Welcome to Week 5, an important week in the grand scheme of the course. Cross-cultural communication is critical in globalized organizations and between individuals and groups in multicultural societies. This week you'll examine a number of the key issues faced by negotiators when cultural differences are in play. This week, your concept of culture will be challenged through definitions of national culture, ethnic culture, and corporate culture. You'll explore the manifestations of cultural dynamics in behavior, communication style, and negotiation processes and you'll apply cultural frameworks to help you question your choices so you can adjust your process and avoid damaging business relationships. There is no doubt that learning to speak a foreign language gives you an insight into life in a different country and perhaps some cultural awareness and increased cultural competency. It doesn't mean you absorb or understand that cultural fully, it certainly doesn't mean you accept, nor that you actively or even tacitly agree with certain norms or values that are prevalent in that country. For instance, I speak competent Bahasa and yet I don't negotiate the way an Indonesian businessperson is likely to, I don't live and work in a developing country, nor do I live in a country where religion is so prominent and influential. So how can I know the unwritten rules of that society? The reality is that when negotiating with an Indonesian, I'll probably be more direct than they're used to and I would certainly expect things to happen far more quickly. Similarly, when working with a counterpart in business who speaks fluent English, should you assume that this person shares the same cultural norms and rules that you do? Of course not I hear you say it, the fact of the matter is that many people do make that assumption. This is because the shared language of English and of business concepts and terms creates the impression that many other things are shared. The cultural differences are only on the surface, in different accents or in the way particular words are used. The dominance of English as the lingua franca of global business and the shared Western business vocabulary can obscure cross-cultural communication problems from your line of sight. By the end of this week, you'll move beyond the stereotype of culture and unlock the unwritten rules of the multi-faceted cultures you engage with. Decode surface and deeper expectations of your counterparts and adjust your behavioral choices and then develop your situational awareness to become aware of and to influence the context of communication.