Module 10. 12 - Communicating Goals, Values and Mission Statements Cross Culturally

 

Module Introduction

            In order to do project/programme purpose in another culture, a organization’s vision, mission, and goals must be “translated” into that culture’s frame of reference; not just the words, but also the values that the words inspire and convey. This requires an understanding of both your organizational culture and the culture with which you want to do project/programme purpose. Once you know what your goals are, and have an understanding of the culture with which you hope to do project/programme purpose, you have to determine if the goals that you consider important are really important to them. For that matter, are the goals even acceptable there?

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1.      Communicating Goals, Values and Mission Statements Cross Culturally

            In order to do project/programme purpose in another culture, a organization’s vision, mission, and goals must be “translated” into that culture’s frame of reference; not just the words, but the values that the words inspire and convey.

            This requires an understanding of both your organizational culture and the culture with which you want to do project/programme purpose.

            Once you know what your goals are, and have an understanding of the culture with which you hope to do project/programme purpose, you have to determine if the goals that you consider important are really important to them.

            For that matter, are the goals even acceptable there?

            If your organizational product and goal is to help people lose weight, you need a country where overeating and obesity is a major problem. It doesn’t make any sense to expand to a country facing famine or to a country where large body size is considered physically attractive.

            If you blend and sell cooking spice mixtures that enhance the flavor of pork, it doesn’t make much sense to expand into a country where the major religion is either Judaism or Islam, since both religions forbid the eating of pork.

            If you produce after-market automotive parts designed for high performance cars that require premium gasoline and do most of their driving on modern freeway systems, it doesn’t make much sense to export them to countries that have less than 10 percent of their roads paved, and buyers take whatever gasoline they can find.

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2.      How Well Do You Know Your Own Culture?

            You cannot translate or present your organizational image to another culture unless you know exactly what your organizational culture really is.

            Culture—in society and in project/programme purpose—is defined as shared values, customs, traditions, rituals, behaviors, and beliefs. Cultures also share languages or ways of speaking. So, even though a multinational organization may operate in several different languages around the world, there is one customary “way” of speaking. That “way” is used regardless of the language. To learn that “way,” you have to learn the organizational culture, which includes its climate.

            To define or understand a organizational culture, look at the following:

·        Values: the goals, views, and philosophies that members of the organization share. What does the organization stand for? What is its goal? What will it do to achieve it? What will it not do? What are the standards that it adheres to?

·        Rites and Rituals: celebrations, performances, and activities that foster and reinforce teamwork, esprit de corps, and a sense of inclusion. They are what make employees feel part of something bigger than themselves, and that that something is worth being a part of. These can include annual parties, sales meetings, organizational retreats, or any other group activities.

·        Heroes: the people others look up to because they personify goals, dedication, and achievement. To the military, heroes are usually decorated veterans. To the Roman Catholic Church, it’s the pope and saints. National heroes are usually a mix of war heroes, founders, and explorers. project/programme purposees also have their heroes.

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3.      How Well Do You Know Your Own Culture? (Continued)

·        Communication Network: informal channels relaying both work and social messages that indoctrinate new members into the culture and reinforce the cultural messages. These include all levels and types of communication, formal and informal, from the office grapevine to the boardroom chain of command.

·        Norms: the way the organization operates and how it works on a day-to-day basis. This includes dress codes (written or tacit), as well as which policies and procedures are emphasized over others, how people address their superiors and subordinates. Military services are obvious examples of having well-defined “norms” of dress and behavior. Numerous organizations have more subtle but still equally well-defined norms. How many software designers wear suits to the office? How many bankers wear jeans to the boardroom?

·        Stories, Myths, and Legends: the organizational history and other accounts that embody the organizational culture and emphasize what the organization treasures. Examples include how Walt Disney opened his first theme park; how Lee Iacocca turned Chrysler around; how Betty Nesmith Graham developed Liquid Paper; and how Arthur Fry and Spencer Silver invented the Post-it Note.

·        Climate: the atmosphere of either supportiveness or defensiveness that people feel within the organization itself. Do they feel safe? Protected? Appreciated? Are they confidant that their opinions count? Do they know that when they have something to say, they have a way to say it so that it will be heard, and that people will listen and take their ideas or comments seriously?

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4.      Internationalize Your Image

            Anyone can be a multinational “giant” on the Internet, as long as you appeal to a multinational audience. Or, you can limit your appeal to one area, county, or culture. Or you can have numerous sites, each aimed at a different culture.

