LTC Language Solutions

written by Doug Price “…And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!” What follows a statement like this is understandably a venture into the less obvious, the misunderstood, even the invisible. The “culture iceberg” is one popular permutation of the analogy that has been bobbing its way through the decades. Freud originally applied the iceberg image to the human psyche. Edward T. Hall (1976) and Gary Weaver (1986) broadened its application to cultures. Decades later, you now find hundreds, if not thousands, of versions of iceberg models adapted to every nuance of interaction between cultures. Academicians define culture by internal and external attributes of a society’s behaviors, beliefs, values, attitudes, etc. There are more than I need to list, but the key ingredient to any definition you find is that a culture must be shared. You can’t have your own personal culture. photo credit by working together global Set your Titanic on a crash course for a culture iceberg. Get...

      Written by Steve Reynolds      “Steve, we have 100’s of Burmese employees. Why should we invest in a Cross-Cultural Training for our company?” – Indiana business owner “Great question. Simple answer. Cultural intelligence (CQ) builds TRUST.” And nothing is as effective as the speed of trust in an organization. Honing our cross-cultural skills leads to positive outcomes, including productivity, performance, employee retention and workplace happiness. Photo Credit by nrev.jp Stephen Covey reminds us to do the math. Instead of the standard business formula of S x E = R (Strategy times Execution equals Results), he highlights the hidden value of TRUST. (Strategy x Execution) x TRUST = Results. Trust can be a performance multiplier where 10 x 10 = 100 x TRUST actually produces a dividend. “Above all, success in business requires two things: a winning competitive strategy, and superb organizational execution. Distrust is an enemy to both.”...