INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE

Lisa has just moved to India for her volunteering assignment with an NGO. In her role as a volunteer, she reports to Uma, a middle-aged woman social worker who has been in the organisation since its inception. The NGO is run by Madhavan, an elderly gentleman in his sixties who is held in high regard and veneration among the employees of the NGO.

As a volunteer, Lisa's duty is to teach English to the underprivileged children, who are taken under the NGO's wings and given an education. Uma hands Lisa the curriculum on her first day on the job and explains to her how the children need to be taught, during what time and for what duration. This is Lisa's first time in a foreign country, outside of her home in London. She is excited and thrilled as she and her best friend, Ben has decided to go on this adventure together.

Lisa goes on her duty wholeheartedly, and sees that the children respond to her very well. They seem friendly and eager to learn and extremely curious about who she is and where she is from. Her colleagues seem very friendly too and invite her to join for lunches with them. She refuses during the first couple of days as she and Ben have plans to meet up for lunch and discuss the day so far; after all, they have just arrived and they need to look out for each other!

Through the first week, being a very earnest worker, Lisa realises that there are better ways of teaching the children, through which she might get better results. She tries to bring it up with Uma who seems very busy at the moment. Lisa decides to take it up with Madhavan who is at his office through the day. She greets Madhavan with the “namaste” that she has practised and proceeds to tell him her plan. Madhavan seems uninterested and brushes off her suggestions and asks her to talk to Uma. Through the conversation, she notices that Madhavan does not make eye contact with her and continues with his paperwork.

Perplexed by his reaction, Lisa proceeds to action out her plan to teach the children in a more ‘effective’ manner. The following week, Uma calls Lisa into her office and seems very irate at her new teaching methods. She insists that Lisa should just follow instructions and not try to “be a hero”. Now confused and a little upset, Lisa tries to talk to other colleagues who avoid her and seem to be talking behind her back. Meanwhile, the students seem difficult to control too, becoming increasingly unruly and unwilling to take instructions.

(Please note that this case is created for illustrative purposes only.)

• What went wrong with Lisa's interactions with the locals?

• Why did Madhavan brush aside her inputs?

• Why was Uma upset by Lisa's initiative?

• Why did the students refuse to cooperate with her?

This seemingly irredeemable situation is, in fact, a cultural difference that Lisa neither recognized nor prepared for, and the locals did not appreciate.

Encountering such situations is common when traveling to a culture vastly different from your own. What if there were a way to avoid or better understand these situations, enabling quick corrective action to prevent jeopardizing your volunteering experience?

This is where Intercultural Competence becomes crucial when venturing into a new country. What are the differences in your host country's attitudes towards power, wealth, relationships, ambiguity, decisions related to the future, or basic desires and impulses compared to your own? While you may learn about greetings, eating etiquette, and appropriate clothing, situations like those in the case can catch you off guard, potentially ruining your experience in a new culture.

Now, let's examine what Lisa could have done differently:

India places a high value on relationships extending beyond immediate family and friends. Lisa should have acknowledged her colleagues early on by joining them for lunches to earn their trust and friendship. This Collectivistic Attitude in India may be confusing for foreigners, as the Western norm often prioritizes only immediate family and friends.

Lisa's direct interaction with Madhavan breached hierarchical norms in the Indian context. Typically, Indian organizations adhere to a definite hierarchy, considering the boss a 'godly' or 'patriarchal' figure with limited accessibility for junior-level employees. Lisa should have presented her plans to Uma at a more opportune time.

Uma perceived Lisa's initiative as aggressive and disrespectful. As Lisa's superior, Uma expected her to follow instructions rather than taking unilateral actions that questioned authority and judgment. In India, employees are generally expected to adhere to orders, whereas in Western countries, individuals often take ownership and initiative to achieve tasks.

The students, accustomed to a strict authoritative figure in the classroom, perceived Lisa as lacking authority, leading to misbehavior. Awareness of the hierarchical expectation in the classroom would have better equipped Lisa to handle the situation.

