b"Building trust is essential. But that, too, is done very dif- ful of assertively expressing their opinions and advocating for ferently across the globe. If we look at the Canadian way, itstheir interests in collaborations with partners from more assertive relatively task-driven. For example, a Canadian entering into acultures.business relationship would have confidence that they will beNorth American and Germanic cultures tend to have clear, paid because they have signed a contract, theres an approvedinformative, get-to-the-point communications. They prefer being quotation, previous experience showed the partner is a goodtruthful rather than diplomatic and do not fear confrontation. supplier, and so on. So, the source of their trust is cognitive, veryHowever, they need to be aware that overly direct approaches much driven by the brain. In comparison, South American busi- can be perceived as insensitive or inflexible in cultures with differ-ness deals are based less on paper and more on trust.ent communication styles.As Hof explains, Trust is built much more through the rela-tionship; it is an emotional trust, coming from the heart.What is the same regardless of country is that ongoing investment needs to be made to build a relationship so that trust can develop, she adds. Outside the U.S., particularly when were dealingOnce you are able to build trust in a relationship, anythingwith smaller, family-owned companies, its important that goes wrong after that lands softer. Like, if you acciden-tally give someone super harsh feedback and they take it reallythat we understand the family dynamics and ask personally, if there's previous trust, then that person will recoverquestions about who makes the decisions, and how faster.they make the decisions so that we can try to avoidA Global Seed Leaders InsightsDean Cavey, Managing Partner at Verdant Partners LLC, hasany embarrassing missteps. over 40 years in the worldwide seed industry. He shared several Dean Caveytips from his experience advising numerous seed companies on mergers and acquisitions at a global level, primarily in the U.S., Netherlands, France, Eastern Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Australia and Japan. The Culture Map: a Framework for Working Even though we may speak different languages, we all sortInternationallyof speak the same language as it relates to agriculture. PeopleCross-cultural competence is not about knowing all the ins have common problems, common goals and common issues inand outs of all the cultures that you interact with because that the food and agriculture space.would be impossibly time-consuming and would entail con-Despite the commonalities, he recognizes the importance ofstantly readjusting and reassessing. Training organizations on learning about his counterparts culture. cultural perceptionsmeaning how we come across to others Outside the U.S., particularly when we're dealing with smaller,and whytypically suggests using a cross-cultural model like family-owned companies, it's important that we understand thethe Culture Map model, created by Erin Meyer, a professor at family dynamics and ask questions about who makes the deci- INSEAD, a leading international business school. sions, and how they make the decisions so that we can try toThe sample model shows where three countriesBrazil, avoid any embarrassing missteps. Argentina, and Canadatend to fall culturally in several key Cavey remembers a particular event in which he and his col- categories, including communication or decision-making. league were giving a presentation to the board of directors ofUnderstanding a business partner's cultural tendencies is an a Japanese company. None of the Japanese said a single wordexcellent starting point for building a better business relationship.during or after the presentation. This made the Americans thinkThe model is a highly effective framework for visualizing they had failed miserably.and understanding how people behave differently depending After they had a chance to sit and speak with the CEO ofon where they come from. Tools like the Culture Map can help the Japanese company and express their concern, the CEOinternational organizations adjust their operations strategies and responded that silence is an integral part of the Japanese speechdefine far more convenient and effective courses of action.style. If they had asked questions or made comments during theLike Erin Meyers Culture Map, there are numerous help-presentation, that would have been seen as disrespectful. Theyful tools and models, such as Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions typically meet afterward and talk internally about a presentationFramework or Richard Lewis Cross-culture Model, which provide or meeting; they reach a consensus and later communicate it. valuable insights for seed companies engaging in international The cultural dynamics Cavey is referring to are indirectcollaborations within the global seed industry. (Japan) versus direct (U.S.) communication styles. Many AsianBy understanding and respecting cultural differences in com-and Eastern European countries prioritize harmony, avoidingmunication styles, time orientation and social dynamics, seed confrontation and seeking consensus through subtle cues andcompanies can build stronger relationships, enhance collaboration non-verbal communication. However, they may need to be mind- and mutually suc-seed in their cross-cultural partnerships.SWLATAMSEEDWORLD.COM /33"