Figure A. (Geert Hofstede, n.d.)
Consider this scenario: You’re an American sales representative responsible for fostering relationships with your organization’s clientele. A French company you do business with calls your direct line, and starts having a conversation with you. You think you know who it is, but just to confirm, you ask, “Who is this?” You may not know it, but you might have already hurt your relationship with your French associate without even realizing it. In France, you are expected to recognize a person over a telephone by voice alone, but that’s not typical of American culture (Moran, 2014, e-book). It is a global leader’s responsibility to understand the culture they are conducting business with so as to avoid walking into a cultural gaffe. Becoming cognizant of French communication tactics and what the French score on Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions, and vice versa, will prepare you for a successful business relationship.
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions come from a variety of studies that are useful for comparing the cultures of countries to each other and to the world averages. There are six dimensions that are quantitatively ranked and averaged: power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long term orientation, and indulgence, and the world averages for each are 59.31, 45.17, 49.53, 67.64, 45.48, and 45.42 respectively (Geert Hofstede, n.d.). These averages are useful for understanding the organizational business styles of the United States and France. According to Figure A, the US exhibits a low power distance, high individualism, high masculinity, low uncertainty avoidance, low long-term orientation, and high indulgence scores. To summarize, the US believes that the powerful/non-powerful should be treated equally, people are responsible for their own actions, competition is important in general but also is business, fewer rules should allow for lots of opinions, people are generally focused on the short-term, and immediate gratification is apparent (Pennsylvania State, 2017a). In contrast, France has a high power distance, high individualism, below average masculinity, high uncertainty avoidance, high long term orientation, and average indulgence scores (Geert Hofstede, n.d.). In other words, the French believe the powerful should be treated better, people are responsible for themselves, competition is not a big motivator, lots of laws are in place to reduce ambiguity, the people are future-oriented, and are balanced in regards to practicing restraint and indulgence (Pennsylvania State, 2017a). As you can see, there are some notable differences between the two cultures.
If you’re a French businessperson looking to conduct business with an American, take heed of Hofstede’s analysis of the United States. Americans are a lot more competitive than you’re used to, and that spirit is exploited in their organizations. Competitions motivate people to do more because it can result in reward. France has a much more stratified social structure in comparison to America, and you’ll see Americans may compete for the best houses, the highest paying positions in their work, or maybe even for fun to get everybody else motivated (Pennsylvania State, 2017b)! Americans also are very valuable of their time. In France, the time sense may be casual, but in the United States, “Americans set schedules and appointments and tend to prioritize events and move through the process ‘controlling’ the time allotted them” (Moran, 2014, e-book). In other words, don’t be late to your meeting! Another notable difference is in short-term, long-term orientations. While you may be used to the pragmatic approach when it comes to preparing for the future, the United States prefers to maintain traditions and norms, while viewing societal change with suspicion (Geert Hofstede, n.d.). They also measure performance on a short-term basis, so it may be best to focus on the here-and-now for your business negotiations. You’re both somewhat informal in etiquette though, so keep your business conduct relaxed and get ready to get down to business!
Americans, there are some things you need to know about how the French do business, and one of them is their attitude towards work. Unlike in the states, you can’t just work your way to the top in France. One of the consequences of the rigid social structure is little incentive to be productive: quotas are rarely assigned, it’s virtually impossible to lay off employees on the basis of job performance, and the French even get 4-5 weeks of vacation (Moran, 2014, e-book). Hence, don’t rely on your strong work ethic to motivate them. In fact, stray away from even talking about how strong your work ethic is; in France, boasting is often considered a weakness, and a sign of immaturity (Moran, 2014, e-book)! Also, don’t be offended by their reluctance to make commitments; as mentioned before, time is casual, and often leads to last minute scheduling (Moran, 2014, e-book). Once you’re all settled into your meeting, however, you can have some fun—the French expect an enthusiastic sharing of meals while doing business, and if you’re truly an American, you’ll certainly enjoy that (Moran, 2014, e-book). Lastly, give a nice, firm handshake, dress neatly, and remember: if you get a call from your French associate, don’t ask, “Who is this?” over the phone!
References:
Geert Hofstede. (n.d.). Retrieved April 06, 2017, from https://geert-hofstede.com/united-states.html
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). Oxon: Routledge.
Pennsylvania State World Campus. (2017a). Lesson 2: Introduction to Culture. Retrieved January 18, 2017, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/discussion_topics/11456138?module_item_id=21654089
Pennsylvania State World Campus. (2017b). Lesson 12: Western Europe. Retrieved April 6, 2017, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654180
Kelly Erin Tittle says
As I was researching this week for my own blog post I found yours extremely helpful. I too looked at the cultural differences between France and the U.S. I would say the most stark difference I found was the emphasis on social status. I find it quite shocking In the text where he talks about people rarely rising above their perceived social status. Although the Unites States has her own fair share of problems, it does make me grateful to live in a country that truly encourages people to rise above and achieve their dreams. Even though we have social structure here as well, I do believe it is highly frowned upon to treat someone as unequal from you.