Colleagues, unfamiliarized with Lisa, speculated about her 'attitude' and her 'boyfriend.' In rural parts of India, friendships between different sexes may not be accepted as easily as in the West. Lisa could have introduced Ben to her colleagues or waited until they knew her better before engaging in lunches with him.

While these cultural differences may seem drastic and unacceptable to some, it's essential to approach different cultures with an unbiased perspective to truly enjoy and experience a new cultural environment. Acquiring cultural attunement with a professional trainer is crucial to better understand these differences.

Alvin, a 22-year-old marketing student from the US, is currently undertaking a 3-month internship in Tokyo at the Green Tea manufacturer ‘Edo-Maru’. In addition to producing green teas, the company also manufactures Green Tea Chocolate, with the potential for overseas sales. Alvin, who boasts basic Japanese language skills acquired prior to arriving in Tokyo, takes pride in having contributed to the success of a friend's donut shop through his exceptional marketing skills.

Edo-Maru's marketing team comprises three individuals in their 30s: Hiroyuki, Miki, and Saori. Alvin's role involves supporting them in marketing Green Tea Chocolate abroad.

On his first day at the Tokyo office, Alvin is handed a comprehensive handover report, originally written by the previous foreign intern. He is instructed to create a similarly detailed report for his successor. Alvin finds the level of detail surprising and feels it might be somewhat exaggerated. He believes that the time spent on such a report could be better utilized for tasks more directly related to his marketing responsibilities. Accustomed to a more ad hoc approach from his experience at his friend's donut shop, Alvin prefers direct communication and is not inclined towards extensive written documentation.

Saori requests Alvin to write a proposal and create a presentation outlining his ideas for marketing Green Tea Chocolate abroad. For reference, she provides him with a proposal she wrote for another product, albeit in Japanese. Alvin is taken aback by the detailed content, including a lengthy feasibility study, lots of numbers that Alwin finds highly speculative, descriptions of worst-case scenarios, and recommendations of insurance requirements. Alwin cannot see too much sense in "overthinking" everything, but instead wants to get the Green Tea Chocolate sales started. He is making ironic comments about the lengthy report to Saori.

Around 6 pm, Alvin contemplates leaving the office to work out at the gym, but notices his colleagues are still occupied with their tasks. Upon inquiring, Hiroyuki informs him they will finish when they sort out their emails and invites him for a beer and dinner afterward. Alvin, never one to decline a beer, decides to skip the gym for the day. At 9 pm, Hiroyuki, Miki, and Saori, along with five others from different departments, including the Sales Director, gather at an Izakaya, a Japanese pub. They order beer and food.

Amidst the casual atmosphere, 'salarymen' are loudly enjoying themselves. Alvin comments on his likes and dislikes about Japan. His remarks about the Japanese basketball team not being as good as the American one don't seem well-received. Despite this, the group remains friendly. Alvin shares the success of the donut shop in the US, emphasizing his important role in its marketing. The Sales Director looks forward to seeing Alvin's contribution to the current marketing task.

Over the following weeks, whenever Alvin has uncertainties, he turns to Hiroyuki, Miki, or Saori for clarification, even though the handover report may contain the information. Despite his frequent queries, the three remain patient. Alvin also takes the opportunity to share his perspectives on how things are done in America compared to Japan. Having outlined his concept to the team, Hiroyuki, Miki, and Saori request some changes. Alvin, reluctant to implement all suggestions, incorporates only a few. Additionally, he opts to condense the feasibility study to one page to meet the report deadline. Balancing work with his desire to explore Tokyo and maintain his gym routine, Alvin often leaves the office earlier than his colleagues, given the team's approval.

A few days later, Alvin receives a phone call from the World Unite! coordinator who has arranged his internship, saying that Edo-Maru is dissatisfied with his performance.

• What went wrong?

