Brainthrough Lazy Sunday #31

(after slight technical difficulties last night, we are starting #31 a little later than usual…) 🤷 

Hello everyone!

Cultural research suggests that the dimension of uncertainty avoidance goes back approximately 2000 years, to the Roman and Chinese Empires.

Mapping the UAI scale geographically, shows countries with Chinese heritage score typically low. Countries with high UAI are typically found as descendants from the Roman Empire.

The Roman Empire was set on “governing by law”, while the Chinese Empire “has been described as government by man”, that is more flexible in its interpretation, but following core values.

Both empires survived and thrived over many generations, providing a large enough time frame for the human brain to start to physically differentiate. My assumption - but I could not find enough research, supporting the theory of epigenetic encoding of cultural values and hence impacting the development of the brain development in specific environments.

Hence, back to learnings that have been researched…

We will go into some aspects of UAI and neuroscience, and then look into how communication and social interactions differ along the UAI scale.

I will end with a couple of tools and suggestions when working with different UAI countries.

Topic of the week: uncertainty avoidance part II

To recap, the basics:

Uncertainty avoidance (UAI) is the extent to which individuals in social groups cope with ambiguity and uncertainty.

High UAI countries like Russia, Austria, France, Belgium, and Japan show high implementation of rules via laws, structured life, consistency, or well-defined processes that people and organizations follow. Change is avoided or implemented slowly, predictability is important, the motto: “what is different is dangerous”.

Low UAI countries such as Singapore, UK, Australia and the US thrive through loose rules. The motto: “what is different is curious”. Entrepreneurship, innovation and risk-taking is higher in countries with low UAI.

But what does it mean for communication?

UAI and interpersonal communication

Communication follows the UAI and power distance scale.

Japanese, Russian, and German do address differently when power distance is high. This is specifically hard for English-speaking individuals to wrap their head around as they only know “you”.

The language in countries with high UAI is elaborate: long paragraphs, adjectives, specific and detailed descriptions, full sentences, friendly and soft, in-between the lines. Short bullet points (”to get to the point”) in written communication is considered almost rude and unprofessional. For important matters, verbal communication is preferred over email, although a phone call is followed up with a written summary to avoid any ambiguity.

In low UAI countries, the communication is direct, data-driven. “Get to the point and the solution”.

The sender of the message (verbal or written) is responsible for the communication, which is different from e.g. East Asian countries, where often the receiver is deemed responsible for “read between the lines” correctly.

Here is another example:

Imagine a colleague from a high UAI country sends a communication you disagree with on a thread with multiple people. You’d be better off to call the send if in a high UAI environment, before you send the official reply on the thread. If you were to reply, this could be seen as highly disrespectful and aggressive. The person could believe she lost her face in front of the group and become an obstacle rather than allies going forward.

Low UAI countries would happily discuss and accept different opinions in front of others.

This obviously also goes along the scale of power distance.

You will find less sci-fi and imaginative books written in high UAI countries. Literature focuses on life, the daily hardships. Low UAI countries focus on the “imagination beyond the possible”.

Characters in high UAI countries are obedient, follow cultural norms within social hierarchies.

PR and Marketing

We briefly touched base on that last week as well, but let us recap.

High UAI countries require more details, best by respected people. This means several things for marketing and selling in high UAI countries:

• they are typically not early adopters

• require more data for making buying-decisions

• have stricter, well-defined regulations (data, security, certification requirements - all for both digital and physical products)

• doctors, lawyers and other “expert” occupations are trusted as sources.

• marketing messaging often evolves around cleanliness, purity, positioning and communication is often more serious, less playful

• they will read manuals and handbooks 😄

Brands from the US struggle in Europe and Asia. Their messaging is too playful and too personal, and triggers the wrong emotions. This is not only relevant in a B2C scenario, but equally important in B2Business environments.

Brands need to make “friends” with their customers in high UAI countries, while in low UAI countries they trust reviews, data and clearly defined and communicated product propositions.

UAI and neuroscience

Uncertainty and risk are thought to be an aversive mental state in the brain; social ambiguity even more so. Brain scans reveal that e.g. social decisions made under uncertainty utilize brain regions responsible for “self-reflection” and “self-perception” within the default mode network (DMN), as well as the right amygdala (stress!!!).

In high UAI groups, the mental barrier to reach out to an unknown or even “out of group” person is much higher. This can be shown in studies measuring amygdala and cortisol levels when faced with the choice between reaching out to students (in group) or teachers (out of group + high-power distance) or looking at Caucasian individuals vs. black groups.

Both studies show neural reasons for why high UAI groups also draw much more aggressive lines between “us” and “them”, resulting in racism and suppression of minority groups.

Finally, some dopamine and serotonin receptors in the brain can differ in opposite cultural environments. As specific receptors play various roles in mental disorders, depression and anxiety, substance abuse or other physical diseases.

Therefore, this knowledge might be an entry-point to understand treatments and psychological approaches to increase treatment acceptance.

