Cross-Cultural Communication

Training and Consulting

Cross-Cultural Management

Focused primarily on the Russian culture, those seminars are best when combined with parallel ones for Russian audience dealing with the western culture they interact with every day at work or at school.

Such seminars are made for participants with no knowledge of cross-cultural communication. A shorter version may be compiled for an audience used to cross-cultural communication which wants to get insight of the Russian culture for the expatriates or a specific Western corporate culture for the local students.

Topics approached

Cultural Generalities:
• What is Culture?
• Why Cross-Cultural Communication is important today?
• A Particularistic society where relationships are stronger than rules or the opposite?
• High context culture: a look at diffuse Russian management
• The influence of Russian Geography
• Time relation: A Strong relation to the Past but a necessity to turn to the Present.
• Time Management: What is the time unit of Russia and its consequences when dealing with foreigners?
• A “Masculine” society where inequality is favored by all, regardless of the genders.
• Showing our emotions: Should we smile or not?
• Kinesthetic Russia
Society: • Symbols, Heroes, Rituals, Values
• Etiquette: Telephone, Street, political incorrectness
• Education
• Health Care System
• Home (building & family)
• Technology
• The way people speak
• Nationalism
Business: • Power
• Status
• Meetings
• Do we separate work and home?
• Influence of corporate cultures in Business
• Planning & Budgeting
• Contracts & Negotiations
• Connections: corruption or Mafia?
• Russian management style
Russian Paradoxes: • Polychronic at heart but strive for monochronism,
• The mix of Collectivism and Individualism in today’s Russia
• Centralized organization but de-centralized in reality
• Is Russia European or Asian…or Russian?
• What is capitalism and democracy for Russia?
• What is the traditional corporate culture of Russian companies (Guide missile, Eiffel Tour, Incubator, Family)?
For foreigners (non-Russians) • Presentation of Russia (Geography & History)
• What is Culture Transfer (how one’s feel)?
• Spoken & Body language.
• How about my own culture?


Possible Lectures Outlines

Lecture 1: Introduction
  • What is Culture?
  • Why CCM/CCC is important today?
  • History of CCM (Anthropolists, Hofstede, Today) + books list.
  • Culture as an onion (Artifacts, Norms & Values)
Lecture 2: Dimensions
  • Particularistic - Universalistic
  • Neutral - Affective
  • Collectivistic - Individualistic
Lecture 3: Dimensions
  • Diffuse - Specific
  • Achieved - Ascribed status
  • Masculine - Feminine
Lecture 4: Time and Culture transfer
  • What is time to someone? What does it mean?
  • Culture Transfer (how one’s feel), Language, Body language.
Lecture 5: Cultural corporate cultures
  • Guide missile,
  • Eiffel Tour,
  • Incubator,
  • Family.
Lecture 6: Students presentations
  • Countries similarities and difference
Lecture 7 (option): Negotiations & Etiquette
  • Negotiation across cultures: how to get prepared and how to minimise mistakes.
  • Etiquette + Politically correct.
Lecture 8 (option): Workshop
  • Workshop, simulation game
  • Feedback

For more information, contact Jérôme Dumetz (jerome@clamart).