overseas offices, with contact details and links to any local site (which should have at least some material in the native language). All sites should actively encourage feedback and provide facilities for this.
9. Do the universality test
Check all communication for items that don’t translate. Acronyms (for example, contact head office ASAP) don’t travel well and neither will many graphics, symbols or analogies based on so-called “familiar” concepts.
10. Encourage innovation and excellence
A positive culture is an effective one, so make sure incentives are in place for continuous improvement. Ensure there are mechanisms for capturing the sparks generated by cross-cultural communication.
http://www.internalcommshub.com/trial/professional/toptips/cultural.shtml
If you want to do more to break down the cultural barriers affecting your company, try these tips for improved communication.
1. Understand different culture types and the interaction between them
Map out these factors and look for intersections between different groups. Target your communication efforts here, as these are the pressure points where culture clashes are likely to occur.
2. Plan communication centrally and deploy locally
When communicating across cultures, strategy should have a clear and common purpose, but not be tied to a single geographic location.
3. Invoke personal power
Strategy and process will take you so far, but if there’s ever been an area that requires communicators’ human discretion and energy, this is it.
4. Look at the big picture
Look beyond the template of a desired culture — it might not fit. Corporate culture isn’t the only influence in the organization, so work out what other forces are at work and how they interact.
5. Build an effective communication platform
Build a platform that draws on the skills and talents of all employees. This will help to build an effective, positive culture. People really are an asset!
6. Encourage a knowledge-sharing culture
Exchange of information is essential if the organization is to learn and move forward in a global, multi-cultural environment.
7. Leverage diversity
This approach facilitates cultural understanding and is a valuable differentiator in the global economy.
8. Adapt your website
List all subsidiary/overseas offices, with contact details and links to any local site (which should have at least some material in the native language). All sites should actively encourage feedback and provide facilities for this.
9. Do the universality test
Check all communication for items that don’t translate. Acronyms (for example, contact head office ASAP) don’t travel well and neither will many graphics, symbols or analogies based on so-called “familiar” concepts.
10. Encourage innovation and excellence
A positive culture is an effective one, so make sure incentives are in place for continuous improvement. Ensure there are mechanisms for capturing the sparks generated by cross-cultural communication.
http://www.internalcommshub.com/trial/professional/toptips/cultural.shtml
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