Introduction

Overview

This book is a cultural guide for non-Americans who work with people from the United States. It tells people from other countries what to expect from their American colleagues and coworkers: how they typically behave in the workplace, how they will expect non-Americans to behave, and how the behavior of non-Americans comes across to people from the United States. For American readers this book describes how their behavior on the job comes across to people from other cultures and why Americans react to these people the way they do.

This book will help you deal more effectively with Americans:

• whether you work face-to-face with them in the United States, in your own country, or in a third country;

• whether you work with Americans indirectly, such as by phone, e-mail, or as a member of a virtual team;

• or even if you don t work directly with Americans at all but need to understand them better.

If you are an American, this book will help you understand and work more effectively with people from other cultures in whatever circumstances you encounter them.

The American Workplace?

Of all the books that no one can write, Jacques Barzun has noted, those about nations and the national character are the most impossible (Kammen 1980, xvii). Anyone who sets out to describe the American workplace is faced immediately with two tough questions: Which Americans and which workplace? Are we talking about white Americans or African Americans? Hispanic, Asian, or Native Americans? Americans from New England, the mid-Atlantic, the Deep South, the Midwest, or the far West? Men or women? Older Americans, middle-aged Americans, or young Americans? Americans in cities or Americans in rural areas?

And which workplace? Public sector or private sector? Profit or non- profit? Business, government, or education? The hard-hat workplace or the white collar workplace? Are we talking about the retail sector, manufacturing, financial, or health care? Is this the pharmaceutical workplace or the insurance, hospitality, oil and gas, or high tech workplace? And which division: research and development, manufacturing, sales and marketing, finance, or human resources? These entities can be entire cultures unto themselves ” strange even to other Americans, to say nothing of people from outside the United States. Are there actually ways in which all of these workplaces are truly alike?

The answer is a cautious yes. If it is true that people from the same culture share to some extent certain deeply held values, beliefs, and assumptions, and if it is also true that those shared values, beliefs, and assumptions shape the behavior of those people in common ways, then it is quite possible that people from the same culture working in a variety of different places will behave in many ways that are remarkably alike. And it is these many ways, these widely shared behaviors, that make up the American workplace described in these pages.

This is not to say that there are not numerous and significant ways that workplaces differ from each other, or that a strong corporate culture does not on occasion trump the influence of the national (in this case, the American) culture. Workplaces are very different one from another, in superficial and profound ways, and general statements about how Americans behave on the job regularly founder on the rock of just such differences. But there are also ways in which almost all various American workplaces are similar, especially from the point of view of people from outside the United States or otherwise raised in a different culture.

To put it another way, the techies from research and development (R&D) may indeed come from another world as far as the folks in sales and marketing are concerned ” and vice versa ” but their deep differences notwithstanding, American technical types and American sales reps are more like each other than either of them is like their counterparts from India or France. One American workplace, in short, different as it may be from another, is still more like other American workplaces in many ways than like a Chinese or Brazilian workplace.

That being said, most of the workplace-specific observations made in this book are more likely to apply to the white collar than to the blue collar workplace. The job setting envisioned here, in other words, is not the construction site or the shop floor ” although some of the information may apply to those settings ” but the office, where people work at desks, usually in front of a computer, go to lots of meetings, and almost never sweat. Beyond that, the American described here is more likely to be a manager than an underling.

Which Americans?

To believe that it is possible to generalize about the American workplace, it is only necessary to believe that we can generalize about Americans. Which brings us right back to where we started: Which Americans? Whose values, beliefs, and assumptions ” which American culture ” are we describing in these pages? For the most part we will be describing the dominant American culture, often referred to as European American, meaning those assumptions, values, and beliefs originally derived from the early European settlers in the United States and later amended by their experiences during the first 150 years or so of American history. There are other significant cultures in the United States, of course, and people who have had a different set of experiences, but it is the core assumptions and values of this dominant culture that later immigrants have for centuries conformed to in order to succeed and prosper . More than that of any other single group , it is the worldview derived from the European-American mindset that has shaped the culture of the American workplace. It may be present to a greater or a lesser degree in different workplaces, but its influence can be felt almost everywhere.