• Why did Edo-Maru complain about Alvin to the World Unite! coordinator?

• Why didn't they speak with Alvin directly if there were any issues?

If Alvin had been culturally attuned to the Japanese way of working and communicating, he would have avoided some of the faux pas that he unwittingly committed.

The long, detailed handover report and what is expected in the concept proposal are a result of the extremely high ‘Uncertainty Avoidance’ that is characteristic of Japanese culture. Japan is the most Uncertainty-Avoiding Country on earth. This is often attributed to the fact that Japan is constantly threatened by natural disasters from earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons to volcano eruptions. Under these circumstances, the Japanese learned to prepare themselves for any uncertain situation. This goes not only for the emergency plan and precautions for sudden natural disasters but also for every other aspect of society. Many Japanese, if they see a single cloud in the sky, won't leave their house without an umbrella. You could say that in Japan, anything you do is prescribed for maximum predictability. As a high Uncertainty Avoidance Culture, the Japanese tend to be rigid about rules and processes. They tend to be inflexible and do not make impromptu changes to an otherwise followed protocol.

Japan is also one of the most long-term oriented societies on earth. This approach tends to make them plan for the future – the handover report ensures that future interns can be kept informed to avoid that the intern has to ask too many questions to his superior. In Japan, people, at work and everyday life are often concerned about causing ‘trouble’ to others. This is an important virtue, and if you don't follow it, your behavior is considered ‘selfish’ (“Wagamama”). The importance of this virtue can also be seen in the fact that Japanese seem to constantly apologize for little things that doesn't seem worth apologizing for by someone from another culture.

Japan is also ‘Collectivistic’ when compared to the United States, which is the most ‘Individualistic’ society in the world. Group harmony is more important than individual opinion in Japan, for instance in the bar situation, which is aimed at bonding with the group. Two Japanese terms come into play here: “Honne” (true feelings and wishes) and “Tatemae” (facade). “Honne” may be contrary to what is expected by society or what is required according to one's position and circumstances, and is often kept hidden, except with one's closest friends. “Tatemae” is what is expected by society and required according to one's position in society, and these may or may not match one's honne. These terms are equivalent to the common concept of “public and private face” which is a part of all Collectivistic Cultures.

In collectivistic cultures, it is not appropriate to "speak one's mind." The communication style is adjusted in a way that does not disturb the conversation partner; negative statements are usually completely avoided. This contrasts with individualistic cultures where it is common to express one's opinion openly. In individualistic cultures, people usually distinguish between a subject level and a personal level. You can have a completely different opinion about a certain topic than someone else and still have a good relationship with that person. However, in strongly collectivistic cultures, people might think that you have no interest in maintaining a good relationship with them if you express a very different opinion.

Japan is also a highly competitive and achievement-oriented society, but this has to be always seen in combination with collectivism. Spending long hours in the office is associated with this spirit of competition and collectivism. It demonstrates that one is "doing the best for the interest and success of the team." Alvin leaving the office early gave his team the feeling that he did not want to "belong." Japanese people strongly identify with their team (collectivism). If someone within the group fails to deliver the expected performance, even though they "did their best," they can still count on the support of the group. However, those who do not contribute to the success of the team are often left behind. In Japan, there is traditionally little competition within the team, but the competition is against other teams (i.e., rival companies).

Japanese people generally don't like people who are overselling their skills. It is called "to have a big mouth” (“Ookuchi tataku”). Japanese rather ‘undersell’ their skills and experiences. “Big mouth” is commonly attributed by Japanese to Westerners, particularly Americans. Applicants for internships in Japan should be advised not to exaggerate their skills in their resume. It is more appreciated if they can do better work than what is expected from them than the other way round.

Direct confrontation and addressing problems is very much avoided in Japanese culture. As a result, the Japanese team members did not directly address the issues they had with Alvin to him, but instead they contacted the World Unite! representative, complaining about Alvin and asking the representative to fix the issue.