Creating Cultural Synergy

Comments on the Interview: Cross-Cultural Differences As a

Source of Synergy, Learning, and Innovation

ALLAN BIRD Northeastern University

While translating Stephen Covey’s The Seven Hab- its of Highly Effective People, someone on the ed- iting team asked, “How is that presented in the English translation?” One member recounted, “It was as though one of those cartoon light bulbs lit up. We immediately had a deep insight into what we needed to do. There was no ‘original.’ Each version, including the English, was a translation” (R. Kreuger, personal communication, September 24, 2006). Read Seven Habits in any of 38 languages and you will note that examples and references, axioms and colloquialisms are culture specific. Each habit is presented in ways that demonstrate its deep embeddedness in that particular culture. What does Seven Habits have to do with monozu- kuri at Nissan and Renault?

Ghosn’s discussion of monozukuri brought the Seven Habits insight to mind because it represents a multifaceted illustration of what effective cross- cultural activity looks like. Ghosn uses terms such as “thirst for learning,” “humbleness” and “mutual respect.” What these terms reflect is a respect and valuing of the other. For the translators of Seven Habits, that meant presenting concepts and prin- ciples in ways that were harmonious to, and reso- nated with, the cultural context of readers. In the Renault and Nissan case, it meant acknowledging that, although monozukuri might originate in Ja- pan, it resonated with an ethic and mind-set of craftsmanship (Saito, 2006) that can be found in any culture. It also meant that the Renault transla- tion of monozukuri might have somewhat different qualities, even though the same term was used. Further, the mingling of these different translations could, in themselves, generate new synergies.

There is also a much deeper and more radical

understanding to be found in the experiences of the Covey translation team and the Renault- Nissan relationship. The insight of the Covey translators was the recognition that all versions of a document, including the original, are contextu- alized. So, while subsequent versions may be re- contextualized, that is a consequence of chronol- ogy. Understood in this way, the original text should not be privileged over versions in other languages. Such an acknowledgment requires a willingness to relinquish claims to ownership, claims often closely tied to identity in the minds of both originators and receivers. Treating the origi- nal on an equal footing with subsequent transla- tions stands in stark contrast with traditional no- tions of original source in matters of intellectual property. It also represents an interesting opportu- nity for extending Brannen’s (2004) conceptualiza- tion of synergies deriving from recontextualiza- tion. As Ghosn suggests, these gains can only be acquired when the parties involved treat each other as true equals. If originators assume a priv- ileged position, additional synergies will be lost.

Ghosn characterizes the synergies gained by le- veraging cultures in two ways. The first comes from a sensitive sharing of practices found in one culture with another culture, where those practices undergo a transformation. The second derives from finding complementary strengths in the respective cultures.

His examples reflect and support two estab- lished perspectives on leveraging cultural differ- ences. DiStefano and Maznevski (2000) delineate the first approach in their map-bridge-integrate model. This 3-phase approach involves first map- ping important cultural differences; then moves to

� Academy of Management Learning & Education, 2013, Vol. 12, No. 3, 503–505. http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/amle.2012.0246A

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mindful, de-centered communication to under- stand and bridge differences. The consequence of bridging is the opening up of possibilities for valu- ing and then integrating differences in ways that create synergy. The underlying premise is that synergies grow of out of valued differences, not emphasized similarities.

Dilemma theory (Trompenaars, 1994) takes a dif- ferent tack. It focuses on conflicting values be- tween cultures. These conflicts create a dilemma— satisfying the demands of one culture’s value imperative would appear to go against the com- peting value of the other culture. Only through integration is the dilemma resolved. Osland and Bird (2000) note the dialectical nature—thesis, an- tithesis, synthesis— of this process and point to cultural paradoxes and the ways in which cultures resolve them as opportunities for leveraging differences.

What is also striking about Ghosn’s description of synergies derived from cultural leveraging is how much the process mirrors Nonaka’s model of knowledge creation (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995) as it relates to processes that make tacit knowledge explicit. Nonaka’s cycle of knowledge creation identifies four mechanisms through which knowl- edge creation can occur in the interplay between tacit and explicit knowledge. Arguably the most fertile of those mechanisms is articulation, making tacit knowledge explicit. New knowledge created through this process can be disseminated more easily and also combined with other forms of ex- plicit knowledge.

