Cultural Competence Quiz

1. You have just transferred from the USA to China and are now the head of the production team. A team project was not accomplished on time because one of your team members neglected to complete an important step in the process. In the next team meeting you:

A. Hold the team member responsible and ask him or her not to repeat the mistake again.

B. Review the steps involved with the whole team.

C. Ask each team member to speak out about the challenges they are facing and brainstorm ways to overcome them.

2. You would like to grow business for your company in Russia. You have talked to a potential Russian client and suggested that you have a business meeting at his or her office to discuss things further. The potential client replies by inviting you to a fishing trip followed by an informal dinner and a sauna visit. You are thinking:

A. Great! This should be the beginning of a fruitful business relationship. It's probably a traditional method of conducting business and establishing relationships in Russia.

B. I am okay with it. But I would only do this at the beginning and once the relationship has been established, I would expect to conduct business more professionally without participating in these kinds of lavish outings.

C. This is way over the top! I don't even know this person. I don't feel I should go on this sort of trip and I would feel very uncomfortable.

3. You are about to close a deal with a Japanese client and will be going to Tokyo to sign the contract. You plan to invite one person to accompany you on the trip. That person would be:

A. Your company's attorney, so that the contract details can be precisely defined on the spot.

B. Your company's Chief Operating Officer, a competent female team leader in her 30's. The client will surely feel respected for having met someone from senior management.

C. The Vice President, a 55 year old male with 20 years of experience at your company.

4. Your company in Hong Kong is sending you to India to meet with the procurement team of a prospective client. During your presentation, you asked them what their thoughts were and they said, "We will try to propose your offer to our company president. We shall see." You would conclude the meeting to be:

A. Successful, at least they are willing to take a step forward.

B. Unsuccessful, that is just a nicer way of saying no.

C. Neither, no conclusion can be drawn from such a vague answer.

5. You are a young executive flying out from the USA to Indonesia for a short-term assignment. During the flight, you sat next to a middle-aged Indonesian man in business class. He had just attended his son's congregation ceremony at a renowned university. Ten minutes into your conversation, he would most likely ask you:

A. What was your major in university?

B. Which university did you go to?

C. What area in Jakarta will you be living in?

6. As a hotel management trainee from Switzerland, you are on an internship program in Bangkok in a 5 star property. During your meetings with your Thai manager, you are constantly interrupted by a ringing phone or another colleague coming through the open door. You would think:

A. She doesn't have much time to spend with you at these meetings. By letting the phone ring and leaving the office door open, she thinks you will get the hint.

B. She is a master of multi tasking.

C. She is trying to show you that since she is so busy, she plays an important role in the organization.

7. You are a German Sales Manager and have flown to Paris, France to give a presentation to a group of French managers from a potential new client. You have put together a very elaborate, fact-filled presentation with many contextual details. As it is the common way to make presentations in Germany, you present with a clear structure, with a beginning, middle and end. After the one-hour presentation, the French managers seem to be bored, tired and even a bit angry. It seems you have lost them along the way! Your impression:

A. You don't get it at all! You have neatly outlined all the relevant facts and numbers and illustrated your ideas with spreadsheets, graphs and various handouts. These managers just don't appreciate the extensive work you've put into this presentation. It is hard to make French managers happy, they are never satisfied and always have to moan about something!

B. Maybe they have a different way of presenting in France and they were expecting something else from my side. They might not know the German presentation style and felt it was inappropriate. I could have informed myself better about their needs and expectations before-hand so as to avoid misunderstandings.

C. Everything went fine! It's absolutely normal that not everyone is excited about presentations like this. You are sure that the deal is done!

8. You are in a conference call with your business partner in Great Britain. There have been several issues while working on a joint project that caused disharmony between you and him. At the end of the call you are making a proposal of how to change things and improve the situation. The British business partner answers, "Hmm... interesting idea. We must have a meeting about it." You are thinking:

A. Great! The problem is as good as solved and we will be able to continue our work after the suggested meeting.

B. I am not sure. It sounds like he likes the idea, but if we will have another meeting it means he is not convinced yet.

C. He doesn't like the idea at all. I expect to hear a different suggestion and other ideas from his side soon.