            It doesn’t really matter how big you are or where you are located, your web site and Internet presence can be as big or as small, as expensive or cheap, as sophisticated or parochial, as elegant or klutzy as you want it to be.

            As we have seen earlier, when it comes to communication—and especially communicating an image—perception is reality. You are what people think you are. If people think that you are a small, limited, mom-and-pop operation incapable of handling a major contract, they won’t think of you when it’s time to assemble a list of vendors and invite them to bid on a major contract.

            The Internet does not break people down by countries, states, provinces, or cities unless the person searching for a organization asks to have the search broken down that way. If someone looks for your product or service they could wind up with a list of organizations from Albania and Athens to New Zealand and Zurich.

            People will be looking for those project/programme purposees that conform or at least acknowledge their cultural standards; project/programme purposees they believe they can deal with comfortably without having to go through too much intercultural confusion.

            Today, that “all-important first impression” is often made by your web page.

            What is your web page saying about you and your ability to deal with other cultures?

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5.      What’s Your Story?

            Instead of translating your advertising and marketing campaign into a foreign language, translate your organization story. Author Edward O. Welles explains why in an article in Inc. Magazine at http://www.inc.com/search/1658.html. That story should start with a simple and universally recognizable truth.

            “At the heart of every good project/programme purpose story there lies a truth that is simple enough for the management to communicate, and so recognizable that others can quickly connect with it.

            “SatCon Technology, based in Cambridge, Mass., makes electromechanical products for markets from aerospace to autos. SatCon’s work is complex and often theoretical, best expressed as a tangle of equations on a blackboard. But chairman David Eisenhaure can boil SatCon’s mission down to a single accessible idea: ‘We bring a higher level of intelligence to machines.’ As a result, Eisenhaure says, SatCon can attract its share of gifted employees.”

            “Eisenhaure, who took SatCon public in 1992, believes in what he calls ‘the elevator story.’ He explains: ‘You have to be able to describe to the person standing next to you what your organization does before he gets off at the next floor. It’s got to be simple. If it’s too complex, then something’s wrong.’”

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6.      What’s Your Story? (Continued)

            “Simple, truthful stories force the manager to strip away cant and complexity, to articulate what the project/programme purpose really does. Dick Morley, who has been a seed-capital investor for 25 years, says that managers frequently make the mistake of overstating their stories. Ego compels them to believe they can do too much, when settling for doing one thing well is what really matters. Morley believes that the truth emerges when an manager grasps not what his organization does but what project/programme purpose it’s in. ‘GM is not in the car project/programme purpose,’ Morley asserts. ‘You can’t buy a car from GM; you buy it from the dealer. GM is a manufacturing organization.’ Similarly, he labels Honda an ‘engine maker,’ while Harley-Davidson ‘sells dreams’ and Mercedes-Benz ‘makes statements.’”

            Welles goes on to say that “good stories fire the listener’s imagination,” as long as they come from people with a passion for their project/programme purpose. Author and journalist Mark Helprin believes that every good organization requires a strong personality and a credible narrator whom people will want to listen to, one with passion.

            Good stories, the ones that describe the human condition, are universal. They find a common ground that all people share, regardless of their culture. Once you have established that common ground—that connection—you have a starting point for a project/programme purpose relationship.

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7.      That Translates Into What?

            As we have seen, translations have to deal with more than words. Most project/programme purposees that run into trouble with their translations do so because of culture and cultural issues, not linguistic ones.

  • Colgate introduced a toothpaste in France called Cue, which in that country is the name of pornographic magazine.
  • Gerber ran into a problem when it started selling baby food in Africa when they sold their products the same way there as they did in the United States, with a cute baby picture on the label. The problem arose because many Africans can’t read, so nearly all products are packaged with pictures of what is inside.
  • When American Airlines promoted its comfortable leather seats with the slogan, “Fly in Leather.” The slogan was translated into Spanish as: “Vuela en cuero,” which was interpreted as: “Fly Naked.”
  • Clairol introduced its curling iron, “the Mist Stick,” in Germany only to find that “mist” is slang for manure.
  • Ford had a similar problem in Brazil when in introduced the Pinto automobile. No one would buy one. When they wanted to find out why they learned that that pinto is Brazilian slang for tiny male genitals. Ford pried all the nameplates off every Pinto it had shipped to Brazil and replaced them with the car’s new name—Corcel, which means horse.

