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Cross-Cultural Internal Communication
April 2008 | Volume 6 Issue 4
Keeping communication clear and consistent for employees is not always easy, especially when they are located all over the world. To avoid misunderstandings and engage employees worldwide, you must have an understanding of cultural differences. The experts in this issue of CW Bulletin explain the dos and don’ts of communicating your internal messages across cultures.
Natasha Nicholson
Executive Editor
Amanda Aiello
Associate Editor |
Features
CULTURAL BARRIERS
by Marc Wright
Twenty years ago, I sat in the London offices of an American oil services company taking the conference brief for a CEO’s script. He was an oilman of the old school—no nonsense and pretty brutal in his management style. When his personal assistant came in with the coffee, she all but threw it over the guy and left the room with her nose in the air. “The natives are revolting,” he explained. “I made some redundancies this morning: everyone who arrived more than five minutes late.”
It was my first experience of culture shock. For the Texan it was the most natural behavior; for the Brits, he represented a form of barbarism not seen since the Dark Ages. So how does a multinational firm communicate to audiences who have fundamentally different cultural values?
CROSS-CULTURAL TEAMS
by Paul Samuels
Managing internal communication across a global organization is an exciting and challenging task. How this task is approached will vary widely depending on the culture and structure of the particular organization, as well as the location of its headquarters.
CROSS-CULTURAL AWARENESS
by Salvador Apud and Talis Apud-Martinez
Today’s global marketplace teaches us that effective practices for internal communication in international corporations must be tuned to the cultural profiles of employees in their own countries. Internal communication departments are given the task of adapting company messages that effectively reach the organization’s global employee base. In order to ensure the effectiveness of these communications, organizations must first develop awareness, knowledge and intercultural skills within their internal communication teams.
ADAPTING MESSAGES
by Annita Stokes Thomas
Corporate communication is the lifeline of any organization—crossing cultures, perceptions and language barriers to reach employees around the globe. Messages must be delivered accurately, while strengthening the organization’s position, building trust between the organization and the employee, and communicating a message that is not only current to local issues but relevant to each employee.
Columns
A Primer on Financial Statements
by James K. Gentry
One of the major challenges facing corporate communicators is understanding the financial statements of public companies. First, there is the math. Then, there is the matter of all that unfamiliar jargon.
The purpose of this column and its next few installments is to give you an overview of the primary financial statements—the balance sheet, the income statement and the statement of cash flows—and how they are generated, so that you can make sense of a public company’s financial documents.
Interpreting Ethics as a Daily Mandate
by Gillian Silver, ABC
There is much discussion in today’s corporate environment about accountability and responsibility. This rich debate has led me to consider at length the subject of applied or “operationalized” ethics. As lead counselors of senior management, and as the primary liaison to the public, we are in a position of great influence. Our behavior must be credible for our organizations to foster a positive image and reputation.
- “Healthy Pfizer Puerto Rico,” Pfizer with Mercer Human Resource Consulting
- “The ‘Move It, or Lose It’ Campaign,” Weber Shandwick Healthcare
- “Reducing Accidents and Saving Lives at BP,” BP Lubricants and The JMH Consultancy
Communication in the News
Related Resources provides additional articles and resources for understanding this month’s topic of cross-cultural internal communication. You can also find some of these links alongside each corresponding feature article for quick reference. Links include:
- “Communicating Across Cultures,” by Aaron Green
- “Intercultural Communication Tips,” by Neil Payne
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