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

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.

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