Some Caveats about Culture

It may just be possible then, to generalize about Americans and the places they work, but it s still a good idea to be humble . People do the things they do for a number of reasons, some of which ” personal reasons, circumstances ” have little or nothing to do with culture. How else can we explain why two people from the same culture behave very differently in the same situation, or even why the same person in the same situation may behave one way one day and another way the next ? Clearly, culture is only one of the pieces in the behavior puzzle, and while it is an important factor in almost all behavior, it will not always be the deciding factor. All other things being equal, culture will have a decisive influence on behavior, but there are many situations where all other things are not equal.

Another problem with making cultural generalizations is the fact that in many situations more than one cultural value can be in play, and the value that ultimately wins out ” that determines what happens in that particular situation ” depends to a large extent on the circumstances. This is not a question of whether culture or some other influence is the decisive factor in the situation, but which one of several cultural factors. Americans are big believers in self- reliance , for example, in letting people do things on their own, but they are also big fans of efficiency. In a situation where a manager has to choose between leaving a person or a team alone to finish a project versus providing help to keep the project on schedule, one manager might opt for building the team s confidence and another might opt to stay on schedule. Moreover, the same manager might decide the matter one way in one instance and another way in another instance.

There is also the fact that cultures often embrace conflicting, even contradictory, values. As noted, Americans value self-reliance, carefully raising their children to stand on their own two feet, yet they are also among the most generous people in the world when it comes to charity and helping others. As Erik Erikson has observed , [W]hatever one may come to consider a truly American trait can be shown to have its equally characteristic opposite (Kammen 1980, 97).

Predicting human behavior, the slippery slope we venture out on in trying to generalize, is almost all art and very little science. There are no formulas, no equations, no laws. People do what they do for a variety of reasons, and while culture is almost always one of those reasons, it is almost never the only one. If we confine ourselves to the cultural perspective on behavior, which is what we re planning to do here, then we are bound to oversimplify. At the same time, however, we can take comfort from the fact that while we may indeed be wrestling with only one of the variables that affect human behavior, at least we ve chosen one of the most fundamental.

A final note on this subject: in every society there is always a disconnect between the ideal and the real, between the values people espouse and aspire to and how they actually behave ” in short, between what people say and what they do. For the most part, this book stays closer to what people say, for even if that is not always what they do, it s what they believe to be right ” what they know they should do ” and it is also how they would like to be treated (even if it s not always how they treat others).

Because of this disconnect, however, many readers, including many Americans, will not always recognize the people they come across in these pages. That s not how we are, they may say, or The Americans I know don t behave like that, and far be it from anyone to say these read- ers are wrong. No book of this kind will ever get all the details right, but with any luck the big picture will ring true.

So What?

Let s assume, then, that it may be possible to make some useful generalizations about Americans and their work habits. What s the point? Just how is it supposed to help you if you understand Americans better?

To begin with, knowing what Americans are going to do in various situations in the workplace takes the surprise and guesswork out of interacting with them. You may not always approve of or like how they behave (just as they may not always approve of your behavior), but at least you won t be caught off guard. And that means that to some extent you may not react quite so strongly to or get so upset by certain American behaviors, because at least you re expecting them. Beyond that, you will also be able to anticipate how Americans will feel about or respond to certain ideas or actions of yours, and thus you ll be in a position to act in such a way as to get the response you want.

But knowing how Americans behave on the job means more than simply being able to predict what they will do in various situations; it also means knowing what they will expect you to do in those same situations. The way people behave, after all ” the things they do and do not do in all manner of circumstances ” is also the way they expect everyone else to behave.

Which is where things start to get complicated. Is the point of learning how Americans behave ” and how, therefore, they will expect you to behave ” to teach you to adjust your own behavior to suit American expectations? If you read in this book, for example, that Americans act in certain ways in certain situations, does this mean that you should now try to act that way in those situations so you don t confuse or upset them? And if you now realize, moreover, that when you act as you normally do in certain situations this behavior may on occasion confuse or upset Americans, does that mean you can no longer act like that in their company? What exactly are you supposed to do with all the things you now know about Americans?

