What would you add to this list of Brazilianisms? What would you say about regional differences in Brazil?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

84% of Global Employees Not Prepared for Today’s Work Requirements
Study shows virtual work poses significant challenges to a majority of corporate employees

NEW YORK, NY – According to a study conducted by RW3 CultureWizard, an intercultural communication training organization, 87% of white collar employees of multinational companies conduct at least part of their work virtually. The study went on to find that while the vast majority of these employees encountered challenges in virtual work, only 16% had any training to prepare them.

The study had a stunning response rate: 3,300 business people from 103 countries. ”It is clear that the survey struck a nerve,” says Charlene Solomon, president of RW3. “In fact, the huge response itself is one of the key findings. There is a pent-up demand for expressing the difficulty of working virtually across time zones, languages and cultures.”

The 2012 Virtual Teams Survey Report – Challenges of Working in Virtual Teams found that in the virtual workplace decisions take longer and are harder to make, the absence of visual cues makes it more difficult to collaborate and building team trust is difficult. The survey also found that working across time zones rivaled communication and other culturally based challenges as the biggest hurdle facing corporate employees.

“It appears that while nearly everyone in today’s workplace recognizes the need—and appreciates the value—of virtual work, it is not easy, especially when cultural differences, time zone challenges, accents and communication styles enter the equation,” says Solomon.

The survey unearthed some surprises:
– 41% of virtual team members never met their colleagues in a face-to-face setting.
– 87% of respondents indicated at least 25% of their productivity depended upon working virtually.
– 33% said at least half of their virtual teams were outside the home country.
– Respondents reported virtual teams were most different from face-to-face teams in managing conflict (70%), expressing opinions (55%), and making decisions (55%).
– The top five challenges during team meetings were: insufficient time to build relationships (79%), speed of decision making (73%), lack of participation (71%), different leadership styles (69%), and the method of decision making (55%).

“The rapid pace of globalization and the growing number of collaborative software solutions have enabled virtual work, and the demand for skills from around the world have made it a necessity, but virtual team work is not intuitive,” says Michael Schell, RW3’s CEO. “It’s about time we recognize the human side of the equation.”

For more information or an interview on the 2012 Virtual Teams Survey Report, contact sean.dubberke@rw-3.com or dial +1-212-691-8900.

RW3 CultureWizard is an intercultural training consultancy that specializes in creating online solutions and e-learning facilities for its multinational organizations. Founded in 2001 and with offices in New York, Los Angeles, and London, RW3 blends over 30 years of experience in teaching global culture with cutting edge technologies. The company’s services include instructor led cross-cultural training, global and virtual team building and international assignee support.

One of the most interesting opinions to come out of the Wal-Mart bribery story in Mexico is one by Luis Miguel Gonzalez, editorial director at El Economista. “Wal-Mart, Indignation and Indifference” is the title, in translation, of an article where he writes frankly about the unabashed acceptance of bribes as a means of doing busines in Mexico, however damaging it may be to the system. Indignation felt in the US is indifference in Mexico, per Gonzalez’ commentary.

Gonzalez starts by citing how the issue has been perceived in Mexico, with little surprise and little attention from the Mexican authorities, who took 50 hours to respond to the information revealed by the New York Times. This timing may be tied to a cultural norm where waiting for the right response – and securing the facts – is better than prematurely issuing a statement, erroneous or not. The Ministry of Economics has already said the matter has nothing to do with the federal government, which illustrates the divide between the federal system and the way foreign corporate bodies operate with local level authorities, vendors and business partners in Mexico.

The key point Gonzalez makes is that there’s a country-wide ethical standard upheld in the US, but when it comes to US-based companies operating in foreign countries, there’s a lack of structure to enforce compliance. The question he poses is: “¿Por qué Walmart hace cosas en México que no haría en Estados Unidos?” Why does Wal-Mart do things in Mexico it wouldn’t do in the US? This is especially poignant considering the existence of anti-corruption laws in Mexico, and the clout an organization as large as Wal-Mart should have to operate by the books no matter where they do business.

It’s important to note that bribery and venality are not directly linked to Mexican cultural values, but an anxious tolerance for corruption in the name of development, among other things. Afterall, Wal-Mart employs several hundred thousand people and generates a huge sum of tax revenue in Mexico. Hierarchy and rank are also extremely important to the business environment in Mexico (and many Latin American countries). The power vested in leaders to make decisions without consensus provides a convenient channel through which bribery can play a role to enable business dealings. How do you see hierarchy, the highly stratified nature of Mexican culture, playing a role in this story?

The Huffington Post quotes both Wal-Mart ad Eduardo Bohorquez, the director of Transparency Mexico, denying the connection between their cultures and bribery.

In a statement, Wal-Mart said the bribery accusations, ‘if they are true, do not reflect the culture of Wal-Mart Mexico and Central America.’

Bohorquez said bribery is not necessarily part of Mexico’s culture, noting laws against the practice exist on both sides of the border. The difference is real enforcement and the lack of a truly nationwide anticorruption policy in Mexico, he said.

