An article and video in the New York Times shows how an American beauty brand, Mary Kay, has been impacting women in China. Value placed on individualism and self-image is taking on a new life for women in Chinese urban agglomerations like Shenzen and Hangzhou. Culturally, women in rural China raise children and take care of their families, and beauty products are more or less a luxury. The great rural-urban migration signals a major shift in attitudes and values that are indicative of a new, evolving Chinese culture.

A fascinating New York Times video explains that these products also provide lessons in “how to lead one’s life, how to be happy, and how to look good while doing it.” The simple message aims to build women’s confidence and inspire ambition. Many women have moved to China’s urban centers without friends or family from their rural hometowns. They find Mary Kay’s community of sellers and customers, brought together in seminars and selling parties, is an important part of their transition into city life. Mary Kay beauty classes and meetings provide these women with a “safe space” to chat and make friends.

Wang Di, left, a national sales director, Paul Mak, president of Mary Kay China, and Xiang Jun Mei, another national sales director. Associated Press

How is this representative of the general cultural shift that China is experiencing during it’s era of new economic growth? The video states that many of these women, rural immigrants, strive to “project a new self-image that is modern, urban and sophisticated.” One Mary Kay beauty seminar attendee said, “my teacher at Mary Kay told me that successful people are usually extroverts, so I have tried to change.” Extroversion is not highly valued in Chinese culture, where collectivism and teamwork are emphasized from a young age, and conformity is an important virtue. How drastically different is the lifestyle Mary Kay saleswomen exude?

On the same subject, an article in the Asian Pacific Post states that Chinese “women are even more impressed by the way [Mary Kay] lived her life, from putting God and family ahead of her career to practicing the Golden Rule. This kind of connection is helping Mary Kay rapidly expand its sales force. And it‘s transforming this army of Chinese women into entrepreneurs, in a country where private enterprise is a relatively recent phenomenon.”

Read the New York Times article and watch the video here.

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In a Financial Times article, an INSEAD professor writes about the changes that are crucial to the future of MBA programs.

“Two things need to change. MBA programmes need to become more global. Our research shows that high performance is evenly distributed across the world. Business schools thus need to scour the globe for role models, innovative ideas and the best students. The MBA curriculum and experience needs more global cases, more discussions of multicultural issues and more comparisons of international ways of doing business.”

This sounds a lot like what NYU’s Stern School of Business is trying to do. Are you in an MBA program that explores intercultural business skills and offers multicultural business projects? Do you agree that cultural competence, the ability to effectively communicate and work across cultures, is an important attribute of a modern MBA graduate? Let us know.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

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A New York Times article details scientific evidence that demonstrates the importance of touch as an important means of nonverbal communication, calling it a part of the “universal human vocabulary.” The article states that certain messages are communicated far more quickly and accurately through touch than through words. However, specific ways of using touch to convey a message is almost always culture-specific. For example, a hug is not the universal greeting between friends, nor is a hand-shake the worldwide greeting between people meeting for the first time.

What is interesting about this article is that it looks more closely at the benefit of touch as a recipient and how it impacts behavior. For example, it states that “students who received a supportive touch on the back or arm from a teacher were nearly twice as likely to volunteer in class as those who did not.” In another example, basketball “players who made contact with teammates most consistently and longest tended to rate highest on measures of performance, and the teams with those players seemed to get the most out of their talent.”

Are you conscious of the positive impact certain forms of touch can make?

Click here to jump to the article.

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

Check out CultureWizard Digest #23 here!

* The Winter Olympics and Globalization
* Female Bankers in India
* Changing Attitudes in China
* Taciturn Toyota Culture

CultureLinks
+ China’s Candidate for Global Gay Competition
+ NYU’s New Global Focus
+ Mumbai’s Luxury Car Show

CultureTips
+ Greece
+ Egypt

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+ With over 6000 years of history, Egypt’s culture is oriented to its past as much as it is oriented to its present. If you are a business traveler, build time in your schedule for sightseeing. Egyptians are proud of their culture and heritage and enjoy arranging tours for visitors. Do not consider such excursions a waste of time.

