What I will do if I am in a situation likes Carlos was facing in the video? I come from Asia, my behavioral patterns are similar to Carlos has to some extent. Trying to convince my own boss that I’m good for the job is something that I prefer not to do. I remembered how horrify I was not knowing what outcome is going to be; whether I will get fired, get promoted or be stalled in my career. I’ve begun to develop a thick skin after having done so many times now.

In the Video, Carlos’ boss would not listen and try to understand where Carlos was coming from. He tried to argue and point out all the wrong things he could think of to convince Carlos that he was not ready for the task. In a class discussion we agreed that Carlos would give up and quit. Though, if I were him I would not necessary quit the job. I would go back to my desk/cubicle and think of new approach to talk to my boss. Since all he cares was number, I say let’s give him numbers. I would counter what he has to say about the unfavorable ratio with positive-interrelated ratio. I always believe that if the ratio is bad or unfavorable, it does not indicate poor performance. There are at least two factors that make up the ratio, which means that for the same number that negatively affect the ratio can yield a positive affect on another ratio. For instance, a profit margin is low because an increase of cost of good sold outpaced an increase in sale even though the sale is still growing. In this case, I would bring other ratio to counter that such as Asset turnover. This number will be much higher/ favorable, assuming that the only cost that increases is variable cost. To that end, I would say Carlos should work with what is working. If the boss wants to see and discuss only numbers, let’s give him just that.

the Aracruz simulation was interesting. The simulation demonstrated that in any negotiation, there are hidden agendas. Whether you are working with people in other cultures, in other countries, other business groups or in our day to day live, each person or group has something that 1) they want out of the deal and 2) something they are willing to give up to get what they want. I am not a "supersalesman", but my negotiating philosophy is that a good deal is a deal where everyone walks away feeling like they got something they wanted, especially if the parties will have to continue to work together. In Aracruz, we had the Company with their objectives, the community with their own objectives (but they appeared to want the company to be successfull), the people- who seemed to only want what they felt was rightfully theirs, then the FUNAI and the NGO's with agendas that they claimed were to support the people, but I felt had an entirely different objective..power.

I felt our group was effective because we all came in with the attitude that we wanted to make this work, we wanted a win-win for all. I am not sure that this was an accurate depiction of the actual negotiations as I suspect emotions on all sides were very hot at this point...but in the end, we were successful.

how would I redo the simulation???? maybe the story is different (because it is hard in 10 minutes to feel passionate about our roles and truly defend our groups position...this made it easy to comprimise) ...possible scenario....the circumstance is 5 friends planning a vacation, each has someplace they want to go, but for different reasons. Maybe Mexico, France, Vietnam, New York & Costa Rica. some members like museums, some want the beach and the quiet relaxing atmosphere, some want adventure and exploring, etc. Each has a stake in where they go because this is probablly an expensive, long trip and should be memorable. Each person has a personal stake in the outcome, so thy might be inclined to act differently. Ultimately, they all have to agree on 1 destination (it doesn't have to be one of the original destinations mentioned). Just an initial thought and this needs to be built on.....

I think that stakeholder dialogue is usefull in every aspect of our lives. At work, at home and certainly when making large purchases...any time the stakes are significant (parting with large sums of money, values, work expectations, etc.) it is good to remember that the stakes might be just as great on the other side of the table, recognize this and work with it and try and find a solution that is a win for everyone on some level. Win-Lose means someone walks away disappointed and mistrustful, a Win-Win can allow everyone to walk away, saving face and happy.

GCI - February 4, 2010

The Global Competencies Inventory scores seem to be really valid.The factors that it focuses to assess my  intercultural adaptability is quite convincing. Although my overall global competency index is high, I really need to work on Cosmopolitanism dimension. Before pursuing MBA as my career option, I never had a chance to develop interest in foreign cultures, current world and international events. I feel that I lack that quality and I need to really develop this dimension to be more effective when working in a multicultural environment. But my score on one dimension did surprise me.I have always felt that I had a clear vision of what I want from life, my capabilities, values and beliefs. Ironically, the test proved me wrong. So I will try to be more self aware and work towards developing that dimension too. But overall this assessment tool is a great learning experience. In a nut shell, I have to work on looking inward to develop self awareness and looking outward to improve global awareness.And yes, Kudos to whoever developed this assessment tool!

Good Learning + Fun

All the classes we have had so far have been an interesting mix of learning, creativity and fun. The weekend class where we played the card game was a great way to learn what it is like to have to face a new set of rules every so often. It touched upon the aspect of dealing with change and ambiguity and still continue to face the challenge of advancing to the next level. Which is what i think good leaders do very effectively. I also thoroughly enjoyed the role play between the Xians and Americans. There is nothing such as right and wrong when it comes to cultures. It is all about understanding change and accepting it in order to get results. Tuesday's class on the research related to common characteristics of effective leaders was interesting too. The exercise on code switching got me thinking about actually practicing it in order to be more effective. Looking forward to the next class!

I think I am finally recovering from the marathon class sessions over the last week. I have worked internationally for 14 years and thought I was pretty sensitive to different cultures and differing styles. The various exercises we did over the weekend and again on Tuesday, made me realize that there is always work to do in the area of cultural sensitivity. I have spent numerous hours this week with my extended team in EMEA working through some budget exercises. On Monday, I started to approach the discussions and issues as I always have (which has worked for me, but I recognize this could be offputting to others), but decided to take a step back and really listen to how the rest of the team was approaching the discussions. I took out my communication styles handout (figuratively, not literally) and tried to identify what style each person was exhibiting. I was able to recognize the participants who struggled with ambiguity, which participants were circular, which were linear, which were low context and so on. It was facinating. Taking the time to listen for the verbal cues in the discussion (I don't have the luxury of seeing their physical reactions), helped me to better communicate our goals & objectives. The folks that are uncomfortable with ambiguity and high-level thinking may never really be comfortable with these instances, but I hope that by recognizing their struggles, I can frame expectations and coach them so they can be successful.

February 2, 2010

Today's video on Managerial Code-Switching helped me in precisely understanding the different communication patterns/styles that exist in a multicultural environment. I could acknowledge that most of the misconceptions/misunderstandings that happen due to such contrasting behavioral patterns can have great impact at work. I think I am little confident now that,given a situation, I can perceive what is not visible and interpret patterns and the interaction among cues in a better way.

When I was working as a Software Developer with Verizon in India we, as a team, faced many such challenges while communicating with on shore teams. I wasn't exposed to US culture at that time and it caused difficulty in making them understand the feasibility of certain development applications that our team was working on.  Our manager had to focus on deadlines and hence couldn't help us much with decoding the expectations of onshore team.Although we resolved the issues in our own ways it would have been great if I was aware of these concepts earlier.It would have made my life at work more simple.

The Ball game assisted in understanding how team strategies can work wonders when approached with confidence and motivated by a good leader. The article on "Spark Innovation through Empathic Design" identified the positive payoff any product company can achieve by just observing customer needs. It can sometimes help in damage control when applied thoughtfully.

Watch...Play...Learn...!

Don't we always go through some sort of code switching everyday? The way I act with my family is completely different when I am with my clients. It depends on the relationship, perception and need. But can we do it effectively? In a business world there is always something related to achievement. It could be monetary or relational. In the video Carlos was an effective code switcher with his subordinate but with his boss he pressed the wrong button.

The Ball game was fun. When there is a need and a supporting evidence that it can be done, we can improve our productivity exponentially. In a business situation, this can be great inspiration to boost productivity and also elevate team spirit.