‘This is not in the genetic code of Mexicans, nor is it a cultural attribute,’ he said. ‘The explanation of culture and genetics doesn’t apply in this case.’

What are your thoughts on the connection between culture, business and corruption? How do you view bribery in developing economies where gift-giving (although not at the level of this case) is a completely normal and expected part of the business process? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard

The blogger immersed (and negotiating) in East Africa

This brief New York Times science update affirms that immersion enables the foreign language learner to build brain processing capacity at the level of a native speaker.

Dr. Michael Ullman, a neuroscientist at Georgetown University Medical Center, said that a new study “…should help us understand how foreign-language learners can achieve nativelike processing with increased practice. It makes sense that you’d want to have your brain process like a foreign speaker.”

Immersion is also an excellent way to build cultural awareness, which almost always leads to improvements in speaking a foreign language. Have you ever considered investing in an immersion program abroad? This is good news for adults who may be dwelling on the abundance of data supporting early childhood as the best time to learn a language.

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard

Avril Liu, 22, graduate student, Guangxi province. Photo by Adrian Frisk.

Read this New Yorker story on the confused, uncertain attitude youth in China have on life in a swiftly evolving period in their history.

Which picture from the China project stays with you most? How did you meet?

It is hard to pin down the one image that made the deepest impression on me—as many of them did. But if I had to pick one, I would say the photograph of Avril Lui (above) taken in Guangxi Province. Avril had recently graduated from university in Hunan Province, and I met her when my translator and I went to a place teaching English as a summer course. Her statement was: “We are the lost generation. I’m confused about the world.” This photograph seems to have struck a chord with many of the young Chinese who have viewed it. I think the pace of change has been so rapid in China in these last two decades that many of the young are in a spin which has left them somewhat confused. Their parents’ generation had a clear idea of what their identity was and the better life they were struggling for. Now that that better world has arrived it can be argued that life for the Chinese youth might have more opportunity but has in turn become more complicated with difficult career decisions, an increasingly materialistic society, and a complex relationship with the West. All this contributes to a sense of confusion. Avril is also referring to the fact that her parents generation rarely talks about or acknowledges the Cultural Revolution that had so much impact on Chinese society at the time—or for that matter any history, particularly, of more recent times. There is a sense amongst some young Chinese that they have arrived; but, where from, and has it been worth it? I also like this photograph because of the classic building in the background and the traditionally dressed man in blue on the bicycle. These visual keys are a nod to the world from which China has so recently arrived from.

The contradictions and intricacies of modern culture in China are enough to make anyone’s head spin. Simultaneous rebellion and conformity – modernity pulling minds in one direction and traditional values leading them in another. What do you make of this story?

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard

Lost in Translation

Do you ever reflexively spring to use a word in a foreign language when you can’t think of anything adequate in your mother tongue? Well, that may not happen to many of us, but this post on the Matador Network relates 20 words that do not have counterparts in the English language. They can only be described, which often diminishes the original sense of the word.

Here are a few I found particularly interesting:

Kyoikumama
Japanese – “A mother who relentlessly pushes her children toward academic achievement.” (Altalang.com)

Tartle
Scottish – The act of hesitating while introducing someone because you’ve forgotten their name. (Altalang.com)

Saudade
Portuguese – One of the most beautiful of all words, translatable or not, this word “refers to the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost.” Fado music, a type of mournful singing, relates to saudade. (Altalang.com)

Ya’aburnee
Arabic – Both morbid and beautiful at once, this incantatory word means “You bury me,” a declaration of one’s hope that they’ll die before another person because of how difficult it would be to live without them.

What can you add to this list?

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard

A compendium of current news and headlines with commentary providing unique cultural insight into global affairs, business and daily life around the world.

Interested in receiving the CultureWizard Digest every month? Click here to sign up.

Check out CultureWizard Digest #48 here!

IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE:

* Stability, Key Concern for China
* A Mythic and Heroic International Assignment
* World Leadership and Change Tolerance
* Dress to Impress: Guidelines for Women in the Middle East

CultureLinks
+ The Brazilian Connection
+ How to Express Remorse in Japan

CultureTips
+ How to Tip Worldwide

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Given centuries of turmoil in China, today’s leaders will do everything in their power to preserve stability. Whenever I have doubts about a potential Chinese policy shift, I examine the options through the stability lens. It has worked like a charm.

Stephen S. Roach tells us this in an article published on Project Syndicate. The economic history of China tells us the same story. Each dynasty was concerned with maintaining the status quo of the Middle Kingdom, preventing popular uprising and ensuring everyone had food to eat. Today, this same model has been analyzed by the intercultural field as a root value that informs behavior. George Renwick’s stability model illustrates the origins of this deeply embedded Chinese norm.

To avoid scarcity of resources and starvation, stability becomes the most important value.

With survival of the family unit as the most important value, maintaining stability takes shape in a number of ways, and everyone has a supporting role. The cultivation of rice, China’s staple, has historically been an especially labor-intensive form of agriculture that required an entire family’s participation.