+ Kinship and familial ties play an all-important role in Egyptian social relations. The individual is subordinate to the family, tribe or group. The family often has more importance than business, and nepotism is viewed positively since it is patronage of one’s family.

+ In Egypt, a person’s promise is considered his or her bond, and to go back on one’s word is to bring dishonor to one’s entire family.

+ For an Arab country, Egypt has a relatively progressive attitude towards women’s rights. Many women work in business, although seldom in senior management positions. A high proportion of women are employed as doctors, dentists, lawyers, professors, diplomats, ministers and high officials.

+ Egyptians require little physical distance between speakers of the same sex. Men widen the gap considerably when speaking to a woman. They generally stand further away than you are accustomed to in your own culture. Attempting to close the gap could upset your Egyptian colleague, make him question your intentions, and jeopardize your business relationship.

+ Modify your speak pattern if you come from a culture that is direct and to the point. Arabic is a language of hyperbole.

+ Egyptians use indirect, circular, and ambiguous language rife with emotion. Although mirroring their speech pattern would be insulting, it is a good idea to temper directness. Your goal is to get your point across and this happens more readily if you speak in a manner that does not sound harsh and offensive to the listener.

- from RW3’s CultureWizard® Country Profiles

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+ Greeks are proud of their cultural heritage and their contribution to world civilization. A recent study found that Greeks’ pride in being Greek surpassed the ethnic satisfaction of all other European countries.

+ To a Greek, “philotimo” is similar to the Asian concept of face. It is an intangible quality that reflects a person’s reputation, dignity and prestige. Honor is everything to a Greek.

+ Greeks are spontaneously generous people, provided you do not offend them. They can be easily offended, for their pride matches their generosity. Therefore, they do not openly criticize, insult or put anyone on the spot.

+ Business is personal in Greece. As such, it is important to understand that exchanging favors is part of the business culture. If a Greek businessman feels sufficiently comfortable to ask you for a favor, it means he trusts you, which is necessary for successful business dealings.

+ As you might expect in a culture that appears spontaneous, Greeks often interrupt a speaker if they think that they understand what the person is saying. This conversational overlap is not rudeness, but merely the common communication style.

+ Greek businessmen will treat foreign businesswomen with the same courtesy and respect that they treat all women.

+ Women should expect attention and compliments from Greek men. While many businessmen are cosmopolitan, Greece remains a patriarchal culture. Men on the street may verbally show affection or make comments to women, believing such attention is flattering.

- from RW3’s CultureWizard® Country Profiles

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China’s first gay pride festival took place last summer in Shanghai, which was forcefully shut down after it started, but was a majorly important event for the country.

This year, according to the New York Times, a Chinese contestant joined the Worldwide Mr. Gay competition, hailing from Xinjiang, a majority Muslim region of Western China and where homosexuality is forbidden by religion. His pageant name is Xiaodai Muyi. After successfully getting a Norwegian visa, he flew to Oslo to partake in the competition.

Xiaodai Muyi, China's contestant in the competition. Photo by Ng Han Guan/Associated Press

While Chinese authorities shutdown the Mr. Gay China pageant, which was the group charged with sending a candidate to the Worldwide Mr. Gay competition, it was still able to quietly make a decision.

“After the cancellation, we thought our attempt to educate the Chinese public had failed for now,” said an organizer of Mr. Gay China. “By sending someone to Oslo, I guess we’re sending out a message to the world that still China is able to send a representative.”

The fact that the Global Times, a Chinese newspaper, published an article on his participation in the Worldwide Mr. Gay competition says something about the publication’s perception of the matter. The tone of the article is positive, and it focuses on the inspiration Xiaodai Muyi has given to members of various LGBT groups in China, rather than focusing on what Chinese authorities have had to say.

Have you seen any trends in China’s gay culture? How does it blend with Chinese national culture?

Click here to read the article.

