Page 293 - Handbooks of Applied Linguistics Communication Competence Language and Communication Problems Practical Solutions

Differences and difficulties in intercultural management interaction 271

Table 2. Differences between British and German managers and difficulties in com-
munication as reported by German managers and possible source of the diffi-
culty as derived from Hofstede and Hall
Reported as Reported as Possible source
a difference a difficulty
Predicted differences
lack of structure yes yes low uncertainty-
avoidance
indirectness yes yes higher context com-
munication

lack of process-orien- no yes low uncertainty-
tation avoidance

Reported differences

informality yes yes
humour yes yes
English-speaking, yes no
monolingual

lack of lingua franca no yes
skills

In the case study analysed here, the British reported that their German col-
leagues differed from themselves in their high degree of specialization, their
process-orientation, rule-orientation, data-orientation and precision in their
management work, behaviours which are conventionally attributed to a prefer-
ence for uncertainty avoidance. The British managers also reported that a
further difference concerned the directness of their German counterparts, a be-
haviour associated with low-context communication.
However, further differences were noted by the British managers which
would not be predicted by Hofstede’s and Hall’s work. The most frequently re-
ported difference concerned formality, surnaming and the use of titles. One Brit-
ish manager remarked, for example, ‘I do not like formality [especially formal
presentations]’; another noted ‘I do not call my colleagues by their surname’
and another observed ‘I am never known by my title [Mrs] at work’. The second
difference noted was the fact that their German colleagues were – unsurpris-
ingly – German-speaking but multilingual.
These predicted and reported differences are listed in the second and third
columns of Table 1, their possible causes in the fourth column.