But it can also help to navigate racism, social inequalities and disparities in mental health across the globe.

How to adapt communication to UAI environments

Remember: detailed planning is a way to control uncertainty. Diverting from the plan, even if called for by data, can result in resistance due to intolerance for ambiguity.

When operating with individuals or in cultures with high uncertainty-avoidance, you want to

• avoid surprises, but if they arise, communicate clearly and objectively

• lead with objective data

• follow process and documentation

• avoid open conflicts, as they are seen as a threat

• provide thought through planning (agility needs to be packed into a long-term plan)

• avoid flowery and overly “salesy” content: what is written on the box has to be in the box.

• define clear roles, job descriptions and rules of interaction

• communicate planned activities alongside clear outcomes, and precise objectives

• define rewards based on accuracy, not based on originality

• avoid scenario where one employee has two bosses creates friction; matrix organizations are difficult to execute successfully

• encourage “speaking up”: individuals from high UAI societies have less trust in their ability to influence decisions made by authorities (direct managers, government authorities etc.)

• plan more conservatively to get buy-in from local management. Stretch goals are good, but the line between “purely a dream” and “seems realistic” is fine

• avoid going off plan without prior alignment and buy-in with stakeholders

• offer services alongside your products, as DYI is deemed “risky”. That is also true for e.g. professional services alongside IT products

• networking events are definitely a little bit stiffer in high UAI regions ;-)

I used to be amazed by the difference in project planning of partners in Europe vs. partners in the US. Partners in Europe would prepare 100+ pages of project planning and descriptions. The customer expected that.

In the US, 5-10 pages of documentation were totally enough to get an equally big project to be signed off.

Businesses in Germany want a project plan to accompany a software purchase, even when the details of the project. Sometimes, we were asked to provide a daily break-down, weekly was not enough.

The “growth-hacking” and “go quick and break it” mentality is often frowned upon. That does not mean it is not accepted, but quick iterations require a clear description of “how”, “why” and “who”.

High UAI groups plan for eventualities. They assess potential risks, before making investments (time / money). A “just get started and see where it’s going” will lead to slow execution. Not because the employees aren’t capable of executing, but because a “just start” approach is considered unprofessional.

To sum it up

Uncertainty avoidance plays a major role in cultural research.

Countries like Germany, Japan, France, and Austria score high on uncertainty avoidance. These countries thrive on structure, processed documentation, law and order. They score lower on innovation, but high on operational excellence. They often react defensive to immigration, but have high rates of religious penetration.

Countries like the US, UK, Australia, and Singapore score low on the uncertainty avoidance. Innovation thrives, loose networks are important, differences are embraced. Humor and features dominate communication in marketing.

Uncertainty avoidance correlates with high levels of anxiety, especially if short-term changes impact the status-quo. Especially high UAI + strongly individualistic countries have high rates of anxiety, depression, and even suicide.

Understanding how to communicate, introduce change and motivate individuals is an influential aspect.

Last but not least, neurological research, connecting activities within the brain with cultural traits, can help influence various aspects. Economic development especially innovation (think venture capital and startups), socio-economic differences all the way up topics such as racism, and better ways to treat mental health.

And remember: first the law, then the fun.

Find my research: Uncertainty Avoidance

Culture and Communication: interpersonal communication, marketing, advertising and packaging

This article is not uniquely covering uncertainty-avoidance only. Communication is reviewed along various cultural dimensions, some of which we have discussed in the past.

It is a good primer to read when considering going abroad: either internationalizing a product, or trying to establish cross-country partnerships.

(Sage Publication)

A nation perspective: culture and innovation

This paper has a couple of good examples of cultural differences at work. Even reading the first couple of pages is interesting, and probably situations one or the other could relate to.

The first one: the Dutch author shares his experience with his new American manager. After carefully planning and detailing opportunities for expanding a product, he shared them with his US manager to agree on which way to go. His supervisor wasn’t interested in options - he wanted to sign off the solution. Cultural differences in expectations.

(Rotterdam University)

Culture in Business Research

We are very much beyond the point where work is only conveyor-belt like task-related. We are also beyond the point where all team members are from the same town, city or country.

We all travel regularly, read news from different sources.

All these are good arguments for why cultural research is critical for success in business.

(Walden Uni)

Find my research: neuroscience

“Surgeons Cut a Giant Tumor Out of My Head. Is There a Better Way?“

Bloomberg journalist Noah Bujayar got diagnosed with a tumor in his brain. Luckily, after an invasive procedure and a long recovery phase, he is all well.

This experience got him to go down the rabbit-hole of non-invasive treatments for brain diseases - tumors, tremors etc.

Sound treatments are the hope to avoid cutting holes into brains - and a lot of money if flowing into research, both from through government grants and private funding.

Sound can penetrate the skull and create enough focused heat to stimulate very narrow areas of the brain. Ultrasound treatments have shown promising results for tremor treatment at a fraction of the cost a normal invasive operation would require.

