Body language in Business

If business men Ignore the importance of culture in international business

it results in making them out of business(Peterson, 2004, p. 8).
Working businessmen increasingly need to interact and communicate
with people from different cultural backgrounds. Workplace cross-cultural
can occur in three venues: interacting with immigrants, people involved
in Global Trade at home, and people living and working abroad(Peterson,
2004, p. 1).
People from different ethnic groups and cultural origins can be compared
to natural materials that have their own properties and usefulness but
mixing them together do not always end well. In working places people
from various cultures normally do not mix well but they can and in fact
need to coexist in the same recipe(Peterson, 2004, p. 2).
U.S. culture brings up young people to think creatively and take risks but
Japanese culture teach the young students to work together as a
cohesive group(Peterson, 2004, p. 2). Japanese lean toward teams while
Americans focus on individualism and individual accomplishments and
that is the way that each culture grooms its people.
Every county has different cultural programming that results in varied
sets of strength and weaknesses(Peterson, 2004, p. 4). Global economy
theory and common sense say that countries must work together and
consider their strengths but it is worthy to note that strength in one
culture may be seemed as a weak point in other countries.
Human beings not only has had biological evolution but also he has
evolved psychologically, socially, and intellectuality. Cultural differences
is a kind of evolution in human beings(Peterson, 2004, p. 5). Evolution in
human is different from the evolution of animals in a way that it can be
influenced or maintained on purpose. Modern Australia was settled by the
people who decided to change and China is dominated by people who
struggle to remain Chinese. We are what we have chosen to be. People
develop and maintain their cultures for various reasons although it may
not make sense to other people but this practice is right for them.
Italians are obsessed with style(Peterson, 2004, p. 6). Stopping
globalization is somehow impossible and if on tries to block the way of
l

globalization it can be compared to a person tries to stop a charging

elephant with a feather(Peterson, 2004, p. 7).
For the companies who tries to operate across countries it is crucial to
have employees who are culturally aware and knows about the cultural
practices in the target countries. In other word, the employees should be
culturally intelligent. Peterson (2004, p.13) defines cultural intelligence
as: knowledge about cultures facts and cultural traits plus awareness of
oneself and others and specific skills (behavior).
Because the U.S. is geographically isolated many American Have found it
unnecessary to learn about other cultures(Peterson, 2004, p. 15).
Definition of culture Culture is the relatively stable set of inner values
and beliefs generally held by groups of people in countries or
regions and the noticeable impact those values and beliefs have on the
peoples outward behaviors and environment.(Peterson, 2004, p. 16).
Inner value and attitudes can affect the behaviors professionals
encounter in workplace(Peterson, 2004, p. 17).
To make an analogy among different cultures.
A culture of a country us like a tree which according to the environment,
weather, sunlight, nutrition, wind, and other conditions it grows and host
different birds. Trees like people change through years but they
essentially preserve their potential characteristics.
Culture Is a like an iceberg and its tip is anything people can perceive
with their five senses:
Language, architect, Food, population, music, clothing, art and literature,
pace of life, emotional display, gestures, leisure activities, eye contact,
and sport(Peterson, 2004, p. 20).
But most part of the culture is invisible and actually are unconscious
aspects of culture. THESE unseen characteristics are: opinions, attitudes,
viewpoints, philosophies, values, convictions.(Peterson, 2004, p. 21).
Bottom-of-the-iceberg values determine the following: Notions of time,
How the individual fits into society, Beliefs about human nature, Rules
about relationships, Importance of work, Motivations for achievement,
l

