Here are my notes on Erin Meyer’s The Culture Map.


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  • Communication style: explicit/implicit (direct/indirect).
    • Implicit cultures (Asia, to a lesser extent France (Jean de la Fontaine, rewriting letters politely, etc.))
      • Implicit cultures emerge from a long shared history, often relationship-based.
        • (× Kitchen Confidential, Shop Class as Soulcraft: time spent together making for inside jokes etc.; subcultures (TPOT))
        • Long-term couples know each other well, pick up on subtle cues; high context cultures (implicit) as requiring emotional intelligence.
        • Insular history: e.g. Japan (no overseas contact for a long time)
      • “No” is said between the lines. (Asia — especially to clients/bosses)
        • People refuse out of politeness, have to be asked twice again to tell the real answer.
        • Soft refusals to protect the other’s face (as if masks weren’t enough).
          • Take “soft no’s” (changing subject, vague postponements) seriously in indirect cultures.
      • Implicit cultures have fewer words (more context-dependent meanings); explicit cultures have more words (precise meanings). French (implicit) vs English (explicit).
      • Implicit cultures are the least intercompatible. The biggest misunderstandings happen between two different implicit cultures — as they both assume different things.
    • Explicit cultures (all Anglo-Saxon countries, USA first and to a lesser extent UK (British humour)).
      • Explicit cultures emerge as a need from a recent, multi-cultural history. (USA)
      • Explicit cultures are often task-based.
      • Explicit cultures favour showing interest explicitly in courting (NL, DE, USA).
  • Negative feedback (direct/indirect negative feedback)
    • No link between explicit/implicit & direct/indirect negative feedback.
      • (Quadrant A) NL, DE, DK, AU: Explicit & direct.
      • (Quadrant B) France, Russia, Spain, Italy, Israel: Implicit & direct
      • (Quadrant C) USA (to a lesser extent GB, CA): Explicit & indirect
        • Three positives for one negative.
        • Negative feedback in positive language.
        • Soften the negative feedback you give. Use qualifiers.
      • (Quadrant D) Asia (particularly JP, TH, ID): Implicit & very indirect (— though indirectness can be overruled by hierarchy.)
        • Deliver the negative feedback slowly over time, “so it gradually sinks in”.
        • Use food & drink to blur an unpleasant message.
        • The Chinese are relatively more direct than the Japanese.
    • Indirectness can be overruled by hierarchy (Asia, Russia): indirect towards the boss but direct towards subordinates.
    • Your culture determines whether you can hear the negative feedback given to you. (× emotional intelligence; reading the room, Japanese “reading the air”, KY/kuuki yomenai, “someone who cannot read the air”, who doesn’t pick up on social cues)
  • Persuasion (principles/practical ; theory/practice)
    • Principles vs practice
      • Principles: (DE, FR)
        • Start with philosophy, principles, the big picture. Start with the abstract.
        • Management: explain why.
        • (deductive)
      • Practical: (USA)
        • Get to the point quickly; use case studies; expected benefits/results; glitter.
        • Management: just give orders.
        • Start with the concrete — real-world observations, extrapolate to conclusions, recommendations.
        • (inductive - × Psychedelics Revealing, × theories looking for applications and v/v; experience calling for understanding)
      • Shows in:
        • Theoretical vs practical schooling
        • Common Law (USA/UK), practical first (setting a precedent) vs civil law (EU), principles-first.
    • Holistic vs specific
      • Asian cultures & religions tend to be more holistic (reflexology, feng shui, etc.)
      • Micro-to-macro (West), vs macro-to-micro (JP, CN)
        • Profile picture as a close-up face shot (West) vs whole-body-in-context shot (Japan).
        • In China:
          • Addresses: province, city, district, block, gate number
          • Names: Surname first
          • Date: Year before month and date
      • Management: explain the broader context / bigger picture in holistic cultures. (What colleagues are working on, how it all fits together.)
  • Hierarchy (hierarchical/egalitarian)
    • Historically, cultures influenced by the Romans (hierarchical, togas) vs Vikings (egalitarian) Spain & Italy vs Scandinavia.
    • Historically, Protestant cultures (egalitarian) vs Catholic cultures (hierarchical). Talking to God directly, not though a priest.
    • Hierarchical cultures:
      • Shake hands first with the boss.
        • In (online) communication, do not bypass the boss to talk to lower colleagues.