There are varieties of tacit knowledge. Some defy articulation and will likely always remain tacit. The taste of salt, for example, seems imper- meable to explication. But other types are more amenable. Weick’s oft-invoked statement, “How can I know what I mean until I see what I say?” suggests that people understand some things but are not able to make them explicit without an ar- ticulating process. The processes Ghosn describes clearly involve methods designed to make the tacit

explicit, thereby allowing clearer understanding and broader dissemination. Seen in this light, ef- fective cultural leveraging involves conscious, di- rected knowledge creation. New knowledge is the source of value created through cultural leveraging.

To date, research on cultural leveraging focused primarily on activities at the level of the individual and the team. Viewing it as a form of knowledge creation opens up new, promising lines of inquiry. It also suggests that activities global companies are already pursuing around knowledge creation and management may be redirected or reframed in ways that enhance cultural leveraging across the organization.

Among the examples of cultural leveraging and the competencies Ghosn sees as supporting cross- cultural effectiveness, what comes through most powerfully is an underlying emphasis on human relationships and a determination to respect the people involved. References to authenticity, win– win scenarios, and searching for common ground repeatedly imply that all involved have value, and their concerns and interests warrant thoughtful consideration. What this respect appears to create is a type of “absorptive capacity”1 within individ- uals and within the organization that creates space— emotional and psychic space buttressed by patience and tolerance—for the work of integra- tion and synergy to take place. With so much cur- rent emphasis on the fostering of global mind-set, Ghosn implicitly suggests that awareness, sensi- tivity, and concern for people as people must also occupy a central place. Global mind-set alone is insufficient.

Interviews and commentaries by practicing ex- ecutives, even highly successful ones such as Car- los Ghosn, can be frustrating for researchers. Ex- ecutives fail to clearly define the terms they use, and their confident statements are often light on supporting empirical evidence. At the same time, they compel us to consider, if not acknowledge and accept, that there are other ways of knowing. Alongside statistical analyses, ethnographies, and other forms of research inquiry, there is also room for hard-won, deeply felt, and thoughtfully consid- ered experience. This form of knowing comes with its own methods of hypothesis testing, and its own syntax and grammar.

The interview with Carlos Ghosn leaves us with

1 I gratefully acknowledge an anonymous reviewer for this per- ceptive insight.

The insight of the Covey translators was the recognition that all versions of a document, including the original, are contextualized.—Bird

504 SeptemberAcademy of Management Learning & Education

one final, unspoken message. The synergies avail- able through cultural leveraging apply just as much to the interaction between researcher and practitioner. The competencies required in this re- lationship are no different. The conclusions drawn and the lessons learned are as much for us as they are for those whom we study.

REFERENCES

Brannen, M. Y. 2004. When Mickey loses face: Recontextualiza- tion, semantic fit, and the semiotics of foreignness. Acad- emy of Management Review, 29: 593– 616.

DiStefano, J., & Maznevski, M. 2000. Creating value in diverse teams in global management. Organizational Dynamics, 29: 45– 63.

Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. 1995. The knowledge-creating com- pany: How Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation. London: Oxford University Press.

Osland, J. S., & Bird, A. 2000. Beyond sophisticated stereotyping: Cross-cultural sensemaking in context. Academy of Man- agement Executive, 14: 1–12.

Saito, K. 2006. Development of the university of Kentucky-Toyota research partnership: Monozukuri: part I. Energeia, 17: 2–3.

Trompenaars, F. 1994. Riding the waves of culture: Understand- ing cultural diversity in business. Chicago, IL: Irwin Profes- sional Publishing.

Allan Bird is the Darla and Frederick Brodsky Trustee Professor in Global Business in the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. He received his PhD from the University of Oregon. Bird’s current research interests include global leadership assessment and development; effective management in intercultural contexts, with a focus on intercul- tural sensemaking; and the diffusion of strategic HRM in emerging markets.

2013 505Bird

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