Role of adults and children within the family, Tolerance for change,
Expectation of macho behavior, importance of face, harmony, Preference
for leadership systems, Communication styles, Attitudes about
mens/womens , roles, Preference for thinking stylelinear or systemic.
An important fact here is that the apparent face of cultures are
different but the rules of the deep part of the cultures applies to
all cultures(Peterson, 2004, p. 22).
People with their cultural preferences decide to join or make themselves
separate from other communities.
Both parts of the iceberg should be considered together but unfortunately
the professional savyy neglect the deep part of the iceberg.(Peterson,
2004, p. 22).
It is worthy to note that values are not predictors of behaviours(Peterson,
2004, p. 23). If we know people behaving in the same way repeatedly we
can find the cultural values behinds those behaviours but we can not use
our understanding of culture-based values to predict the behaviours
because of the numerous exceptions to the rules and unpredictable
elements which affect the situations.
We should consider this fact in mind that in every culture some elements
are considered as the classic or grand themes and some others are
considered as more common or minor elements. The elements like Core
values, attitudes or beliefs, societys norms, legal foundations,
assumptions, history, and cognitive processes are stable and an integral
parts of every cultures but Popular issues, opinions, viewpoints,
preferences or tastes, and certain knowledge are considered less
important(Peterson, 2004, p. 25).
The culture changes every day but the rate of the change is different
according to the types of the elements. The core elements of the culture
tend to remain the same over generations but the minor ones change
rapidly(Peterson, 2004, p. 28).

Using stereotypes and making generalization about people can be

misleading.
Venezuelians have a high expectation of macho behavior in their culture
and the roles of men and women are more distinct.(Peterson, 2004, p.
27).
Every culture has young and old people and every culture has a way of
viewing the past, present and future.
Distinction among General themes (which apply to whole cultures) and
culture-specific themes is very important. Mens roles and womens role is
general theme.(Peterson, 2004, p. 28).
Activities like environmental activism and voluntarism are culture specific
themes(Peterson, 2004, p. 29).
The concepts of masculine and feminine are(Peterson, 2004, p. 30). Here
two other important issues arise universalism and particularism. People
from universalistic cultures thinks that rule apply for every one and all
people should obey the rules but people from the particularistic cultures
think that rules are flexible and there are a lot of exceptions to the
law(Peterson, 2004, p. 30).
French is a country of socialized medicine and education(Peterson, 2004,
pp. 30,31).
We need to compare the aspects of cultures among different cultures and
this comparison is about finding the degree of importance.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Risk vs Caution
Task vs Relationship
Individual vs Group
Direct vs Indirect
Equality vs Hierarchy
How the above criteria should be considered in dealing with staffs.
l

Strong style of top-down leadership

Equality: Where employees are granted the power to take initiative even
if they dont have
a position or title after their name.
Hierarchy: Where the manager is expected to take control and make the
decisions.(Peterson, 2004, p. 37).
A style that is based on equality means people prefer to
be self-directed, have flexibility in the roles they play in a company or on
a team,
have the freedom to challenge the opinion of those in power, make
exceptions, be flexible, and maybe bend the rules, and treat men and
women in basically the same way.
A style that is based on hierarchy means people prefer to
take direction from those above,
have strong limitations about appropriate behavior for certain roles,
respect and not challenge the opinions of those who are in power
because of their status and their position,
enforce regulations and guidelines, and expect men and women to
behave differently and to be treated differently.(Peterson, 2004, p. 37).
From the childhood the Americans are taught to say what they mean and
mean what they say, to look people in the eye to show honesty and to
present their idea clearly but in many non-western societies the eye
contact is perceived in the opposite way and is considered as a sign of
threat(Peterson, 2004, p. 37). This can be found from the way they
answer the questions about whether they can do sth or not. In American
society yes mean yes but in non-American (e.g. Chinese) society it
shows possibility.
People who are more hierarchically focused may not want to confront
those in a position of power(Peterson, 2004, p. 40).
A direct style means people prefer to:
l

