The Culture Map Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business

South Americans
negative feedback and, 69, 69 (fig.), 72 (fig.)
scheduling and, 220, 221–224

Spain, 102
communication in, 31
e-mail and, 47
high-context communication and, 39, 39 (fig.), 47
idioms of, 39
leading scale and, 125 (fig.), 126
negative feedback and, 69 (fig.), 70, 72 (fig.), 78
recaps and, 46–47
trusting scale and, 21–23, 21 (fig.), 23 (fig.), 173

Stereotypes, 13

Summarization
explicit, 57
oral, 56–57

Sweden, 145–146, 228, 230
deciding scale and, 150 (fig.), 151–153
egalitarian, 128
leading scale and, 125 (fig.), 126

Swerts, Marc, 201
Switzerland, 165–167, 170
Synthesis, 99–100

Taoism, 110–111
Tarasov, Mr., 94–95
Team, 249–250

leaders, 107
protocols, 139
scheduling and global, 22–23, 23 (fig.)
Thailand, 199
negative feedback and, 70, 69 (fig.), 72 (fig.), 85
trust in, 188

Thinking
business, 111–112
patterns, 108–109
specific, 110–112

Time
flexible-, 220, 224–225, 231
linear-, 220, 224, 230
scheduling and, 219–224
See also Scheduling; Scheduling scale

Titles, 57, 141
Toledo, Ohio, 32–33
Toshiba Westinghouse, 112

Translation
art of, 65–71, 67 (fig.), 69 (fig.), 72 (fig.)
Guide, Anglo-Dutch, 67, 67 (fig.)

Trompenaars, Fons, 175
Trott, John, 173

Trust
affective, 167–170
Americans on, 169–170, 175
in Brazil, 163–165, 170, 175–176
breaking, 136
building, 53, 105–106
building strategies, 178–181
in China, 165–167, 169–170, 188–189
cognitive, 167–170
sharing meals, drinks and, 164–165, 167, 185–189
in Switzerland, 165–167, 170
in Thailand, 188

Trusting scale
Australia and, 171 (fig.), 172
Brazil and, 171–172, 171 (fig.)
BRIC countries, 171–174, 171 (fig.)
China and, 171–174, 171 (fig.)
in eight-scale model, 16, 17 (fig.), 244–249, 246 (fig.)
India and, 171–172, 171 (fig.), 180
Indonesia and, 171 (fig.), 172
relationship-based and, 170–174, 171 (fig.), 180–181, 183–185
relationship-oriented and, 21–23, 21 (fig.), 23 (fig.), 40
Russia and, 171–172, 171 (fig.), 178–179
Saudi Arabia and, 171 (fig.), 172, 191
Spain and, 21–23, 21 (fig.), 23 (fig.), 173
task-based and, 170–174, 171 (fig.), 178, 181–183
task-oriented and, 21–23, 21 (fig.), 23 (fig.)
U.K. and, 171 (fig.), 172
U.S. and, 171 (fig.), 172

Turroturro, Cosimo, 23–24

U.K. See United Kingdom
Understatement, 65–66
United Kingdom (U.K.)

evaluating scale and, 20–21, 21 (fig.)
humor in, 44–46
legal system of, 98
low-context communication and, 34, 39–41, 39 (fig.), 41 (fig.)
negative feedback and, 69, 69 (fig.), 72 (fig.), 76
on persuading scale, 95–97, 96 (fig.)
recaps and, 46–47
scheduling and, 22–23, 23 (fig.), 220
trusting scale and, 171 (fig.), 172
usage of downgraders in, 67–69, 67 (fig.)
See also Anglo-Dutch Translation Guide
United States (U.S.), 138, 217
business culture of, 7–10
communication in, 31–32
decision-making in, 144–148, 150–153, 150 (fig.)
feedback in, 8–10
legal system of, 98
low-context communication and, 34, 39–41, 39 (fig.), 41 (fig.)
on persuading scale, 95–97, 96 (fig.)
scheduling and, 220
shared history of, 40–41, 41 (fig.)
trusting scale and, 171 (fig.), 172
University of Tilberg (Netherlands), 201
Upgraders, 65–66
U.S. See United States

Valeo, 245

Verification
levels of, 56–57
through open-ended questions, 51

Vikings, 128

Words, 206, 220
of downgraders, 65–66
English, 37
French, 37
Hindi, 37
of Japan, 37
multiple interpretation of, 37
multiple meanings of, 37–38
of upgraders, 65–66

World Bank, 233–235
World Medication Association, 70
Wu lun structure, 130

Yin and yang (dark and light), 111

Zimbabwe, 31

PHOTO BY KIM DURDANT-HOLLAMBY, KDH CREATIVE

An American based in France, Erin Meyer is a professor at INSEAD, one of the
world’s leading international business schools. She is program director for
INSEAD’s Managing Global Virtual Teams and Management Skills for
International Business executive education programs. She has written for the
Harvard Business Review, Singapore Business Times, and Forbes.com. In 2013
Erin was selected for the Thinkers50 Radar list of the world’s up-and-coming
business thinkers.

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