ESSACHESS 10 (1(19)):91-110 (
2017)
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Abstract
Russians and Westerners access, process and communicate information in
different ways. Whilst Westerners favour detailed analysis of subject matter, Russians
tend to focus on certain components that are, in their view, significant. This
disparity makes it difficult to achieve constructive dialogues between Western and
Russian stakeholders contributing to cross-cultural communication problems. The
author claims that the difference in the ways Russians and Westerners negotiate
information is a significant cultural difference between Russia and West rather than
an irritating (and in principle amenable) lack of analytical skills on the Russian partners’
part. Understanding the reasons behind the Russian-specific approaches to
dealing with information would be a positive step towards a more effective cross-cultural communication, important in business situations and essential in diplomacy.