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Check out an Economic Times video on this event in Mumbai. In its second year, the “Parx Super Car Show 2010″ saw a huge increase in interest from luxury car manufacturers (e.g. Lamborghini, Maserati, Rolls Royce and BMW) than it did in 2009.

There was a pronounced interest from visitors to the show in knowing what wealthy individuals drive. One commentator, Bollywood star Sohail Khan, said that once the roads in Mumbai are improved, he envisioned seeing many more luxury cars on the streets of the city.

Sean

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

Check out CultureWizard Digest #22 here!

* Culture Defined
* How Free is Free Speech in India?
* Cell or Mobile Phone, Handy or Keitai?
* “Taking the Bite Out of Moving Overseas”

CultureLinks
+ Dubai: New UN HQ?
+ Israeli Innovation
+ Avatar in China

CultureTips
+ Thailand
+ Ukraine

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+ Ukrainians are extremely superstitious and avoid many behaviors. If you do something that they believe can cause harm, such as sitting on stone steps, someone will tell you that you risk doing great harm to yourself. Superstitions are derived from folk wisdom in rural communities.

+ The Ukrainian language is making a resurgence as the national language and a source of pride. It is the official language of instruction in schools and of the government. However, many older businesspeople in Kyiv still speak Russian

+ Ukrainians rely on a close network of family, friends, and co-workers as protection against the risks and unpredictability of daily life. Friends provide a vehicle to circumvent red tape and cut through bureaucracy. In business, friendships are called “svyazy” or connections.

+ The influences of the Russian Orthodox Church plus a long history of turbulent economic times, unstable governments and adverse climatic conditions produce a rather fatalistic approach towards life.

+ The Ukrainian communication style is very straightforward. Business is often conducted with minimal pleasantries. In fact, Ukrainians seldom use polite phrases such as “please” or “thank you,” which can make their requests sound more like orders. This is not meant to be rude; it is a cultural nuance.

+ For the most part, Ukrainians begin with the word no and gradually move to yes or perhaps.

+ Generally, Ukrainians do not display emotion when conversing. However, if they become angry or indignant, they will not hesitate to be extremely direct in stating their position.

- from RW3’s CultureWizard® Country Profiles

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An opinion piece on Forbes.com suggests moving the UN from New York City to Dubai. Aside from the argument that the UN is a drain on New York’s economy, “the U.N. may be leaving anyway. A relocation committee has recommended that the organization move temporarily to Singapore by 2015. It will be hard to vacate Asia again for New York, which is far away from the bulk of the world’s largest population centers.”

Photo by Sean Dubberke

The writer argues that the ruling al-Maktoum family has developed one of the most impressive, modern cityscapes to date. A truly global city, the population comprises a majority of foreign nationals. “Sheikh Mohammed could offer to build a United Nations City to house the U.N. in any number of vacant office towers. Business Bay has 65 million square feet of office space under construction in more than 200 high-rises. Dubai already has thousands of newly constructed apartments that await the international delegates. More than 2 billion people in Africa, Europe and Asia are within a six-hour flight from Dubai.”

The argument is persuasive, but how would this change Dubai in the long term? How would New York handle the loss of UN workers? The culturally diverse population of Dubai and the UAE would certainly suit an organization like the UN, but how would this affect the region, which may not share the same visionary future?

Click here to jump to the article.

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+ Assignments in Thailand require a depth of cultural understanding. International businesspeople will find the Thais respectful and deferential to authority, much because of the respect the culture holds for their monarchy and Buddhism.

+ Social interactions are governed by formal expressions of courtesy and deference to age and social status. The wai is the common greeting: raise both hands, palms joined with the fingers pointing upwards as if in prayer, and lightly touch the body between the chest and the forehead.

+ Thais respect hierarchy. Social relationships are defined in terms of which person is superior to the other. Parents are superior to their children, teachers to their students, and bosses to their subordinates.

+ When Thais meet a stranger, they immediately try to place the person within a hierarchy so they know how to treat the person. This is why Thais often ask personal questions.

