S., decisions are frequently delegated, that is, an official assigns responsibility for a particular matter to a subordinate. In many European nations, like Germany, there is a strong value placed on holding decision-making responsibilities oneself. When decisions are made by groups of people, majority rule is a common approach in the U.S. while in Germany consensus is the preferred mode. One should be conscious that peoples' expectations about their own part in shaping a resolution may be influenced by their cultural orientation (Spang & Ozcan, 2009).
The fifth difference is in attitudes toward disclosure. In some cultures, it is not fitting to be forthright about emotions, about the reasons behind a disagreement or a mix-up, or about personal information. When one is involved in a dialogue or when they are working with others or when they are dealing with a conflict, they should be mindful that people may differ in what they feel comfortable revealing. The difference among cultures in attitudes toward disclosure is also something to think about before one concludes that they have a correct reading of the outlooks, experiences, and ambitions of the people with whom they are working (DuPraw & Axner, n.d.).
The last difference...
Notable differences take place among cultural groups when it comes to the ways that people come to know things. European cultures like those in Germany tend to consider information acquired through cognitive means, such as counting and measuring, more valid than other ways of coming to know things. Compare that to American cultures' preference for affective ways of knowing, including symbolic imagery and rhythm (DuPraw & Axner, n.d.).
References
DuPraw, M.E. & Axner, M. (n.d.). Working on Common Cross-cultural Communication
Challenges. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/ampu/crosscult.html
German Communication Styles. (n.d.). Retreived from http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/German-Business-Communication-Style.html
LeBaron, M. (2003). Cross-Cultural Communication. Retrieved from http://www.beyondintractability.org/node/2565
Spang, K., & Ozcan, S. (2009). Cultural differences in decision making in project teams.
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 2(1), 70-93.
Typically German. (1999). Retreived from http://www.dartmouth.edu/~german/German%208/Typical.html
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