 be more direct in speaking and be less concerned about how something

is said,
openly confront
straightforwardly,

issues

or

difficulties,

communicate

concerns

engage in conflict when necessary, express views or opinions in a frank

manner, and
say things clearly, not leaving much open to interpretation.(Peterson,
2004, p. 40).
An indirect style means people prefer to:
focus not just on what is said but on how it is said, discreetly avoid
difficult or contentious issues, express concerns tactfully, avid conflict if
at all possible, express views or opinions
diplomatically, and count on the listener to interpret meaning(Peterson,
2004, p. 40).
People from group-oriented society prefer to consider themselves as a
member of group and when they join a group they join that group for a
life. In these society the loyalty of employees to their companies is life
long but in individualistic cultures people easily join and separate from
different groups and employees leave their companies for better
opportunities.(Peterson, 2004, p. 41).
France certainly has a stronger group orientation than the United
States in some ways: socialized medicine (versus individually funded
health insurance), nationally funded education (versus individual
responsibility for college tuition), public mass transportation (versus the
individualistic automobile),(Peterson, 2004, p. 41).
The difference between individualism (putting yourself and your needs at
first) and individuality (every person is unique and contribute differently
to his society) is very important. American society is best described as a
country based on individualism and France id best described as a country
standing on individuality principles(Peterson, 2004, p. 41).

The BBC recently reported of huge loss to the government of Afghanistan

due to common belief of Afghani people about a particular number.
According to the report of this news broadcasting on 21 July 2014 Afghani
people do not use the number 39 as their cars number because they
consider this number very bad.

Body language and politicians

Politicians have learned just how important body language is, and they use it to emphasize
and dramatize their speeches and also to achieve a more pleasant and more acceptable
personality or image. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Fiorello LaGuardia both had instinctive
command of it. Although Franklin D. Roosevelt, the thirty second president of the United
States of America, was handicapped but never allowed his body to appear in a handicapped
position (well aware of the body language impact of such an appearance), he was able to use
body language to transmit a controlled and self-assured image. LaGuardia, the 99 th mayor of
New York was only five feet tall. His name LaGuardia in Italian stands for little flower,
transmitted another image, homey and down-to-earth, a son of the people, and all through
gestures and body movement, through a startling knowledge of the vocabulary of body
language, not only in English but also in Italian and Yiddish.
Some men cannot master the grammar of body language no matter how they try. Lyndon
Johnson never quite got the hang of it. His arm motions were always too studied, too
mannered, too much as if he were running through a memorized program.
The exaggerated use of a limited amount of body language makes Richard Nixon fair game
to mimics, such as David Frye, who only need to pick up one or two of his gestures and
heighten them to convey a startling imitation.

Professor Jones, after working for two years in Harlem, Chinatown, Little Italy and Spanish
Harlem, all ethnic areas of Manhattan in New York City, produced evidence that this pattern
changes. He believes that conditions of poverty have forced these people to change some of
their cultural behavior. According to him, there is a culture of poverty that is stronger than
any ethnic subcultural background.

Once you begin to look for the styles in the man, the gestures and motions and facial twists,
you begin to understand just how heavily all political figures rely on body language to make
their words and images acceptable. The really good ones, good in the sense that they can
project any emotion with their bodies, never had to bother about what they said. It was
always the way they said it that mattered.

Practical usage of body language in real life

Lillian Glass (2014) provides information on how to use gestures and movements of body to
find out whether a person talking to us is lying or not.

Brain and Nonverbal

According to a new study carried out recently at Dartmouth College and New York
University the brain is able to judge people as trustworthy even before the face is fully
processed. This findings support the idea that we make fast judgment about people.
Found at http://time.com/3083667/brain-trustworthiness/ August 4, 2014 17:00 by

Alexandra

Sifferlin

Media also can effect on the image and expectation we have from our bodies. The men
magazines depict men having six-pack-abs and advertise for building more muscles, on the
other side the women magazine depict slim women and advertise for losing more weight. In
reality being accused of obese result in more stress and risk of losing mental health (Major et

al 2012) and discrimination against people for being obese rarely contribute to losing weight
but the opposite happens: they gain more weight (Sutin and Terracciano 2013)

References
Angelina R. Sutin, A. T. (2013, July 24). Perceived Weight Discrimination and Obesity. PLoS
ONE, 8(7). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0070048
Glass, L. (2014). The body language of liars, FROM LITTLE WHITE LIES TO PATHOLOGICAL
DECEPTION. NJ: The Career Press, Inc.
Major, B.; Eliezer, D.; & Rieck, H. (2012). The psychological weight of weight stigma. Social
Psychological and personality Science, 651-658.
Peterson, B. (2004). Cultural Intelligence: A Guide to Work with People from Different
Cultures. Yarmouth: Intercultural Press.