Finalna MA - Lacmanovic Jelena

FAKULTETA ZA UPORABNE DRUŽBENE ŠTUDIJE V
NOVI GORICI
MAGISTRSKA NALOGA
MEDKULTURNA ANALIZA VPLIVA

KULTURNIH RAZLIK NA NEVERBALNO
KOMUNIKACIJO MED POSLOVNIMI
SREČANJI V ŽIVO SLOVENSKIH IN
ČRNOGORSKIH PARTNERJEV
JELENA LACMANOVIĆ
Fakulteta za uporabne družbene študije
V Novi Gorici
MAGISTRSKA NALOGA
MEDKULTURNA ANALIZA VPLIVA

KULTURNIH RAZLIK NA NEVERBALNO
KOMUNIKACIJO MED POSLOVNIMI
SREČANJI V ŽIVO SLOVENSKIH IN
ČRNOGORSKIH PARTNERJEV
Mentorica: izr. prof. dr. Svitlana Buko

Študijski program: Medkulturni menedžment
Ljubljana, maj 2022 Jelena Lacmanović

IZJAVA O AVTORSTVU
Spodaj podpisana Jelena Lacmanović, izjavljam,

da je diplomsko delo / magistrsko delo / doktorsko delo z naslovom Medkulturna analiza vpliva kulturnih
razlik na neverbalno komunikacijo med poslovnimi srečanji v živo slovenskih in črnogorskih partnerjev
ki sem ga napisal/-a pod mentorstvom izr. prof. dr. Svitlane Buko:
• rezultat lastnega raziskovalnega procesa,

• da so dela in mnenja drugih avtorjev oz. avtoric, ki jih uporabljam v predloženem
delu, navedena oz. citirana v skladu s fakultetnimi navodili,
• da so vsa citirana ali povzeta dela drugih avtorjev oz. avtoric navedena v seznamu virov,
• da se zavedam, da je plagiatorstvo – predstavljanje tujih del, bodisi v obliki citata
bodisiv obliki skoraj dobesednega parafraziranja bodisi v grafični obliki, s katerim so tuje
misli oz.
ideje predstavljene kot moje lastne – kaznivo po zakonu; Zakon o avtorskih in sorodnih
pravicah(U.l. RS, št. 16/07-UPB3, s spr. in dop.),
• da se zavedam posledic, ki jih dokazano plagiatorstvo lahko predstavlja za
predloženo delo, za moj status na fakulteti ter ukrepov Fakultete za uporabne družbene
študije v skladu z njenimi pravili,
• da je elektronska oblika identična tiskani obliki dela,

• da je delo lektorirano in urejeno skladno s fakultetnimi navodili in pravilniki
objavljenimina spletni strani fakultete.
Kraj, datum: 02.05.2022 Podpis avtorice:

Acknowledgements
In the first place, I would like to thank my family - my parents, Darko and Jadranka, my brother
Djordje and my grandmothers for being my anchor in life, supporting me and giving me nothing
but love. They believed in me and encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and move to
Slovenia, which only made my life better.
I would like to thank my dear professor Svitlana Buko for being a great mentor, offering me her
time and support, guiding me through this process. Her energy, knowledge and feedback made
this thesis what it is.
Finally, I would like to thank my closest friends for being my second family, understanding me
and supporting me every step of the way on each step, that is why this journey was easier with
them by my side.
POVZETEK
Raziskava obravnava izzive medkulturnih poslovnih srečanj slovenskih in črnogorskih poslovnih