It s a good question. Strictly speaking, you have two choices: You can do nothing, just keep on acting like you always have and deal as best you can with the consequences of sometimes confusing and upsetting Americans (but at least now you ll know what s coming). Or you can change your behavior to suit American expectations and enjoy the benefits of not confusing and upsetting them. In truth, you will almost certainly do a bit of both, depending on the situation ” adjusting your behavior to suit American expectations when it is to your advantage and otherwise not too painful, and not adjusting your behavior in those cases where, for whatever reason, you can t bring yourself to act like an American. (A third choice, persuading or encouraging Americans to behave like you, may also be possible in some cases.)

In actual fact, there will be times when it will take almost no effort to adjust to certain American workplace norms (once you re aware of them), times when it will take a bit more effort, and times when you won t adjust no matter what. Regarding this third option, you should always be careful not to force yourself to behave in ways that are so unnatural or uncomfortable that you end up conforming to American culture at the expense of your own self-esteem.

Let s take an example: Suppose you are an Indian software developer working with a project team in the United States for an American boss. One day the boss jokes with you about how formally you dress ” you ve been coming in every day wearing a jacket and tie ” and tells you it s okay to dress more casually, like everyone else. This kind of adjustment, as Americans would say, is a no-brainer.

But let s say the boss also asks you to please call him by his first name and says there s no need to address him as Sir. In your culture it s very important to show respect to people who are older and more senior than you, to always use their last name and to call them Sir or Madam. For you to make this adjustment is probably going to take a little longer and be somewhat more uncomfortable; the first few times you call your boss Bill, it s not going to feel natural or proper. But you will get used to it, and after a while it will become second nature (and you may even catch yourself smiling one day when the newest arrival from India addresses your boss as Mr. Smith ).

Now let s imagine that your boss asks you to be sure to question or correct him in meetings if he says something you know is wrong or inaccurate. This request may be very difficult for you to comply with, requiring you to behave in a manner that is extremely impolite and dis- respectful from your cultural point of view. In this instance, you may decide that you cannot adjust your behavior to conform to the American norm, that you would rather deal with the consequences of annoying your boss than have to deal with the consequences of going against your own cultural upbringing. In point of fact, you probably won t make a conscious decision at all in such cases; you just won t be able to do what has been asked of you. And that is as it should be.

The main purpose of this book, then, of explaining and describing American workplace behavior, is not to tell you how to behave better around Americans, but to help you better understand and anticipate how Americans will act on the job. If this knowledge on occasion causes you to adjust your own behavior so as to work more effectively with people from the United States, that s all to the better.

Terminology

This book frequently uses the term non-American to describe people who are not from the United States. This is not a happy choice; it s never helpful to define people in terms of who they are not. Moreover, non- American will sound very Ameri-centric to many readers. But the only realistic alternatives ” foreigner or the phrase people from other countries ” are not any more satisfactory. Foreigner is a bit ethnocentric (though it is used in chapter 1 as a synonym for different ), and people from other cultures is too cumbersone and has no adjective form. This book also uses the word America to refer only to the United States and the word American to refer only to people from the United States; it should be noted that the residents of Canada and Central and South America have an equal claim on these terms (although they typically do not use either to refer to themselves).

Finally, a number of common American sayings or expressions have deliberately been used throughout this book; they appear in quotation marks because they may be unfamiliar to non-American readers.

The Plan of the Book

This book has two main divisions: Part One, The Big Picture, and Part Two, The Details. The Big Picture is a broad overview of American workplace values and behavior. After a brief discussion of the American view of non-Americans (chapter 1), chapters 2 “7 examine six fundamental American values that, alone and in combination, account for many common workplace attitudes and behaviors. Each value is briefly described, followed by an explanation of the various ways it shows up in the workplace and influences how Americans think and behave.

Since some of the things Americans do are the result of the coming together of more than one of these values, certain behaviors or traits will appear more than once in these pages. The American attitude toward taking risks, to cite a prominent example, can be explained in part in terms of the opportunity theme (chapter 2) and in part in terms of the can-do mentality (chapter 3). Other topics ” efficiency, favoritism, directness, certain aspects of the manager-subordinate relationship ” likewise appear often, although in each instance the topic is examined from a different perspective. Chapters 8 and 9 sketch the broad outlines of two other key topics: communication style and manager-subordinate relations.

Part Two: The Details describes basic workplace etiquette, the do s and don ts of life on the job.

But enough of caveats, explanations , and prologue. Let s go to the workplace and meet some Americans.