The most successful path to providing one’s family with stability evolved around a good education, obtaining a good position of employment alongside perpetual reinforcement of face or honor for one’s family. This leads to a greater network of influential connections, otherwise known as guanxi. Many people who have done business in China know the word guanxi and how important it is to have relationships with people who can help you or your family in times of challenge and need.

In light of China’s economic and developmental trajectory, the central party continues to focus on stability and the momentum of its “harmonious” rise.

…Those at the top no longer want to concede anything when it comes to stability. By addressing economic instability through pro-consumption rebalancing, and political instability by removing Bo [Xilai], stability has gone from a risk factor to an ironclad commitment.

Will this relentless approach towards stability continue to define the motivation behind China political and economic behavior in the 21st century? Will this sociocultural and political value change considering the growing appetite for consumerism and material wealth, which is connected to the all important Chinese notion of status? This also makes me wonder how to conflate the Chinese penchant for gambling with stability. I wonder how many people use credit cards in China in the way they are often used (excessively) in the US.

Please share your thoughts on this matter. How do you envision China’s path to stable economic growth vis-a-vis its modern cultural drivers?

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard

How many ways can you apologize in Japan? What is appropriate for various situations? Find out more about the delicate matter by watching this video!

A compendium of current news and headlines with commentary providing unique cultural insight into global affairs, business and daily life around the world.

Interested in receiving the CultureWizard Digest every month? Click here to sign up.

Check out CultureWizard Digest #47 here!

IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE:

* Umberto Eco and European Identity
* Best-Selling Cookie in China
* Telling Time Around the World
* Germans, Brits and Pygmies

CultureLinks
+ Rwanda’s Heart
+ Fluent in 11 Languages
+ Physical Appearance and Language

CultureTips
+ European Culture

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In The Guardian, writer and semiologist Umberto Eco talks about culture being the substance that defines European identity in the modern day. He speaks about its potential as a binding agent for a stronger European market, and a stronger Europe in general.

Eco specifically promulgates the expansion of the Erasmus student exchange system to capture not just students, but virtually everyone, in the process of developing an integrated “European culture”.

The university exchange programme Erasmus is barely mentioned in the business sections of newspapers, yet Erasmus has created the first generation of young Europeans. I call it a sexual revolution: a young Catalan man meets a Flemish girl – they fall in love, they get married and they become European, as do their children. The Erasmus idea should be compulsory – not just for students, but also for taxi drivers, plumbers and other workers. By this, I mean they need to spend time in other countries within the European Union; they should integrate.

Europe is certainly not like the United States or other federations that share a common language and constitution. Eco doesn’t think it ever will or should be. On the other hand, there may be some innately “European” values that exist in many places on the continent (and surrounding isles).

What would you vote for as the most European of values? What makes Europeans as a whole particularly unique as a large cultural unit?

If Europeans are too different to lend meaning to the concept of “European culture,” what makes them so?

We want to know what you think – please share your thoughts in the comments area.

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard

Alex Rawlings is 20. He speaks English, Greek, German, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Afrikaans, French, Hebrew, Catalan and Italian. Watch this BBC video to hear him speaking each language, describing how he learnt them growing up surrounded by numerous cultures around Europe. Truly remarkable!

Read more about “hyperpolyglots” in this related BBC story.

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard

As viewed from the RW3 CultureWizard headquarters in New York, the Empire State Building happens to be dressed in full purple and yellow today – the colors of our Wizard!

A compendium of current news and headlines with commentary providing unique cultural insight into global affairs, business and daily life around the world.

Interested in receiving the CultureWizard Digest every month? Click here to sign up.

Check out CultureWizard Digest #46 here!

IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE:

* Interpreting Overtime in Brazil
* Improper Child-rearing?
* Who works more in Europe?
* Translating British Talk

CultureLinks
+ International Assignments: Then & Now
+ A Long and Prosperous Life

CultureTips
+ Brazil

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+ Unlike many other Latin American countries where there is a distinct indigenous population, Brazilians have intermarried to the point that nearly everyone has a combination of European, African, and indigenous ancestry.

+ Brazilian conversations are fast-paced and animated with frequent interruptions. Exclamations and a great deal of physical contact are normal.

+ Soccer is a highly respected national institution. Never say that another country plays soccer better than Brazil.

+ Appearances matters to Brazilians both in business and daily life. This includes dressing well and staying at the best hotel that your budget can accommodate.
- Men should wear conservative, dark-colored business suits. Lighter colored suits may be worn in the summer. Three-piece suits generally indicate that someone is an executive.
- Business attire for women is extremely important. Brazilian businesswomen generally wear elegant business suits or dresses with high quality accessories.

+ In doing business, much time is spent developing a friendly relationship. It will usually take several visits to close a deal as Brazilians need to know who they are doing business with before they can work together.

+ A foreign businessperson should learn as much about the Brazilian economic and commercial environment as possible before conducting business.

+ Status in Brazil is based more on educational and professional accomplishments than on family background.

+ By nature, Brazilians are future oriented, yet strongly fatalistic at the same time. They have strong religious beliefs but do not see themselves as having total control over their destiny.

- from RW3 CultureWizard’s Country Profiles

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