Mind The Gap

8When “Yes” Means “No”: Some Fine Points of Code-Switching

Scaling (or starting) a business across cultures can feel like entering an upside-down universe. Something that happens automatically in your culture might be a laborious grind elsewhere. People in some places really will say “yes” when they mean “no.” To cope, getting your head right-side-up is paramount. The experiences shared in this chapter may help.

We have tried to avoid calling cultures other than your own “different.” The word carries a somewhat pejorative connotation—different can come across as meaning lesser-than, so we don’t write it. But we’ll make an exception here. As a cultural code-switcher, you really do need to think differently. The practice will empower you to bridge gaps like those described in this chapter, starting with perhaps the toughest.

Learn to Decipher the Codes in Which “Yes” Means “No,” or Meanings Are Otherwise Scrambled

Why would some people say a yes that means no? Because the culture frowns on creating disagreement and conflict. Because they want to leave a door open for the future, but just aren’t willing to walk through it now. Because they worry that a no will be perceived as disobedience. Or because they want to get business from you (as in, “Yes we can meet your deadline,” when in fact they can’t. The yes in this case means “We’ll try our best.”). And a big disorienting factor is that all such reasons may seem to defy reason.

Vinnie once gave a speech at a conference in the ...