Last updated 16 August 2008
There are fives scales to measure different cultural behaviors.
- High Individualism versus High Collectivism Behavior
- Uncertainty Avoidance versus Low Uncertainty Avoidance Behavior
- High Power Distance versus Low Power Distance Behavior
- High Masculinity versus High Femininity Behavior
- High Context versus Low Context Behavior
Important: Read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools before implementing any of these web tools.
There is more than one tool you can use to appeal to each of the different cultural behavioral traits. Last week we reviewed the first web tool for cross cultural communication to cultures with a high score on the Power Distance behavior scale:
- Company Hierarchy
Let’s look at the second web tool in this category:
Company Executives
Another web tool for cultures with a high Power Distance culture behavioral trait is:
- Company Executives
This is similar to last weeks web tool, company hierarchy. But this week we will look at specific ways to highlight the executives in your company on your website.
Let’s review the cultural behavior of high power distance behavior traits:
Traits Of Cultures High In Power Distance
Some cultures are described as being high on the power distance scale. These cultures have a strong belief in:
- Authority
- Hierarchy
Here’s one thing you can do to communicate better with your clients in these cultures:
Highlight Information On Company Executives
In these cultures you will want to find the right way to:
- use the picture of your company CEO
- use a video presentation of your company CEO
- highlight pictures of individual company executives
- highlight pictures with leading industry leaders or celebrities
Cultures with a high power distance behavior trait will respond distinctly to these pictures and visual representations of your company’s executives. Pay close attention to these pictures, what they convey, and where you place them on your website.
The Right Touch
Different cultures respond to different things. They have different communication needs. And it is never a simple mix of tools.This is not about whether to put a photo or a video of company’s CEO on your website or not. You need to test:
- the best places to put this on your website
- how your executive’s photos or videos comes across in these countries
There will be other tools you will need to highlight as well. Luckily it is easy to test results with online marketing. As we go through this series of cross cultural communication web tools, use the knowledge you have on your foreign markets, do a little foreign market research and test your own mix of these tools. Use these cross cultural web tools to inspire you to improve your web communication with your international clients. There is lots more on the different cultural behaviors in the June issues of the Get International Clients Weekly Newsletter. Sign up quickly for more tips and ideas for getting more out of your international marketing.
Important Notice
Basic Guidelines For Using This Web Tool
If you have not read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools as mentioned in the very beginning of this article, please do so before implementing any of these web tools. You need to look at the whole picture of all five cultural behaviors before tweaking how you use the specific web tools outlined here.
