Reading and writing emails, reports, and other business documents are a daily reality in the workplace. Trying to capture necessary information, avoiding mistakes, and being clear and professional can be challenging enough without having to consider cultural differences.
Before we move into the practicalities of writing in, and across diverse cultural settings, we’ll first look at two activities to further develop reflection and discussion on cultural value orientations.
Exercise
Exercise
Considerations for Written Communication
The following are some tips and suggestions on how to take cultural differences into account in the workplace. When going through each section, consider your perspectives on both the giving and receiving end of written communication.
1. What level of formality should I use?
Recipients with a higher-power distance orientation:
In emails, keep greetings and sign-offs formal as well (even if you’ve had numerous exchanges):
- “Dear (full name)”
- “Dear (title)”
- “Best regards”
- “Yours sincerely”
When corresponding, responding, or following up with a person in a more senior position, you may need to be more indirect, sometimes overly polite, and formal:
- “It would be appreciated if …”
- “If you don’t mind me asking …”
- “Thank you for your email and your request for…”
Note: Avoid disagreeing with or criticizing a person directly in writing, especially if others are included in the exchange.
When corresponding, responding, or following up with a person at your level or in a more junior position, be more direct, and remain formal.
- “As you know, the submission deadline for reports is this Friday. Have that into me no later than the end of day on Thursday.”
- “In response to your Project XYZ question, the team leader will follow up with you this week.”
Note: Being direct with a junior employee within a high-power distance setting may feel uncomfortable, especially if you come from a low-power distance culture, but it can also help ease confusion about expectations and work roles.
Recipients with a lower-power distance orientation:
Start formal, and once you’ve had a few email exchanges, use more informal greetings and signoffs.
- “Dear (first name)”
- “Hi (first name)”
Note: Even in lower-power relationships, there may be an expectation from the organization to maintain formality in all exchanges. Take cues from the other person’s emails.
This goes for the body of the email as well. Start formal and with more exchanges, transition to a more direct and informal style:
- “I’m just writing to…”
- “I’ll need to get that report by…”
- “It would be great if…”
In lower-power distance settings, opinions, disagreements, and clarifications can usually be directed more freely within written communication – be direct, give reasons (in the case of opinions and disagreements), but be polite.
- “I read through the report, and after careful consideration, I don’t think that Option B is the best way to go. The reason for this is…,”
- “Thank you for your thorough analysis. I’m afraid I don’t agree with your data in Point 10, because…”
- “I read your report, and I don’t agree with your findings.”
- “You’re wrong, because…”
Exercise
2. How much and what kind of information should I provide?
For all forms of business writing, consider how much context or background a person expects, and to what extent you need to focus on the task or relationship.
A recipient with a direct, low-context, and/or task-based orientation:
There may be an expectation to provide only the essential details to get on with a job. If you give a person more than expected, you may be perceived as unclear in your words and unsure about their needs.
- “The details for your project are as follows:”
- “The following are the key areas you’ll need to focus on…”
- “Your main tasks are outlined below…”
Note: Adding context, background, or even a small check-in may come with good intentions but can be frustrating for a person who is highly task based. Pay attention to the way your recipient writes business documents and interacts with you via email.
A recipient with an indirect, high-context, and/or relationship orientation:
There may be an expectation to provide context or background and a certain level of rapport. If you do not provide the additional information, or focus on task rather than relationship, they may feel that you are unhelpful or unfriendly.
- “Before going through the details, I’d like to give you a bit of background to…”
- “Susan, I appreciate you taking the time to work on this project. I have some additional information to share with you before I move into the actual task.”
- “The following is a bit of background, so you have a better idea of how to proceed.”
Additional notes on tasks:
- A person who is very indirect or relationship oriented, may read into intentions or meaning of task-based messages, which can in-turn invoke an emotional response. An opening/initial gesture is always welcomed, no matter how small (e.g., “I hope your week is going well.”).
- Regardless of who you are writing to, putting tasks near the beginning allows a person a quicker understanding of what needs to be done.
- Seeing tasks at the beginning of an email can be a challenge for those with a high-context orientation. You may need to add a note to explain this and avoid misunderstandings.
3. How do I set deadlines?
Deadlines need to be stated as explicitly as possible – organizations have, out of necessity, a monochronic orientation.
A recipient with a higher-context and/or polychronic orientation:
They may need encouragement to stick to the deadlines. If you want to get better results, add context by explaining the benefits of adhering to a deadline, or the possible consequences of not doing so.
- “As a reminder, your part of the report is needed by June 2. We will need to meet the deadline, or we won’t be able to include it in the presentation on June 4.”
- “We are nearing the deadline (5/28) for your monthly status reports. These reports are a valuable resource when looking at new initiatives and improvements.”
A recipient with a lower-context and/or monochronic orientation:
Concise wording and the strength of your message will impact their level of commitment.
- “Your part of the report is due on June 2. It is imperative that this deadline is met.”
- “The status updates are due by 4pm today.”