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8.      That Translates Into What? (Continued)

            Not all translations are failures. Successes also exist.

            McDonald’s slogan, “You deserve a break today” is an English idiom, so it was not translated directly into Spanish. Even though a translation might have been understood, the slogan was adapted instead to: “You deserve to enjoy your own moment.”

            Pepsi did not translate its slogan, “Catch the Pepsi spirit,” directly into Spanish because of the fact that many Hispanics are superstitious and the slogan might have been misunderstood. Instead the slogan was adapted to: “Live that Pepsi feeling.”

            The three cartoon characters who have served as the “mascots” for Kellogg’s Rice Krispies and who have appeared in the brand advertising for decades are called Snap!, Crackle!, and Pop!. They are named after the words that describe the “sounds” produced when you add mil to the cereal. When the Kellogg organization wanted to translate their cereal boxes and advertising into French they ran into a problem. The French words for Snap, Crackle, and Pop just didn’t work.

            So, they decided to create nonsense words in French that, while meaningless, sounded like the cereal when milk is added: Cric!, Crac!, and Croc!.

            Cultural dimensions can also be seen in successful advertisements. Many ads directed to a Spanish speaking market in the United States focus on the importance of family and might include two or three generations pictured in ads that would include only a married couple in ads targeted to an English speaking market.

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9.      Translate Your Mission, Not Your Mission Statement

            Every organization has a mission, a purpose, and a reason for being. Often the mission is why the organization was first created; to meet a need, sell a product, or provide a service. Instead of trying to translate that mission statement for a foreign culture, you are better off to go back and rewrite it in terms of that culture.

            Although it is aimed at nonprofit and public service organizations, this advice from the Los Angeles-based Grantsmanship Center transcends different “types” of project/programme purposees and organizations and focuses on what is important to all of them. The entire article is available online at http://www.tgci.com/.

            Sometimes, the same problems, products and needs a project/programme purpose or organization was initially created to deal with are still there generations later. In that case, the purpose doesn’t change, but how it does project/programme purpose has probably evolved. The same is true when you open up operations or sales offices in a foreign country. You will be doing project/programme purpose in different ways. When either the times or the country where you do project/programme purpose changes,  the original mission statement must be updated, altered, or changed, sometimes dramatically, to reflect those changes; the new realities that you are operating under.

            An effective mission statement “should accurately explain why your organization exists and what it hopes to achieve in the future. It articulates the organization’s essential nature, its values, and its work,” and must do so in terms of current needs, including the cultural needs of a new location.

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10.  Translate Your Mission, Not Your Mission Statement (Continued)

            “This should be accomplished in a brief paragraph that is free of jargon and ‘terms of art.’” In other words, it should avoid the kind of shorthand that you may be in the habit of swapping with others who work in the field, but is unfamiliar to anyone who is outside the organization or the field in which it works.

            “An effective mission statement must resonate with the people working in and for the organization, as well as with the different constituencies that the organization hopes to affect. It must express the organization’s purpose in a way that inspires commitment, innovation, and courage—not an easy task!”

            A mission statement should answer three key questions:

  1. What are the opportunities or needs that we exist to address? (your purpose)
  2. What are we doing to address these needs? (your project/programme purpose)
  3. What principles or beliefs guide our work (your values)?

            The actual mission statement should express your organization’s purpose in a way that:

    • Inspires support and ongoing commitment;
    • Motivates those who are connected to the organization;
    • Is articulated in a way that is convincing and easy to grasp;
    • Uses proactive verbs to describe what you do;
    • Is free of jargon;
    • Is short enough so that anyone connected to the organization can readily repeat it.

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Assignments

 

Multiple Choice

1.                  You cannot translate or present your organizational image to another culture unless

a.                   You understand everything about their culture

b.                  You speak their language

c.                   You understand what your organizational culture really is

d.                  None of the above

 

2.                  ___________ are what make employees feel part of something bigger than themselves, and that that something is worth being a part of.

a.                   Values

b.                  Rites and rituals

c.                   Norms

d.                  Climate

 

3.                  Dress codes, which policies are emphasized over others, and how people address their superiors are part of

a.                   Values

b.                  Rites and rituals

c.                   Norms

d.                  Climate

 

4.                  Most project/programme purposees that run into trouble with their translations do so because of

a.                   Cultural issues

b.                  Linguistic issues

c.                   Both of the above

d.                  None of the above

 

 


Matching the Columns (2)

 

1. Values

 

