In my current team there are people from 10+ different nationalities who speak at least 30 various languages. 95% of them work in a country different from a country where they grew up and studied. Truly, a highly diverse team in terms of cultures and ways of thinking.
So, how do I make sure that such a team operates efficiently? How do I structure my communication, so cross-cultural boundaries are not affecting the actual message I try to deliver? For sure, a modern tech company hires individuals who are aligned with the company culture. This definitely helps. But, even a long tenure in the company will not override a cultural background. At least, this is true for myself.
In The Culture Map, Erin Meyer reveals a structured way to make sense of cultural nuances that often go unnoticed yet impact communication, decision-making, and leadership across global teams. With eight scales covering communication styles, feedback, trust, and more, Meyer provides a toolkit for decoding the hidden “rules” of how people think and work across cultures.
The Culture Map Scales
Communication: High-Context vs. Low-Context
The first of Meyer’s practical insights is understanding communication as either high-context (indirect) or low-context (direct). Do you need to read between the lines or everything is explained directly? In my experience, this distinction explains why some interactions feel so smooth while others seem fraught with misinterpretation.
Feedback Styles: Direct vs. Indirect
Some cultures are comfortable with direct negative feedback, others wrap criticism in layers of positive reinforcement to maintain social harmony. For international teams, the golden rule here is to start with positives before proceeding to a negative one. And never deliver a negative feedback in front of others, do it in 1on1 meeting.
Decision-Making: Consensual vs. Top-Down
Decision-making is another area where cultural expectations can diverge dramatically. In some regions, decision-making is collective, requiring broad consensus, while in others, it’s top-down. The book explains two types of decisions. A “decision” that is made fast in a top-down culture, but then can change fast as well during the execution. Or a “Decision” that is made after long consensus building in a consensual culture and does not change during the execution.
Trust-Building: Task-Based vs. Relationship-Based
We build trust differently. In Task-based cultures, a trust forms around competency and task success. Work relationships are built and dropped easily. You do good work consistently, you are reliable. I trust you.
While in relationship-based cultures, trust builds through social interactions and personal connections. I’ve seen who you are at a deep level. I know others who trust you. I trust you
Persuasion: Principles-First vs. Application-First
We persuade others differently. I was taught in the logic – suggest a thesis, build an argument, counter-argument, then come to a decision. The conceptual principle underlying each situation is important. This is principles-first persuasion. The dominant US-type persuasion culture is opposite – individuals trained to begin with a fact or statement and add concepts to back up the statement. Theoretical or philosophical discussions are avoided in a business environment. This is application-first persuasion.
Practical Takeaways
There is no right or wrong culture. It is just one more aspect that impacts our decision making process. If I know where I am on the culture scales and when my stakeholders are, it helps to build an effective communication. Because we all can adopt different styles per our needs.
So, I analyzed my own behaviour and put myself on a The Culture map scales: