Communication Is the Main Essence of Knowledge and Understanding. the Emphasis on Cross Cultural Communication Has Increased Due to the Ever Growing Global Environment, of Which, This Case Is a Perfect Example. Canadian
Communication is the main essence of knowledge and understanding. The emphasis on cross cultural communication has increased due to the ever growing global environment, of which, this case is a perfect example. Canadian Bank of Nova Scotia increased their share in Inverlat, the Mexican Bank to 54% and took control of the management. Soon after that, BNS started the restructuring process of Inverlat and sent a team of Canadian managers to Mexico.
Cross cultural communications was a major issue between Canadians and Mexicans as seen in the Inverlat case. Due to the communication gap between Canadians and Mexicans, Jim O’Donnell and his management team faced an uphill task in dealing with several issues in restructuring Inverlat. Few Mexican managers, though very competent, made their Canadian managers feel frustrated due to their inability to speak in English and be able to communicate with them directly. Although BNS officials had undergone intensive month long training on Spanish before embarking on the job, they still could not communicate clearly enough to their Mexican employees. Canadians ignored the fact that there are many more cultural nuances that need to be taken care to appreciate the cultural differences between Mexicans and them. On a similar note, senior Mexican managers, who considered themselves competent in English, could not clearly comprehend the instructions given in English during their team meetings. Every Mexican manager drew his own perception of the messages that were communicated in those meetings. As a result, it took them long time to understand what their Canadian counterpart actually wanted to convey. Adapting to the cultural diversity of a new country is not easy and this case is a great example of this fact. There was never a conscious effort on either side to spend time and learn the cultural nitty gritty. That would have made their job much easier.
Another interesting fact that came out of this case is the difference in workplace
Cross cultural communications was a major issue between Canadians and Mexicans as seen in the Inverlat case. Due to the communication gap between Canadians and Mexicans, Jim O’Donnell and his management team faced an uphill task in dealing with several issues in restructuring Inverlat. Few Mexican managers, though very competent, made their Canadian managers feel frustrated due to their inability to speak in English and be able to communicate with them directly. Although BNS officials had undergone intensive month long training on Spanish before embarking on the job, they still could not communicate clearly enough to their Mexican employees. Canadians ignored the fact that there are many more cultural nuances that need to be taken care to appreciate the cultural differences between Mexicans and them. On a similar note, senior Mexican managers, who considered themselves competent in English, could not clearly comprehend the instructions given in English during their team meetings. Every Mexican manager drew his own perception of the messages that were communicated in those meetings. As a result, it took them long time to understand what their Canadian counterpart actually wanted to convey. Adapting to the cultural diversity of a new country is not easy and this case is a great example of this fact. There was never a conscious effort on either side to spend time and learn the cultural nitty gritty. That would have made their job much easier.
Another interesting fact that came out of this case is the difference in workplace