Why Big 9 Cultural Values Should Guide Your Business Decisions
As businesses expand globally, understanding cultural differences has become crucial to success. Using Big 9 cultural values can help organizations navigate those differences and make decisions that resonate with diverse customers, employees, and stakeholders.
What are Big 9 Cultural Values?
The Big 9 cultural values were identified by Erin Meyer, a professor at INSEAD, and they encapsulate the cultural differences between countries and regions. The nine values are:
- Direct vs. indirect communication;
- Egalitarian vs. hierarchical relationships;
- Task vs. relationship focus;
- Low vs. high context communication;
- Casual vs. formal communication;
- Individual vs. collective success;
- Neutral vs. emotional expression;
- Specific vs. diffuse relationships;
- Sequential vs. synchronic time.
Understanding these values can help businesses avoid misunderstandings and improve communication with stakeholders around the world.
Why the Big 9 Matter for Business Decisions
Making business decisions that are aligned with the Big 9 values can help companies:
- Maintain positive relationships with stakeholders;
- Increase employee satisfaction and retention;
- Improve customer engagement and loyalty;
- Reduce the risk of miscommunication;
- Build a global reputation for cultural competence.
Examples of Applying Big 9 Cultural Values in Business
Here are some examples of how businesses have used Big 9 cultural values to make better decisions:
- A Western company expanding into Japan decided to use indirect communication when making requests to Japanese employees, in line with the country’s cultural preference, and saw an improvement in their working relationships as a result.
- An American tech company implemented weekly employee feedback sessions to promote egalitarianism, a value highly prized in India, where the majority of their workforce was based. This reduced employee turnover and improved the company’s reputation among Indian customers.
- A luxury fashion brand used high-context communication in their marketing materials to appeal to Chinese customers, who value indirect and implicit messaging.
- A global food company introduced specific rewards for individual employee achievements, appealing to the individualist values of Australian and American employees while continuing to recognize holistic team success in other regions.
Conclusion
By recognizing and applying Big 9 cultural values, businesses can make decisions that are sensitive to cultural differences, build strong relationships with stakeholders around the world, and ultimately achieve greater success. Taking cultural values into account should be a standard practice for businesses operating in today’s global marketplace.
