Unit 2
Unit 2
READING .
1 Eu ropeans find it hard to work with people from the Middle East and Asia .
2 You need to adapt your behaviour and communication style when working across cultures.
3 Maintaining grou p harmony is the most important quality needed by international managers.
m Understanding details
Read the article again and answer these questions.
1 In what ways has the world of work cha nged in recent years?
2 How are some international softw are development projects run nowadays?
3 What is the result of increased interaction between colleagues from different countries?
4 What do organisations need in order to be effective in different countries?
5 What research did PDI carry out?
6 How big was PDI's survey?
7 What are 'The Big Five'?
8 What was one of the most important findings from the research?
9 How did managers from the UK score on the research?
10 How did managers from Saudi Arabia and Japan score?
11 What can happen when British managers come into contact with managers from
Saudi Arabia or Japan?
12 What is one potential problem when British peo ple work with the Chinese?
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UNIT 2 ~~ COMMUNICATING ACROSS CULTURES
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UNIT Z ~~ COMMUNICATING ACROSS CULTURES
VOCABULARY
El Understandin g ex pressions
1 Match ' The Bi g Five' personal ity traits described in the art ide (1-5) with their defin itions (a--e) .
2 Match each of these sta tements to one of 'The Big Five' personal ity trai ts in Exercise 1.
[J Sentence completion
Use the words and phrases in the box to complete the sentences.
1 If you are unlikely to succeed in doi ng something, then making an extra .. .. ... . will probably
be a was te of time.
2 If you are l oo direct and unhelpful to people, you may appear to them to be .... ... and ..
3 If you are in regular con tact with people, that means you have a lot of .. with them.
4 We all have .. . .... and make assumptions about how people will behave before we meet them.
5 People who communicate well with other peop le usually have good .. .. .. . skills.
6 .. .. .. .. are qualities that are part of someone's personality.
7 If you do not want 10 do something, then you are not . ...... to do it.
S The impression you make on other people is also how yo u ... . ... 10 them.
9 If people really don't want 10 do wha t you suggest, then your ideas will probably be
10 In Asian cultures, group . ...... is important, so people do not openly disagree wi th each other.
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UNIT 2 H COMMUNICATING ACROSS CULTURES
D Synonyms
Find word s in the article which mean the same as these words.
1 chiefs/bosses 6 24/7
2 fellow employees 7 managers
3 abroad 8 companies
4 customers 9 study
5 suppliers 10 by yourself
m PrepOSitions
Complete these sentences using the prepositions in the box.
1 Increased contact with colleagues from other countries has resulted . ,. ,. ,. big contrasts in ways of
working and communicating.
2 The PDI survey looked ... ... . . personality traits in leaders from different countries.
3 In particular, the study examined the personality traits that make ........ 'The Big Five'.
4 Agreeableness and emotional balance account .. the biggest differences between managers
from different countries.
5 Managers from Asian and Middle Eastern countries are particularly concerned ....... maintaining
group harmony.
6 Managers from Asian and Middle Eastern countries are also more in touch . .. their emotions
and feelings.
7 To be effective as an international manager, it is important to be able to match your communication
style ....... those of colleagues from other countries.
8 Western managers put less emphasis ....... maintaining group harmony.
9 They are therefore at risk ,coming across as abrupt and non-caring to managers from Asia and
the Middle East.
OVER TO YOU
1 'The Big Five' personality traits are not primarily intended to compare styles of behaviour and
communication in different cultures. Nevertheless, try to position your culture and one other culture
you know well against 'The Big Five'.
2 Based on your findings from question 1, what advice would you give to someone from another culture
about working effectively with people from your culture? How should they adapt their behaviour and
communication style?
3 Work individually and make a list of eight or nine key personal qualities or characteristics which you
think would help someone to be successful when working across cultures. Then compare your list with
those of two or three other people and try to reach a group consensus.
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