partnerjev s poudarkom na neverbalni komunikaciji na medkulturnih poslovnih srečanjih
partnerjev. Raziskave vključujejo gradnjo teoretičnega okvira na podlagi Hofstedejevih šestih
dimenzijah kulture ter na podlagi tega je bila opravljena navzkrižna analiza obeh držav, ki je
pokazala, da so najbolj značilne razlike pri dimenziji Maskulinost-Femininost, medtem ko za
Popuščanje in Dolgoročno orientacijo, Slovenija kaže enako razpršene lastnosti obeh skrajnosti.
Ta primerjava je služila kot izhodišče za razvoj raziskovalne strukture.
V kvalitativni študiji je bilo s tehniko snežne kepe vzorčenih 9 menedžerjev iz slovenskih in
črnogorskih podjetij, torej iz partnerskih podjetij iz obeh držav. Bili so intervjuvani s tehniko
polstrukturiranega intervjuja, pri čemer so obravnavali razlike in podobnosti v drži, očesnem
stiku, fizičnem videzu, kronemiji in proksemiki ter lokaciji poslovnih sestankov. Podatki raziskav
kažejo, da anketiranci niso zaznali večjih in bistvenih razlik, ki bi lahko vplivale na kakovost
NVC ali vodile v večje konflikte. V primerjalni analizi dveh poslovnih kultur je bilo ugotovljenih
več vidikov znotraj dveh področij parajezika in kronemije: Črnogorci so po poročanju bolj
zgovorni, glasnejši in hitrejše, bolj gestikulirajo, prenagljeni v odločitvah in razpravah, Slovenci
so bolj zadržani, umirjeni, manj izrazni med sestankov, ki si vzamejo več časa za odločitve in
razprave. Vendar obe strani kažeta nizko raven zavedanja o NVC in ne posvečata dovolj
pozornosti tem specifičnim znakom NVC. Skratka, čeprav obstajajo nekatere kulturne razlike
med državami, pomembne ali ne, anketiranci kažejo voljo, da se jim približajo in jih obvladujejo.
Ključne besede: neverbalna komunikacija, Črna gora, Slovenija, kulturne razlike, Hofstede,
parajezik, kronemiks.
CULTURAL ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES ON
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION DURING THE ONSITE BUSINESS MEETINGS OF
SLOVENIAN AND MONTENEGRIN PARTNERS
ABSTRACT
The research addresses challenges of the intercultural business encounters of Slovenian and
Montenegrin business partners with the focus on the non-verbal communication (NVC: body
language, physical appearance, proxemics, haptics, chronemics, oculesics) during intercultural
business meetings between partners. Analysis was built upon the theoretical framework on the
basis of Hofstede’s six dimensions of culture. The comparison between the two countries was
performed, showing that there are no significant differences expect for the Masculinity-
Femininity, but when considering the Indulgence and Long Term Orientation, Slovenia exhibits
equally dispersed traits of both extremes. This comparison served as a starting point for
developing research structure. Before conducting the qualitative study nine managers from
Slovenian and Montenegrin companies were sampled by using snowball technique, conveniently
being from partner companies in both countries. They were interviewed by the semi-structured
interview technique, which addresses differences and similarities within NVCs: their the posture,
eye contact, physical appearance, chronemics and proxemics during the onsite business meetings.
Research data findings demonstrate that respondents did not perceive significant differences,
which could impact quality of NVC or lead to greater conflicts. In the comparative analysis of
two business cultures several aspects were identified within two areas, namely paralanguage and
chronemics: Montenegrins are reported to be more talkative, louder and fast-speaking, more
gesticulating, rushing decisions and discussions Slovenians are reported to be more reserved,
calm, less expressive during the meetings, taking more time for decisions and discussions.
Analysis also revealed that both sides show relatively low level of awareness of the NVC and not
paying enough attention to these specific NVC and their impact during intercultural business
communication. Findings indicate some cultural differences exist between the cultures, however
respondents showed low level of awareness and reported no ability to approach or manage non-
verbal communication during the business encounters.
Keywords: non-verbal communication, Montenegro, Slovenia, cultural differences, Hofstede,

