Case Studies 1. Jim’s Mistake A case study on on virtual teams, teams, hierarchy, and and direct versus versus indirect communication communication styles.
Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Jim is has been managing a software development team in Pune for the past two years. He has been working closely with Aruna, the Indian team leader, to develop a new networking program. While Jim has over 25 years of experience in software development, Aruna knows the program inside and out. While reviewing his work from the previous week, Jim discovers that he made a mistake in the programming code. He notices that Aruna corrected his error, but wonders why Aruna did not bring it to his attention so that he could avoid delays and keep from making the same mistake in the future. Reflection…
Should Aruna have informed Jim of his mistake? Why or why not? If Jim wants to be notified of his mistakes in the future, how should he proceed? Possible solution
In this situation, Jim and Aruna are unaware that their expectations are being heavily influenced by their cultures. Both of them assume that the other’s method of communicating is similar to their own. In most Asian cultures critiquing your supervisor is unacceptable. Aruna is following her culture’s norms by avoiding direct communication about Jim’s mistake. Jim, on the other hand,
expects more direct communication regarding the technical aspects of the project. Moving forward, Jim should assure Aruna that communicating directly about programming errors is encouraged. He should understand that it will take time f or Aruna to adapt his communication style and should recognize her when she points out mistakes directly. Jim should also make efforts to recognize when Aruna is communicating more indirectly about program errors.
2. Sandeep is out of the office A case study on on miscommunication miscommunication in multicultural multicultural teams.
Sandeep has just joined the Banglore office of a New Y ork based MNC. As part of his training he will be spending 3 months in the US, but has already been assigned to a team with members in New York, Tokyo and Banglore. Sarah, the New York based project manager, has scheduled a teleconference meeting for Tuesday. Sandeep will be traveling to Delhi to get his US visa over the meeting time. Here’s their conversation…
Sarah: Can we do the teleconference tomorrow, 7 pm for you, or should we wait until you get back? Sandeep: Better if we can wait, but I can do it if you like – if it’s necessary. Sarah: Do you want to postpone it? Tell me, yes or no? Reflection…
What cultural and/or personality traits are influencing the communication? What is Sarah likely to be thinking/feeling? What is Sandeep likely to be thinking/feeling? Possible solution
Sandeep is in a difficult situation. As a new team member he is unfamiliar with the team culture and Sarah’s communication style. While he is attempting to communicate that he would like to
postpone the meeting, Sarah is not picking up on his indirect messages. Since Sandeep is new to the team and to the company, he should adapt to a more direct communication style and not interpret Sarah’s bluntness as rudeness As a project manager, Sarah should seek to understand the different communication styles of her virtual team members. She might consider inviting a consultant to facilitate an open dialogue about cultural differences and the work culture of the team.
3. Promotion A case study on cultural conflict and the values of status and community.
Mayank has been working as an Information Officer at a foreign consulate in New Delhi for several years. His boss, Hendrick, wants to reward Mayank for his hard work and offers him a promotion and pay raise to become an Information Clerk. Mayank politely declines the offer, leaving Hendrick confused.
Reflection…
Why would Mayank refuse the promotion? How should Hendrick proceed? Possible solution
It is likely that Mayank refused the promotion because the title of Information Officer sounds more prestigious than Information Clerk. This may seem strange to Hendrick, who might assume that everyone values a higher salary over status and posit ion. Mayank, on the other hand, would like to have a pay raise but is concerned about how the change in title would affect his family’s position in their community.
If he is unable to change the job title of Information Clerk to something more prestigious, Hendrick should look for other ways to acknowledge Mayank for his hard work. Perhaps he could increase his salary in his current position or have the embassy give him an award which he could display at home.
4.
And Also Meet with Others
A case study on cross-cultural partnerships, intercultural communication and high-context versus low-context communication.
Mark is an American living in Delhi and is meeting with Ajay, who is a government official that frequently deals with the public. Mark is interested in forming a partnership with Suresh, a local businessman with whom Ajay has worked in the past. Mark wants to know if Ajay thinks partnering with Suresh is a good idea. Mark: Do you happen to know Suresh? Ajay: Of course, I have worked closely with him on a number of projects over the past 10 years. I know him very well. Mark: I was thinking about meeting him and seeing if there might be a possibility for collaboration. What do you think? Ajay: Yes, you should meet with him, and you should also meet with others. Mark: Thanks. Who else should I meet with?
