Culture Clash
Culture Clash
Direct questions sometimes
yield direct answers'Almost the entire business community became involved in fund raising efforts to purchase our concert grand piano," Deborah Madden told Vladimir Petrov as they entered the auditorium in Pennebrook, Wash. Vladimir was an internationally renowned pianist from St. Petersburg, Russia, who had agreed to present a concert in the community's music series. Deborah was the owner of a department store, had studied Russian for four years in college, and thought she could help with Vladimir's visit. Residents of Pennebrook were proud of their reputation as a small community with a big city's offerings in art, music, dance and theater.
After the well-received concert, Vladimir attended a reception organized by the directors of the music series. He was asked, "What do you think of our grand piano?" Vladimir responded that while the piano manufacturer had a prestigious name, he found the workmanship on this specific piano to be substandard. "Also, the tone is imprecise and the fingering makes difficult passages almost impossible to play well." Deborah's jaw dropped as she heard this, but she felt that she had to translate Vladimir's comments as accurately as she could. After hearing the comments, attendees at the reception found it difficult to engage Vladimir in further conversations.
In some cultures, people give direct responses to direct questions. This is especially true when people are asked about areas of expertise, as with Vladimir and the quality of concert pianos. People share the advice, "If you don't want a straightforward answer, don't ask a question."
This incident and analysis developed from conversations with Julia Nikulina Compton of the University of Hawaii at Kapiolani. She is from Novosibirsk, Russia, and has also worked in Moscow.
Most of the books that describe cultural differences say Americans are very direct in their communications. But there are many exceptions. When people's feelings might be hurt, Americans frequently tone down their answers to questions. A socially skilled American pianist might say, "The manufacturer chose an excellent type of wood for the piano." The American is saying something positive without giving a complete analysis of the piano.
I once asked Julia, "You know Russian culture extremely well. Have you changed your behavior now that you are in the United States?" She replied, "I smile a lot more. I can often communicate the same message as I would in Moscow, such as 'No, you can't turn in your report late!' but I do this with a smile and pleasant voice tone. I have few problems when I communicate this way."
The purpose of this column is to increase understanding of human behavior as it has an impact on the workplace. Special attention will be given to miscommunications caused by cultural differences. Each column will start with a short example of such confusion. Possible explanations will be offered to encourage thought about these issues.
Richard Brislin is a professor in the College of Business Administration,
University of Hawaii. He can be reached through the
College Relations Office: cro@cba.hawaii.edu