UNIT 1.

The Lewis Model

Despite globalisation, Richard Lewis says people are still rooted in their national and
regional backgrounds, and it is important to understand how these influences work
to avoid cultural misunderstanding
One of the key parts of a diplomat’s job is to understand and build good working
relationships with the governments and peoples of the countries he or she is dealing with.
Despite the fact that cultures are coming together under the influence of globalisation and
internationalism, people are still rooted in their national and regional backgrounds and it is
important to understand how these influences work.

One of the key tools we use in international consultation is the Lewis Model. This divides
the world’s countries into three categories, based on the way they organise themselves, the
way they communicate and, particularly, their attitude to the use of time. It provides a
framework within which individuals can understand their own profile and compare it to
the people they are dealing with.
The three categories are Linear-active cultures, Multi-active cultures and Reactive cultures.
A linear-active culture is a planning culture, characterised by careful planning, commitment
to deadlines, more or less strict timekeeping and building personal relationships through
successful business dealing. Cultures in what is sometimes called the Northwest cluster of
countries are typically linear-active. A multi-active culture on the other hand is a vision
culture. It knows what it wants to achieve but is flexible about how it does so. This means
it prioritises activities by personal importance rather than by adherence to externally
established deadlines. It also means time itself is a flexible resource. For example, Indians
joke that IST (‘Indian Standard Time’) really stands for ‘Indian Stretchable Time’. In a
multi-active society relationships are everything and therefore building strong personal
relationships comes first. “Get the relationship right and business follows as day follows
night,” one Korean friend and colleague explained.
There is sometimes a suggestion that linear-active countries like the US and Germany are
more successful than multi-actives. They may be more efficient. What you do find,
however, is that international operations run more smoothly according to linear-active
principles and as cities in multi-active countries become more internationally commercial
and successful they inevitably become more linear-active in their mode of operation.
Most countries tend towards a linear-active or multi-active modus operandi, but we need
to mention one more category in the Lewis model – reactive. This is a characteristic typical
of countries in the Asia Pacific region, such as China, South Korea and Japan. Diplomats
from reactive countries typically value time for silence, consideration and reflection.
Respect for the other person and giving them time to think before answering questions is
very important. Also important is the reactive concept of groupthink. Japanese diplomats
will want to take time to reflect and discuss with colleagues before giving a response to a
problem. The process is known in Japanese as nemawashi, binding the roots of the rice to
make it stronger, or more typically, a process of collective internal negotiation. This means
that decisions can be slow in coming and foreign envoys have to ready for this.
Most important of all is the overriding importance of ‘face’ or personal dignity. All societies
have this to some extent but in the Asia Pacific region it is particularly evident. ‘Face’ puts
an absolute premium on respect, politeness and consideration, and most colleagues will do
their utmost to save face, even if it means being economical with the truth or outright
covering up of difficult or embarrassing situations. This may extend to covering up the
facts of a crisis when the situation is visibly deteriorating. Successful diplomats require the
ability to both understand the culture and to know culturally the right way to behave in
order to resolve difficulties.
Culture isn’t black and white. Countries vary in the degree to which they conform to the
three categories. This is why we find it useful to present them in this colour-graded triangle.
Questions:
1. The phrase “thinking global, acting local” is often quoted. What does it mean to you?
2. Why is it important for companies to be aware of local cultures?
3. Which of the following working practices would be effective in your country? Why?
a) the principle of ‘pay for performance’for sales representatives – the more they sell, the
more they get paid
b) having a competition for the ‘Employee of the month’
c) having a matrix management system
d) extensive teamwork