The Most Subtle Cultural Differences

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Aroni: What's the biggest personal lesson that you've had on navigating cultural differences? Aroni: The highest expatriot failure rate is not like americas moving to japan or to china, but Americans moving to the uk. When we know there's a cultural difference, when we're ready for it, that we end of being more flexible and adaptable,. And i find on a daily basis that no matter how much i study this, there's always more subtle differences.

Erin Meyer: The Culture Map Erin Meyer, a professor at INSEAD, teaches us how to influence cross-culturally. Erin is the author of the bestselling book The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business*. Key Points It’s more helpful to know how cultures compare to one another on specific issues than it is to just describe a specific culture. Different cultures have signals that mean different things. Historically homogenous cultures tend to be less explicit in their communication styles, with much more communication implied. Americans tend to be very direct except when giving negative feedback, and many people from other cultures find this confusing. Remember to: be curious, be humble, listen before you speak, and learn before you teach. Resources Mentioned The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business* by Erin Meyer The Country Mapping Tool by Erin Meyer The Personal Profile Tool by Erin Meyer Related Episodes How Culture Affects Coaching (episode 13) How We Do Things Around Here for Results, with Kent Rhodes (episode 144) How to Work in Different Cultures, with Nathan Czubaj (episode 166) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.