      • Address informally everyone in descending rank.
      • Invite subordinates to speak up (else they won’t)
    • In East Asia, use hybrid name/titles as a good compromise — “Mr. Mike”.
  • Decision process (top-down/consensual)
    • Hierarchy and decision style can be at odds.
      • Germany and Japan are hierarchical but consensus-based.
    • Top-down decisions are more flexible; consensual decisions are more definitive and can be implemented fast, as everyone is onboard.
    • Nemawashi (JP): getting informal buy-in (consensus) before officially announcing the decision. Do it as a Westerner as well. (× “Being at the gemba” with frontline workers)
    • Ringi (JP): low-level managers reaching a consensus among themselves before bringing the issue to the higher-level manager.
  • Trusting (task-based/relationship-based)
    • Historically, cultures with no strong legal framework became relationship-based.
      • (But also: in-group cultures & knowing everyone, Debt)
    • Cognitive trust vs affective trust: action-based trust vs emotional-based trust. Cognitive vs personal trust. “Business is business” vs “business is personal.”
      • Westerners (US) separate the person from the business; CN/BR does not.
    • Task-based
      • “—Why can’t we just get down to business and sign a contract? —Remember, in many cultures, the relationship is your contract.” (× Debt, Money)
      • Relationships with colleagues usually stop with their employment.
      • Cold calls are okay.
    • Relationship-based (BRIC: BR, RU, IN, CN)
      • Nomunication (JP): drinks with coworkers & managers. (× Trying Not to Try) If drinks are not for you, then karaoke, or spa.
      • Share more meals, get to know them personally. Show your non-professional self.
      • Cold calls are disfavoured. Ask a common friend to introduce you. (× The Mom Test — the goal of cold approaches is to stop having them.)
      • Fire a salesperson and their clients will leave.
      • “Trust is like insurance — it’s an investment you need to make up front, before the need arises”
    • Peach vs coconut. Hard shell but soft inside (RU); soft outside (friendly) but quickly hitting the hard kernel (BR).
  • Disagreement (confrontational/avoidant)
    • Historically:
      • Avoidant cultures, from needing to preserve unity (USA — melting-pot of cultures)
      • “Harmony should be valued and quarrels should be avoided” — Japanese constitution.
    • “Face” (as line/role, persona — e.g. acting out “a professor specialized in cross-cultural management”) (× To The Actor)
      • Don’t put JP people on the spot ­— give them time to prepare.
  • Time (linear/flexible)
    • Historically based on how predictable or unpredictable life is in a country.
    • Relationship-based cultures tend to be flexible-time (giving spontaneous time to the relationships.)
    • Brazilian culture: “Impolite to arrive on time — it will stress the host scrambling to finish preparations”
    • Chinese are punctual but flexible — Japanese are more organized and linear.
  • Countries’ positions on the scale are relative to your own culture — not absolute. An implicit culture can still be explicit compared to yours. (× “most people need it, but not you” (Psycho-Cybernetics))
  • Countries’ positions on the scales correspond to the middle of their bell curve.
  • Education tends to exaggerate the cultural tendency.
  • One can travel the world without learning about the other cultures. Challenge accepted.
  • Work in hospitality with a multicultural clientele to learn first-hand from the different cultures and adapt your behaviour accordingly (cf A).
  • Meta-discuss communication & cultural styles.
    • Making explicit and clarifying always helps. (× directness (relationships) (Pavlina, etc.)) (× communication, Sex Talks, Come As You Are, butter, etc.) — especially when you’re coming from different cultures. Doing the dance of implicitness only works if you come from the same culture.
  • Working in multi-cultural teams:
    • Explain the cultural differences and how to reconcile them
    • Enforce explicit communication.
    • e.g. 1-minute “How I Work” document (× Parity) — to bridge across cultures (though it makes everyone have to adapt to each person.)
  • Let the people in your team culturally best at something, to do it when the new york times call. (e.g. providing indirect negative feedback; being flexible, etc.)
  • Self-deprecate your culture and flatter the other’s — when confronted with a cultural issue or making a fax piss. Laugh about your own culture. (× Sex Talks: laugh about it)
  • Meta: Elements of Book Writing (× Tiny Experiments)
    • Start the book with a story
    • Monetize by charging for the full information (Culture Map Online Tool) (not revealing the whole knowledge but just providing a preview in the book — dark arts). Charging for access to a database (to people who can afford it.)