The larger goal is to apply this technology to treat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Both could cost the US insurers more than $1 trillion by 2050! That is a considerable number.

Great article, explaining the technology and moving figures in this space.

(Bloomberg)

Brain decline, brain shrinkage - welcome to getting older

Yes, perfect clickbait - drama title. But it is an interesting read.

The average brain shrinks about 5% every 10 years post age of 40%. Great, I know! 🙄

Age has other implications on cognitive functions. Brain regions aren’t that well-connected. Neural pathways and synapsis are reducing. All of that is to say, cognitive abilities are slowing down. That is a fact if you want it or not.

I think it is good to be aware of that now. Because, of course, there are things you can about it and, we are learning new methods to increase the brain health span at rapid speed.

Be social. Meet friends.

Exercise. Just do it. Walking every day, weight lifting etc. By now nobody, really - nobody should just sit at home and not exercise.

Learn new things that are actively hard (and scary). Even when we are at work, we often end up being in a Groundhog day kinda scenario, and we repeat similar processes and tasks.

Coursera, edx, even certain YouTube channels are great learning sources. There is literally no excuse not to learn something new regularly.

Your old self will thank your young self.

(WebMD)

Find my research: office

Mental health - the impact on middle management

The avid reader will know that neuroscience and mental health are tightly connected. Our view of the world impacts our anxiety levels, our happiness, even our perceived level of energy.

UKG, a software provider in the HR space, surveyed middle managers and found:

McKinsey looked into the factors that influence mid-level perception of work, beyond relationships with direct supervisors, and found these:

3x more origin-bias on low performance

People identify with social groups. When the going gets tough, biases are even more pronounced, and we revert to our core beliefs, values and prejudices. That might as well be identifying with a cultural or national background.

This study researched the impact of origin when assessing low-performing CEO’s. The finding? Foreign-born CEOs are almost 3x as likely to be assessed worse when the company performs below expectations, compared to native-born CEO’s. And that includes the board’s perception, which typically is there to be an objective body.

(Global Strategy Journal)

Bad customer service? Here is the solution: distract your customers

New customers are expensive. To keep existing customers, companies spend a lot of money on triggering repeat purchases and good customer experience through e.g. active customer support. There are always customers who complain.

A study looked into strategies that work with complaining customers, especially in physical settings. Think hospitality or travel. When a complaining customer sees preferential treatment of other customers over his complaint, it typically increases the negative feelings. Rightly so, I think.

If not catered for, the complaining customers’ negativity towards the experience will increase drastically. But, simple distractions by staff to disrupt the negative thought by the customer almost halves the chance for additional complaints.

This is significant, and shows how easily our mind can be distracted and “recalibrated”.

Works not only in customer support settings but also with (small) kids. Believe me! 😄

(Wiley Psychology & Marketing)

On top of tech

Health apps do help to get into a healthier lifestyle

A study of the University of South Australia suggests that health apps, such as sleep tracking, exercising and / or finding tracking food (which I tried many times, but it is so time-consuming that I stop it after a week or so. If somebody knows a good diet tracking app that can track e.g. from photos, please send them my way…).

The study found that on average:

This is pretty impressive.

I continue to believe that soonish we will have more brain data within these apps (yes, EEG tracking via headphones or headbands) which will help even further to control our mental health, sleep and mental workload.

(UniSA)

Robot for age care can show emotions

Have you watched “Sunny”, the Apple TV series about a robot? Worth watching, as it spans across various aspects like culture (US vs Japan), technology (robot vs. human) and the mindful acceptance of it all.

The TV show feels futuristic because the technology (home robots, instant language translation via headphone, voice-only mobile phones) are integrated more seamlessly into the daily lives of the characters. Until you realize that we are like almost there.

Suddenly, the TV show feels very real.

Look at the interview with Grace Brown, founder of Andromeda:

And then there are robots from a Chinese university, whose developers tried to mimic the dopaminergic reward system of the brain. The goal? Infuse some more empathy and emotional connections by providing the robot with a screen face, which can show four emotions. Not quite human, but the basics are checked.

(ChinaDaily)

Misc but not least…

(I keep telling you: this section is whatever fancies my interest, so you will have to cope with snow and skiing and other random stuff ;-))

There are two things I do miss in Australian winter: Christmas is only 6 months later and the lack of snow, hence lack of skiing. So, last weekend, when everyone was still asleep, apart from my brain, I started to make breakfast and skipped through a couple of Salomon skiing videos.

Technology allows amazing pictures to be captured with low-cost devices. The 4k video camera is in your pocket. The amount of really good content is unimaginable.

This one is not only beautiful, but also great and humorous story-telling.

Thank you for reading.

Please share the link on social media or by forwarding this episode of Lazy Sunday to your friends and colleagues.

Maybe they can learn something as well? ;-)

Have a great rest of the weekend.

Alex