“You have two eyes, two ears, but only one mouth. You should use them accordingly.”
“The Culture Map” by Erin Meyer provides a framework to understand the most common business communications challenges that are present when you are working in a global context, with colleagues or stakeholders from different cultures.
By assuming that culture does not matter, our default mechanism will be to view others through our own cultural lens and to judge or misjudge them accordingly.
To be successful in a cross-geo context we need to have an appreciation for cultural differences as well as respect for individual differences because both are essential. Cultural patterns of behavior and belief frequently impact our perceptions (what we see), cognitions (what we think), and actions (what we do).
Magda Miu 