Step 1

Read the following mini-case:

Topic: Applying cross cultural frameworks in cross cultural communication

Karen Johnson works for a large American technology company, ABC Systems. The US firm has just
acquired a small Korean chip manufacturer, Byeol Inc., from a large conglomerate and Karen was
posted overseas to supervise the operation. She has previously been head of the hardware division at
ABC Systems and this was her first foreign posting.

Karen’s first goal upon her arrival was to get to know her team and deal with any issues they had with
previous management under the conglomerate. She was keen to create an open and less bureaucratic
working environment where problems and issues were discussed directly, similar to her experience at
ABC Systems.

She initiated a team meeting with all the Byeol senior managers to discuss any issues regarding
production and employee morale. Karen wanted to ensure the manufacturing process was highly
efficient as it had to increase supply to its American parent company in preparation for a new product
launch.

In her first meeting, she asked the managers if there were any problems with the previous management
and how they wanted it to be solved. The senior managers were reluctant to discuss any serious
issues, as they still had to be supplied by the Korean conglomerate for their chip manufacturing. Karen
was aware that Byeol had been late with some deliveries and wanted to identify the reason. Her
managers did not give her any straight answers, instead explaining that there were a few non-specific
technical issues that had been resolved. Karen left the first meeting feeling a little frustrated.

The Byeol managers had heard that Karen wanted to streamline their operations to create a more
efficient manufacturing process. They were afraid this objective might result in cost-cutting and job
redundancies. They were also reluctant to communicate the low staff morale left over from the previous
management that were due to salary levels and long working hours.

Karen decided to change her communication strategy and arrange one on one meeting with her
managers in order to encourage more open dialogue. She received mixed responses. In some cases,
the situation was reported to be fine and in other cases, she heard that employees wanted better
working conditions. She did not know who to believe and decided to communicate these issues in
another team meeting. As she raised these issues, she was met with the same muted response from
her managers. Her frustration was beginning to escalate.

Step 2

Prepare a short written analysis of the mini-case of approx. 250 words. Your analysis should consider
the following questions:

What cross cultural frameworks are involved in this situation? (Hofstede's cultural dimensions, Hall's
High and Low context cultures, The Chinese Negotiation concepts)
What would you say are the reasons behind the actions from Karen Johnson and Byeol senior
managers?

What suggestion would you have for Karen Johnson?