CROSS-CULTURAL MANAGEMENT

Emotional Intelligence DoesntTranslate Across Bordersby Andy Molinsky

APRIL 20, 2015

One of the greatest assets we have as natives

of a culture is our ability to quickly read

another persons emotions. Over time we

learn how to understand whether our

colleagues are truly interested in a project or

just giving it lip service by noticing the

expression on their faces. We can tell when

someone really likes something weve

proposed by the way they react. And we can

often detect motivation as well: whether

someone is truly willing to put in the extra

time and eort to make something happen,

just by seeing the re in their eyes or the

passion in their voice.

The problem, of course, comes when we

cross cultures and venture into a completely

dierent world of emotional expression.

Emotions vary tremendously across cultures both in terms of their expression and their

meaning. Without a detailed understanding of these emotional landscapes, crossing

cultures can become a communication mineeld.

YOU AND YOUR TEAM

Emotional Intelligence

Feelings matter at work

Take, for example, the expression of enthusiasm. In the United States, its culturally

acceptable, even admirable, to show enthusiasm in a business setting, assuming its

appropriate for the situation. When arguing for a point in a meeting, for example, it is quite

appropriate to express your opinions passionately; it can help to convince those around

you. Or when speaking with a potential employer at a networking event, it is often

encouraged to express your interest quite enthusiastically; the employer may interpret how

invested you are in a job based on your expressed eagerness.

In many other cultures, however, enthusiasm means something quite dierent. In Japan,

for example, there are strict boundaries about when and where people are allowed to

display emotion. During the regular workday, Japanese individuals are not typically

emotionally expressive. Even if they feel excited about their work, they will rarely show it

explicitly. This often changes outside of the workplace setting, though, where Japanese

people can show a great deal of emotion for example, when drinking, having dinner with

work colleagues, or singing karaoke. In China, self-control and modesty are the coin of the

realm, not ones ability to outwardly express emotion. In fact, expressing too much

outward enthusiasm, especially in front of a boss, could be seen as showing o, which is

not typically condoned in Chinese culture.

And its not just in East Asian cultures where

American-level enthusiasm and outward

expression of emotion isnt culturally

appropriate. In the UK, people are typically

far more understated and subdued than

Americans are. A truly outstanding

achievement, for example, is often characterized as not bad. And when people ask how

each other are doing, the typical answer is ne (as opposed to Great! or Good! as it

might be in the U.S.). What Americans might describe as an exciting initiative at work

might pass without comment in Britain. Again, like in many East Asian cultures, people in

the UK value moderation and self-control rather than emotional expressiveness per se.

The problem, however, is that very few managers are aware of these dierences or at

least consciously aware of them. American bosses can be surprised by the lack of passion

or interest of their UK or Asian counterparts when, in fact, these folks may be quite

interested but just show it dierently. In the reverse situation, individuals from outside the

U.S. can be frustrated by how supercial Americans are when oering a big smile,

handshake, or hug, not necessarily realizing that these expressions may actually be quite

genuine and authentic.

Given these dierences and the importance of getting it right when communicating across

cultures, what are thoughtful managers to do? A rst tip is to treat emotions like another

language. If youre traveling or moving to France, youre bound to learn French, or at least

some key phrases. Treat emotions in the same way.

Try your best to learn the language of emotions in whatever culture youre working in.

Observe whether people tend to express emotions readily or keep them to themselves, and

if, like in the Japan example above, there are dierences in when and where people freely

express emotion. Diagnose any gaps between how youd express emotions in your culture

and how people youll be interacting with express emotion in theirs.

In addition to learning the language of emotions, make sure you also learn how to respond

constructively when you do encounter emotions dierent from your own. For example, if

youre expecting a smile from your boss after suggesting a new idea but instead get a blank

stare, dont necessarily assume she hates you or your idea. Instead, gather more

information to fully understand her point of view. You might ask a follow-up question to

get a better sense of her opinion: Ask if your proposal was clear or if she felt your idea

addressed the concerns she had. Keep in mind that cultural norms dier in terms of how

appropriate it might be to ask questions like these to your boss, but the general idea is to do

what you can to collect data to help you decipher emotional expressions, rather than

relying solely on your initial, knee-jerk reaction or presumption.

Emotions are tricky business when crossing cultures, but by paying attention to and

understanding the language of emotions, youll feel fullled and proud of yourself even

if you dont necessarily show it.

Andy Molinsky is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the BrandeisInternational Business School. He is the author of the book Global Dexterity: How to Adapt

Your Behavior across Cultures without Losing Yourself in the Process (HBR Press, 2013).

Follow Andy on twitter at @andymolinsky.

Related Topics: ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE | EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

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5 COMMENTS

MOVIUS MOVIUS 4 days ago

Good piece, although I'm not so sure that the title of this article is as useful as the content. Researchsuggests that display rules different across cultures (although I don't think it shows that these rules are"strict"). It also suggests that emotions reliably leak if you know where to look -- see, for example, theSpecic Affect Coding System used by Gottman and Coan. Seems like it would be more useful to argue thatunderstanding display rules is one aspect of recognizing emotion in others and managing one's emotionaldisplays; understanding and operating within display rules is more usefully seen as an aspect of EI ratherthan a negation of its cross-cultural validity.

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