Ajay: You know there are some girls who fall in love with a boy who is very popular, well dressed, and good looking. After they get married, they realize that they made a mistake because the boy has no substance. Other girls will look for a guy with good character – checking out his family situation and talking with his friends about him. When she gets married, she is much happier than the girl who married the popular guy. Reflection: Should Mark meet with Suresh? Why or why not? Why does Mark ask about other people to meet with? Why does Ajay talk about a hypothetical marriage? Possible solution Many Americans in Mark’s situation would misunderstand Ajay and think that he was
encouraging them to meet with Suresh. Many Indians in Ajay’s position would think that they clearly communicated the exact opposite: do NOT meet with Suresh. There are at least two cultural dimensions at work here. The first is the preference for direct versus indirect communication. Americans tend to prefer direct communication, wanting speakers to “tell it to us straight,” “say what they mean” and “not beat around the bush”.
Indians tend to favor indirect communication, preferring a more polite style, especiall y when communicating negative information. The second cultural dimension influencing Mark’s conversation with Ajay is the difference
between high-context and low-context communication. Cultures preferring high -context communication rely heavily on the context of a situation to communicate meaning. The speaker assumes that the listener is intelligent enough to understand the message in the context of the situation. Cultures preferring low-context communication rely heavily on words to communicate meaning. Using precise language is a sign of good communication and they often state the obvious just to ensure understanding. 5. Monsooned A case study on project deadlines, the Indian ‘yes’ and high-context versus low-context communication.
Rebecca works with United Technologies, a Chicago based company. She is talking on the phone to Abhinav, the manager of one of United Technologies vendors for customer service outsourcing.
Rebecca: We really need to get all of the customer service representatives trained on
our new process in the next two weeks. Can you get this done? Abhinav: That timeline is pretty aggressive. Do you think i t’s possible? Rebecca: I think it will require some creativity and hard work, but I think we can get it
done with two or three days to spare Abhinav: Ok. Rebecca: Now that our business is settled, how is everything else? Abhinav: All’s well, although the heavy monsoons this year are causing a lot of delays
getting around the city. Two weeks later… Abhinav: We’ve pulled all of our resources and I’m happy to say that 60% of the
customer service representatives are now trained in the new process. The remaining 40% will complete the training in the next two weeks. Rebecca: Only 60%? I thought we agreed that they all would be trained by now! Abhinav: Yes . The monsoon is now over so the rest of the training should go quickly. Rebecca: This training is critical to our results. Please get it done as soon as possible. Abhinav: I am certain that it will be done in the next two weeks. Reflection… o
Did Abhinav agree to the initial timeline requested by Rebecca?
o
What might Rebecca be thinking about Abhinav?
o
What might Abhinav be thinking about Rebecca?
o
How will this incident affect their future interactions?
Possible solution
After the first conversation Abhinav feels that he clearly communicated to Rebecca that the training would not get done in the time she requested. On the other hand, Rebecca feels that
Abhinav clearly communicated that he would meet the deadline. How can this be? This is an example of miscommunication due to differences in communication styles. Abhinav prefers high-context communication, relying heavily on the context of the situation to communicate meaning. In this case, he hints that the timeline is too aggressive and implies that monsoons are causing work delays. Most Indians in Rebecca’s position will understand Abhinav’s message loud and clear.
Rebecca, however, is used to low-context communication, relying heavily on the precise meaning of the words exchanged. From her perspective, Abhinav agrees to the timeline when he responds “ok”. Most Americans in Abhinav’s position would understand that Rebecca is still
expecting the training to be completed on time. Both Rebecca and Abhinav need to seek to understand the aspects of their communication styles which are impacted by culture. Rebecca needs to be careful not to judge Abhinav as ‘unreliable’ and Abhinav needs to be careful not to judge Rebecca’s response as rude and
inconsiderate.
