Avoiding culture clash

For many companies in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries, the southern European markets of Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal can often represent just under half of European Union (EU) turnover. Yet, at times, northern Europeans find that their contacts in these countries do not seem to want to talk to them. Why is this?

Take, for example, the case of a British employee struggling to meet a deadline, who will be frustrated to find that at 3pm his Italian colleague is 'still at lunch'. The fact is that colleagues from Southern European countries like Spain and Italy have very different outlooks, priorities and perspectives on life to those from Northern Europe.

It is easy to think mistakenly that in Europe we are all the same, but this is simply not the case. In general, the farther south you go, the more relaxed the approach to business. Plus, there is more importance placed on family commitments. This different perspective can have an impact on business arrangements and commercial priorities.

Why is it that colleagues from Greece, Spain or Italy often do not dial in to important conference calls? Why can numerous emails to colleagues from the same nations fail to illicit a response to a mission-critical question sent by email? And why can voicemails seem to take up to five days to be answered? Frustration results and it may feel like the international team is not pulling together as it should to get the company's latest world-class pharmaceutical product to where it needs to be.

However, citizens of a Southern European country may feel equally frustrated in a slightly different situation. They may not realise that the fact that they miss the all-important organisational conference calls during a Friday lunchtime is the reason why their company will never get the best slot at an event like the Cardiac Society conference in the UK, or the European respiratory meeting in Austria. Or perhaps they arrive with just moments to spare before their paper needs to be presented. Why was their attention not drawn to the email that told them they needed to be available an hour beforehand?

With 27 countries in the EU, it is not surprising that when working internationally, miscommunication occurs because of culture clashes. European legislation makes pharmaceutical marketing across different EU nations a complex subject, yet bringing together international teams to work towards a common goal also brings cultural challenges.

The fact is that Northern European cultures operate very differently from those in the South and because of this, sometimes it can seem impossible to achieve anything. However, this is because the situation is being viewed from the perspective of one set of cultural beliefs and values, created by years of living in a society of rules which you understand inside out, even to the point where you are not fully aware that there may be a different way of doing things.

Our behaviours are implicit, rather than obvious. In other words, it is important to recognise that our own culture is invisible to us. We judge, act and respond according to cultural values learned over years.

To be successful in an increasingly multicultural world, it is important to develop an attitude of cultural empathy and understanding which extends to the many cultural 'shapes' encountered in everyday work that are different from our own.

By achieving this and then adapting our own personal style to 'fit in' and demonstrate such understanding with another culture – even by just a small degree – can often make a significant difference in the eyes of a colleague or customer and help build that all-important relationship. Put simply, we have to learn to 'style shift'.

If you call a German by his or her first name, or use the more familiar term for you – 'tu' instead of 'vous' – at an inappropriate time in France, at worst you could cause offence and at the very least you will set yourself apart as an outsider. However, cultural issues go far beyond the words that are spoken.

Northern Europeans, for example, come from a 'low context' communication culture. This environment tends to produce individuals that are both process- and data-driven. It would be normal to call a colleague based in another Northern European office, whom you had never met, to ask them for a report or an update on a research project and expect to receive it when requested.

Southern or Mediterranean Europeans, however, come from a 'high context' culture, where relationships rule. They are not so motivated by time or deadlines. Following processes and reporting back to colleagues that they have never met, in a far away country, are not important to them. Southern Europeans, like people in many Latin or Asian cultures, do not feel any obligation to work with a person with whom they have no relationship, or indeed, that they hardly know. In fact, it is frequently observed that it is impossible to do business with people you do not know and therefore cannot trust.

Southern Europeans value the nature, quality and depth of the relationship as much as, if not more than, the intellectual content delivered by that relationship. Therefore, in these cultures, it is essential to build trust and understanding over time before consideration is given to business transactions.

Also, it is worth remembering that this ingrained cultural aspect does not change because of a different location or because your counterpart speaks perfect English; it travels with the person. An example of this is illustrated by the fact that an esteemed company job title in Northern Europe means little in Southern Europe, where people are judged by who they are, rather than their status. This is to do with mindset, not linguistics, and is not easily changed.

Punctuality is an interesting point. In the UK, for example, good time-keeping is highly valued. However, in many cultures in Southern Europe, punctuality is not a priority. Interestingly, the importance of punctuality increases proportionally with the strength of a relationship built over time. Northern Europeans demand punctuality, but in Southern Europe, it needs to be earned.

Therefore, to work successfully with Southern European colleagues, it is necessary to spend time with them in person and not rely on emails as a method of communication. Meetings establish communication channels and a sense of personal obligation follows. Northern Europeans may be unpopular with their finance departments, but they really do need to travel to build such relationships.

No 'right way'
It is also important to let go of the feeling that a particular way of doing things is the only way, or the best way. For example, there is a culture of working long hours in the UK. It is not unusual for a London-based pharmaceutical executive to be still in the office at 5.45pm on a Friday evening. However, in Germany or Sweden, anyone who cannot complete his or her work during the allotted hours may have questions raised about his or her overall competence for the job.

Similarly, Northern Europeans seem to be obsessed by time and deadlines. For them, there are "never enough hours in the day", so the drive to become ever more efficient is ongoing and demanding. Southern Europeans are much more relaxed. They will work on a task "if there is enough time after lunch". And yet, despite this relaxed and personal approach, the Southern European economies are growing and individual pharmaceutical company success cannot be overlooked.

With the links between stress and illnesses being recognised increasingly, Northern Europeans may be wondering whose way is best.

International liaison is commonplace for organisations in the pharmaceutical sector. However, as has been seen, how successful working with different countries is depends to a large extent on an understanding of the culture, the people and the business environment. Developing an appreciation of how the members of a particular country's community work together reveals much about its culture and even a basic knowledge of this can often help smooth delicate business dealings.

Remember to adapt your approach to fit the culture you are entering as even a small degree of change can make a significant difference to the likely productivity of the relationship.

A number of organisations offer international management development programmes and workshops to help executives learn how to achieve clear communication and build trust and relationships between cultures. They can offer practical information about how to set up the right contracts, for example, and offer both general and specific advice on how to work successfully across cultures. Such training will ultimately pay dividends from creating successful international working relationships.

The Author
Paul Stiff is intercultural trainer at Farnham Castle International Briefing and Conference Centre in the UK.

To comment on this article, email pme@pmlive.com