PERF RMANCE 04 - The Performance Portal - Ernst & Young

“ When cultural
awareness
training
focuses on
communication
barriers, the
foundation for a
high-performing
intercultural team
is missing.”
Phase 1 — Intercultural awareness
In our example, to make both the
Japanese and German group more open
to negotiating and reconsidering their
work expectations, the first step is to
raise awareness of the differences and
the inner logics of both cultures. This is
best demonstrated through concrete work
examples from the collaboration of this
specific team, enabling the Germans to
understand that their Japanese colleagues
are used to a continuous exchange of
information about their work within the
team. Consequently, the desire to discuss
work on a micro-level does not signal a
lack of ability. The Japanese learn that, for
Germans, teamwork does not necessarily
mean working together intensively to
develop a result, but that it may mean
putting together the results produced by
individual performers into one piece — like
a puzzle.
Clearly, different underlying values
and expectations can easily be
misinterpreted as differences in the style of
communicating: “Germans are snippy and
arrogant,” “Japanese ask way too much.”
If we only address the communication,
we will not reach the real sources of
misunderstanding: Germans value
individual performance, Japanese favor
working in a group. Once this is clarified,
communication misunderstandings are
turned into understandable outcomes
based on different perspectives, values
and behaviors.
Initially, the goal is not to understand the
other culture fully, but rather to accept
that each culture has a valid logic. Team
members need to understand that, for
the team to perform effectively, new and
different conclusions must be drawn about
collaboration. This might sound simplistic
but, depending upon the cultural origins of
the team members, this realization can be a
significant step.
The team is now ready for change.
Phase 2 — Shared performance
system
Germans have a different idea of
performance than Japanese. Germans
strive for self-monitoring: transparent goals
and consequences, discretionary decisions
and minimal oversight. The Japanese
strive for group membership: group goals
and consequences, decisions based on
consensus, lots of mutual support and
close interaction.
These cultural differences have a
strong impact on the team. If there
is little agreement about what
performance should look like, it is hard
to work together cohesively.
Performance is influenced by a number
of factors, from goals, feedback and
consequences, to resources available and
the role of management. Each of these