Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/62210
From Editors the Communication Across Cultures I once worked in an office with a group of editors who all became so close that we practically invented our own language. We appropriated bits of current slang, nicknames, in- jokes, and nonsense words to create a vocabulary as rich and impenetrable to out- siders as twin-speech. One afternoon, three of us went clothes shopping. Admiring one woman's new outfit, the other said, "That's beauty, Wheels. Sweet." I remember that the salesperson stared at us as if we were speaking a different language—and in a sense, we were. Slang is one of those social mechanisms that binds certain individuals together while excluding others, and understanding slang is one of the things that gives outsiders an entrée into a foreign culture. That's a familiar concept to some of the participants enrolled in the world-hop- ping business school programs known as super alliances. In these "globally distrib- uted cohort" programs, students from multiple continents gather at stated inter- vals to take management courses at a handful of participating business schools. The students enrolled in such programs are expected to learn from each other as well as their instructors—and, since many of them are top-tier managers in inter- national companies, they have a great deal in common. But, since the classes often comprise executives from South America, Europe, Asia, and the U.S., the students also embody many differences as well. Language is often one of them. Rod Cheatham, a Kansas-based Boeing manager who participated in the OneMBA program through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, found himself teaching current slang to his global cohorts. In the article "Globally Speaking," he discusses the importance of learning to communicate across cul- tures. While his greeting "What up, dog?" might not be in any standard language textbook, it helped him bond with his fellow students and helped them improve their English fluency. And, one presumes, it made them laugh. That ability to relate to other people is essential to being a good manager. In fact, "social awareness"—an empathy for and an interest in the other people in the room—is one of the key elements that make up an emotionally intelligent leader, according to author and psychologist Daniel Goleman. Goleman, who is interviewed in this issue, argues that emotional intelligence is at least as impor- tant as intellectual ability in determining success in life. By his definition, emo- tional intelligence includes soft skills such as conflict management, collaboration, self-awareness, self-confidence, and adaptability—in other words, the ability to interact with others. The good news, as Goleman says, is that it's never too late to develop emotion- al intelligence—whether you're a student or a professional. Even people who are not inherently good at self-assessment or empathy can develop those skills and become more adept at relating to others. They may never develop their own private speech patterns, but they'll understand how to create a friend- ly, tight-knit working community where everybody knows how to communicate. ■ z 6 BizEd SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003 BILL BASCOM