Chronicle Editor
Yoliswa Dube-Moyo
ALTHOUGH many businesses already had an online presence in the past, the Covid-19 pandemic has necessitated the need for a more robust approach to doing business online.
Many non-essential service providers have been forced to shut their doors due to national lockdowns imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
This has forced many businesses to turn to the digital space to keep things moving.
It has also meant customers have to log onto the Internet to access certain goods and services.
Because of the lack of inhibition emanating from the absence of face-to-face interactions, phone etiquette and cultural sensitivity have not been observed by many businesses.
Recently, an employee behind a bank’s Twitter handle asked a client who had made a query in Ndebele to translate it to English as they could not understand Ndebele, which irked many who felt such a big bank would not fail to have at least one person who can speak or understand Ndebele.
They felt it was culturally insensitive and infringed on the customer’s right to express themselves in a language they are most comfortable with.
Many experts define cultural sensitivity as the willingness to acknowledge cultural differences without making value judgments about these differences.
Culturally aware organisations operate with the understanding that not every employee, vendor, or customer will share the same culture.
These organisations prioritise positive relationships with employees, vendors and customers by acknowledging and respecting cultural differences.
In an increasingly globally connected world, cultural differences, and our responses to them, can sometimes create barriers to doing business.
As a business owner, it is important to lead your team in developing sensitivity to, and knowledge of, other cultures.
Experts say doing so can improve your relationships with customers, employees and vendors while also improving business processes, sales and the quality of the products and services you offer.
According to research, understanding cultural differences is essential in all spheres. If you get it right, you lay the foundations of great working relationships.
If you get it wrong, you can cause offence, lose trust and jeopardise a lucrative contract.
As more and more companies employ people from diverse cultures and serve clients with business operations in multiple countries, there is a constant danger of unintentionally committing a cultural faux pas.
While minor insensitivity may be brushed off with an embarrassed smile, cultural insensitivity can seriously annoy employees, customers, partners and suppliers, especially when they think you should know better.
From failing to bow in the right manner in Japan to using your left hand inappropriately in the Middle East, or failing to say what you mean in the United States or Australia, it is easy to get off on the wrong footing when meeting people from different cultural backgrounds.
According to research by CT Business Travel, the French prefer to shake hands lightly, as do the Japanese and South Koreans. And while pre-business chit-chat may be customary in Brazil, this is not the case in Russia, Switzerland and a number of other countries.
Cultural awareness goes far deeper than simple manners in business meetings. It is about understanding local customs, traditions, governments and economies. It is also about being sensitive to company culture, values and individual personalities.
English is widely used in global business but it is important to respect the local language of the people you are doing business with, even if it is just a few words of welcome.
Knowing what to do and how to communicate with people from different cultures will not only help you develop good relationships around the world but it will also help you foster trust in your business.
Research shows that much of cultural sensitivity is down to learning from experience.
In Indonesia and many other parts of the world for example, you do not hand something to somebody with your left hand. It is rude. This is because the left hand is used for cleaning oneself after going to the bathroom.
Then there’s the subject of drinking tea. It would be fatal to meet someone important and take a sip of tea before the host invites you to drink it. That is because it is very culturally insensitive to do so.
But not everyone has the opportunity to learn from experience before they are plunged into a potentially tricky situation, especially younger professionals and those with limited contact with different cultures other than those they grew up with.
And companies can ill-afford to make mistakes that could threaten a business deal.
This is why it’s always important to do your homework.
To minimise the risk of cultural insensitivity, many companies working across international borders are investing in cross-cultural or inter-cultural training for staff, clients and other stakeholders.
Training specialist Cathy Wellings, Director of London School of International Communication, says: “One of the most powerful results of inter-cultural training is when participants begin to see how their behaviours might be interpreted by colleagues or partners from other cultures and they realise the need to adapt their ‘normal’ way of doing things.”
She adds: “It is always great when we see those lightbulb moments during our inter-cultural programmes when participants begin to understand why their colleagues do things differently and see the potential benefits of cross-cultural diversity rather than simply seeing cultural differences as difficult or frustrating.”
The key is being able to acknowledge cultural differences without making value judgments. It is about respecting that everyone is different, both within and outside an organisation.
Cultural insensitivity and ignorance can take a toll on a business. The damage may be internal, by alienating and distressing employees, or damaging negotiations and relationships with other businesses.
Consumers are increasingly demanding that businesses demonstrate a commitment to cultural respect. Failure to do so could result in loss of reputation and sales.
Meanwhile, developing cultural awareness and sensitivity begins within a business’s own culture. Once leadership makes it clear that respect for other cultures is an important part of how the company operates, it can become easier for the company as a whole to reflect these values.
One important part of cultural sensitivity is not making assumptions about other people and their cultures.
Online Reporter