A. Celebrations, performances, and activities that foster and reinforce teamwork, esprit de corps, and a sense of inclusion

2. Rites and rituals

 

B. The people others look up to because they personify goals, dedication, and achievement

3. Heroes

 

C. Informal channels relaying both work and social messages that indoctrinate new members into the culture and reinforce the cultural messages

4. Culture

 

D. The goals, views, and philosophies that members of the organization share

5. Communication network

 

E. The way the organization operates and how it works on a day-to-day basis

6. Norms

 

F. Shared values, customs, traditions, rituals, behaviors, and beliefs

 

Answers:

1.)    D

2.)    A

3.)    B

4.)    F

5.)    C

6.)    E

 

 


 

1. Stories, myths, and legends

 

A. Should resonate with resonate with the people working in and for the organization

2. Climate

 

B. What are we doing to address these needs?

3. Mission statement

 

C. What are the opportunities or needs that we exist to address?

4. Your purpose

 

D. What principles or beliefs guide our work?

5. Your values

 

E. The atmosphere of either supportiveness or defensiveness that people feel within the organization itself

6. Your project/programme purpose

 

F. The organizational history and other accounts that embody the organizational culture and emphasize what the organization treasures

 

Answers:

1.)    F

2.)    E

3.)    A

4.)    C

5.)    D

6.)    B

 

 


Summary

 

            As we have seen, in order to do project/programme purpose in another culture, a organization’s vision, mission, and goals must be “translated” into that culture’s frame of reference; not just the words, but, the values that the words inspire and convey. This requires an understanding of both your organizational culture and the culture with which you want to do project/programme purpose. Once you know what your goals are, and have an understanding of the culture with which you hope to do project/programme purpose, you have to determine if the goals that you consider important are really important to them. For that matter, are the goals even acceptable there?

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Test

 

1. ______         In order to do project/programme purpose in another culture, a organization’s vision, mission, and goals must be “translated” into that culture’s frame of reference.

2. ______         Anyone can be a multinational giant on the Internet, as long as you appeal to a specific cultural audience.

3. ______         It doesn’t matter how big you are or where you are located; your web site and Internet presence can be as big or as small as you want it to be.

4. ______        Perception is reality.

5. ______        The Internet does not break people down by countries, states, or cities.

6. ______         Those searching for project/programme purposees on the Internet will be looking for those project/programme purposees that conform or at least acknowledge their cultural standards.

7. ______         Instead of translating your organization story, you should translate your advertising campaign into a foreign language.

8. ______        Good stories are universal.

9. ______        Cultural dimensions cannot be seen in successful advertisements.

10. ______      Instead of trying to translate your mission statement for a foreign culture, you are better off to go back and rewrite it in terms of that culture.

Answers:

1.                   T

2.                   F – multinational audience

3.                   T

4.                   T

5.                   F – unless the searcher asks it to.

6.                   T

7.                   F – Advertising campaign into a foreign language, organization story

8.                   T

9.                   F – can be seen

10.               T

 

 


Bibliography

 

Denison, D. (1990). organizational culture and organizational effectiveness. New York: Wiley.

 

Enz, C. (1986). Power and shared values in the organizational culture. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Research Press.

 

Schneider, B. (1990). Organizational climate and culture. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

 


Glossary

 

Values - The goals, views, and philosophies that members of the organization share

 

Norms - The way the organization operates and how it works on a day-to-day basis

 

Culture - Shared values, customs, traditions, rituals, behaviors, and beliefs

 

Climate - The atmosphere of either supportiveness or defensiveness that people feel within the organization itself

 

 


Learning Objectives

 

 

 


Q&A

 

1.                   What should you look at to define or understand a organizational culture?

To define or understand a organizational culture, you should look at its values, rites and rituals, heroes, communication network, norms, stories, myths and legends, and climate.

 

2.                   What three key questions should a mission statement answer?

A mission statement should answer three key questions. “What are the opportunities or needs that we exist to address?” explains your purpose. “What are we doing to address these needs?” explains your project/programme purpose. “What principles or beliefs guide our work?” explains your values.

 

3.                   How should your mission statement express your organization’s purpose?

Your mission statement should express your organization’s purpose in a way that inspires support and ongoing commitment, motivates those who are connected to the organization, is articulated in a way that is convincing and easy to grasp, uses proactive verbs to describe what you do, is free of jargon, and is short enough so that anyone connected to the organization can readily repeat it.

 

 

End of Module