+ In many ways, Thailand is a matriarchal culture where women are afforded relative equality. In addition to having primary responsibility for the household and children, Thai women work outside the home, and many are entrepreneurs. Commerce has been a traditionally female domain.

+ Thai women are soft-spoken and gracious, even in business. In general, Thai businessmen have an easier time dealing with foreign women who adapt to the Thai demeanor. If a woman displays aggressive or domineering behavior, she will have a hard time being successful.

+ Thailand is known as the “land of smiles” and Thais often use smiles as a means of communication. Whereas people from many cultures would use the word please, Thais smile when making a request. Be sensitive to non-verbal expression in general.

- from RW3’s CultureWizard® Country Profiles

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The cover story of this month’s American Executive, titled “Global Mindset,” features Charlene Solomon, Michael Schell and their book Managing Across Cultures. The growing need for executives and their organizations to effectively do business in a very global market is highlighted by the crucial role culture plays worldwide. “The most serious errors made by Americans when dealing with other cultures include ignoring other cultures’ need for relationship building and assuming other cultures share our love for risk-taking, say Schell and Solomon…One reason Americans tend to underestimate the need for relationships, said Solomon, is that time is so important to us. ‘We don’t realize that building relationships and taking time to talk to people are really important. We tend to think these things are gratuitous.’”

A strong sense of relationship and rapport prevails in many cultures outside North America and Western Europe. In East and South Asia and the Middle East, business is built on trusting, personal relationships that extend beyond the workplace.

According to Solomon, this relationship building takes “a few minutes to chat about something on a conference call, taking a little bit of a personal interest in the person on the other end of the phone, and being polite in an opening note in an e-mail.” Cognizance of the cultural need for this kind of behavior is not difficult, and practice makes perfect. “We practice it internally,” she said. “Opening an e-mail with a hello, if appropriate saying you hope they had a good weekend, closing it with your name, just being polite. Also, we take some time before meetings start and see that time of relationship building as part of the business process.”

Owning this knowledge of other cultures empowers you as a global professional, and builds on your global mindset, a must-have for the 21st century.

Click here to jump to the full article online.

RW3 CultureWizard

Reuters

The Wall Street Journal reports that Google faces a new challenge in India with its social networking site Orkut. There, freedom of speech, a constitutional right, is not completely and literally free, but subject to certain rules that are intended to maintain cultural standards tied to India’s numerous ethnic and religious groups.

“The nation of 1.2 billion is the world’s largest democracy and in principle affords free speech to its citizens. But the country has a volatile mix of religious, ethnic and caste politics and a history of mob violence. So, the government has the authority to curtail speech rights in certain cases. India’s Constitution encapsulates that gray zone: Free speech is subject to ‘reasonable restrictions’ for such purposes as maintaining ‘public order, decency or morality.’” Oftentimes, the robust democratic system leads Indians to violent, chaotic protests in the streets.

How does Google, an American company, know when to remove objectionable material, that could lead to public outcry, from it’s many websites? Their policy is to “review material flagged by Indian users of Orkut and other Web services it owns, such as YouTube…The company pledges to abide by the laws of the countries it operates in. In India, that means making some content inaccessible from the local versions of its sites…” Censorship is not typical of democracy, but the nature of Indian culture influences the strong hierarchy of the country, and the power vested in authorities.

Understanding the vagaries of Indian culture and society is important for businesses operating in the country to comprehend and incorporate into local policy. Are there other areas of the world where social networking websites can potentially endanger public safety as in India, or is this unique? How does this compare to recent elections in Iran and the use of Twitter and Facebook to spread news outside of the country?

Click here to read the article online.

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.

Check out CultureWizard Digest #21 here!

* Climate Summit News Wrap-up
* Entrepreneurial Spirit, New Jobs
* Interpreters in Afghanistan
* How to Create Global Leaders

CultureLinks
+ Expat Explorer Survey
+ “Western men are doomed”
+ Managing Multicultural Teams

CultureTips
+ Afghanistan
+ Mauritius

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