Getting along with co-workers in your workplace is not always as simple one would think it should be. I’ve come across clients having a difficult time understanding their boss’s expectations on projects to people having difficulty adapting to the culture of the workplace. When you throw in understanding cross-cultural differences, it can get downright confusing and sometimes even messy.
If you are familiar with the culture iceberg, you know that only 20% of cultural differences are observable. This doesn’t mean they are always noticeable or noticed. The other 80% are not observable and often outside of our awareness. These are the differences that can cause difficulty in the workplace.
Have you ever been to a foreign country where the norm was to show up 15 to 30 minutes past the scheduled meeting time? It can get pretty frustrating if you don’t know what is going on. I remember my first experiences with this in Peace Corps Paraguay.
There I was, far away from home, showing up to my welcome party on time. I was the only one there! It was uncomfortable to begin with but then waiting another 30 minutes for people to arrive and another 15 for the party to get started was nearly unbearable. I didn’t understand either.
When I asked, people just said “Oh, they’re coming.” It’s difficult to explain a cultural norm when you are from the native culture and have never left it. This happened many more times and as I explained my annoyance over and over to different people, someone finally understood where I was coming from and explained how time works in their country. I never knew that it wasn’t the same everywhere. People are expected to show up late and time is a more fluid instead of rigid concept.
Other common points of conflict are differences in expectations for work, space orientation and communication styles. For example, Eastern cultures are more collective and tend to like to work as a team and take credit for work as a team. No individual stands out.
Eastern European and some Middle East cultures have a different space orientation and like to stand a bit closer together when having a conversation. Communication styles vary from direct communication (low context) to circumvention communication (high context). There are many places between cultures to get confused or annoyed when trying to work within and across varying cultural norms.
One of the most beneficial exercises for people working with others who may have different cultural backgrounds is to understand and acknowledge their personal cultural lens. Our cultural lenses are very unique. No two are the same because they are built from our individual experiences as we move through life.
Our cultural lens is the filter through which we see and try to understand the world. If you can dissect your cultural lens, when you are working with someone whose style comes into conflict with your values or way of getting things done, you may be able to better understand what is happening.
Example: You are working as a part of a project team with four members. Each of you is responsible for a different aspect of the project. You have regular meetings and then disperse to continue working. One of your team members is not taking any initiative. He is only completing tasks addressed during the meeting and then stops. Everyone is getting frustrated. What could be happening?
It is very likely that this person’s expectation of working on a team is different. In many Eastern cultures, people do not take action without first agreeing upon what is to be done. It is collective and agreed upon. Your teammates and you view him as lazy or incapable. That’s quite a discrepancy, right?
It’s difficult to understand some issues without taking culture into consideration. We can be quick to jump to conclusions and judge others through our own lens, but we may be very wrong. I was in a similar situation during graduate school as the one described. It took me a long time to understand what was happening and I made the same judgments mentions. Man, was I far off!
It’s always best to address the situation. If the cultural discrepancy is time or something more easily identifiable the best way to start the conversation is “In my culture (or in this company), we all arrive to work five minutes early so that we can socialize a bit and be settled when the work day gets started.” Phrasing it this way does not point blame or shame the other person. It gives them a chance.
In the other instance, it’s more of a conversation. “Zhang, I notice you usually bring back completed work on the topics discussed during our team meetings and tend to not go any further. Is there something I can help you with to get you further in the process?” This opens the conversation. Be ready for it to take some time. Americans are quick to respond but other cultures may like to reflect.
In all cases dealing with culture at work, slow down. Take your time to navigate the situation and be reflective of your cultural lens. You will make more friends and get more done in the long run.
Learn more about Jennifer by visiting her coaching page.