paralanguage, chronemics
TABLE OF CONTENTS
POVZETEK ..........................................................................................................................
ABSTRACT ...........................................................................................................................
1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1
2 CULTURE ........................................................................................................................ 4
2.1 Defining culture .............................................................................................................. 4
2.2 The National and Organizational Culture ..................................................................... 6
2.3 Hofstede’s dimensions and Organizational Culture...................................................... 6
2.4 Hofstede’s Dimensions of the National Culture............................................................. 7
2.4.1 Power distance (PDI) .............................................................................................. 10
2.4.2 Individualism and Collectivism (INV) .................................................................... 11
2.4.3 Masculinity and Femininity (MAS) ........................................................................ 11
2.4.4 Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI) ................................................................................. 12
2.4.5 The Long Term Orientation (LTO)......................................................................... 13
2.4.6 Indulgence (IND) ................................................................................................... 14
2.5 The Comparison of Culture Dimensions between Slovenia and Montenegro Using
Hofstede’s Dimensions ................................................................................................. 15
2.5.1 The Power Distance ................................................................................................ 16
2.5.2 Individualism and Collectivism .............................................................................. 17
2.5.3 Masculinity and Femininity.................................................................................... 17
2.5.4 Uncertainty Avoidance ........................................................................................... 18
2.5.5 The Long-Term and Short-Term Orientation ......................................................... 18
2.5.6 Indulgence and Restraint ....................................................................................... 19
2.6 Hofstede and Communication Styles ........................................................................... 19
3 COMMUNICATION ................................................................................................... 23
3.1 Intercultural communication ...................................................................................... 24
3.2 Communication in the International Companies ....................................................... 26
3.3 Potential Barrieers in the Cross-Cultural Communication........................................ 31
3.4 Non-verbal communication ......................................................................................... 32
3.5 The types of non-verbal communication ..................................................................... 32
4 EMPIRICAL RESEARCH AND METHOD ....................................................... 38
4.1 The Definition of the Research Problem ..................................................................... 38
4.2 The objectives of the Research .................................................................................... 41
4.3 The Definition of the Research Area and the Description of the Problem ................. 41
4.3.1 Research Area ........................................................................................................ 41
4.3.2 The Description of the Problem .............................................................................. 42
4.4 Research Purpose and Goals ....................................................................................... 44
4.5 Methodology................................................................................................................. 44
4.5.1 The Approach taken in this Research ..................................................................... 45
4.5.2 The Main Research Question ................................................................................. 45
4.5.3 Research Sub-Questions ......................................................................................... 45
4.5.4 The Selected Method............................................................................................... 45
4.5.5 Sampling................................................................................................................. 46
4.5.6 The Selected Techniques for the Data Collection ................................................... 46
4.5.7 The Method of Processing, Analysis, Interpretation of the Data ............................ 47
5 FINDINGS ...................................................................................................................... 48
5.1 The General Analysis ................................................................................................... 50
5.1.1 History of conflicts in the intercultural environment, their view on the respective
culture ..................................................................................................................... 51
5.2 Non-verbal communication differences ...................................................................... 57
5.2.1 Kinesics................................................................................................................... 57
5.2.2 Paralanguage ......................................................................................................... 59
5.2.3 Physical appearance ............................................................................................... 60
5.2.4 Haptics.................................................................................................................... 61
5.2.5 Proxemics ............................................................................................................... 61
5.2.6 Chronemics............................................................................................................. 62
5.2.7 Location of business meetings ................................................................................ 63
5.3 Research Findings ........................................................................................................ 64
6 LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE
RESEARCH....................................................................................................................... 66
7 RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................... 67
8 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 71
Annex 1: Demographics table ...............................................................................................
Annex 2: The invitation letter ...............................................................................................
Slovenian version ................................................................................................................
Montenegrin version ...........................................................................................................
English version ...................................................................................................................
Annex 3: Interview guide ......................................................................................................
Slovenian version ................................................................................................................
Montenegrin version ...........................................................................................................
English version ...................................................................................................................
TABLE INDEX
Table 2.1 The Consequences of Collectivism/Individualism and Short-/Long-Term Orientation

for Communication (Courtesy of Marieke de Mooij) by Hofstede..…………………………22
Table 3.1 The Cross cultural Communication Competence Model…...…………………….29
Table 5.1 The Cultural Dimensions of the Researched Countries...……………………...…64
GRAPH INDEX
Graph 2.1 Hofstede’s Comparison of the Cultural Dimensions between Slovenia and
Montenegro…………………………………………………………………………………..16
FIGURE INDEX
Figure 2.1 Six cultural dimensions by Geert Hofstede………..…………...…………………8

Figure 2.2 Six dimensions of culture by Hofstede represented on a scale………..……….....9
Figure 2.3 Differences between Small Power Distance and Large Power Distance
societies………………………………………………………………………………………10
Figure 2.4 Differences between Individualist and Collectivist societies……………...…….11
Figure 2.5 Differences between Feminine and Masculine societies………...………………12
Figure 2.6 Differences between Weak and Strong Uncertainty Avoidance societies.……...13
Figure 2.7 Differences between Short-Term and Long-Term Oriented societies…………...14
Figure 2.8 Differences between Indulgent and Restrained societies………………………...15
Figure 2.9 Contrast among Long-Term versus Short-Term oriented societies……………...20
Figure 2.10 The Contrast among Communication Styles in Individualist and Collectivist
societies……………………………………………………………………………………....20
Figure 2.11 The Contrast among Communication Styles in Small Power Distance and Large
Power Distance societies…..…………………………………………………………………21
Figure 2.12 The Contrast among Communication Styles in Weak and Strong Uncertainty
Avoidance societies………….………………………………………………………………21
Figure 3.1 Elements of the Communication Process………………………………………..24
Figure 3.2 Neuliep’s Model of Intercultural Communication………………………………25
Figure 3.3 The Five Factor Model…………………………………………………………..26
Figure 3.4 Bennet’s Model of the Intercultural Sensitivity……………………………...….27
Figure 3.5 Edward’s T. Hall’s Categorization of Physical Distance………………………..35
Lacmanović, Jelena. 2022. Medkulturna analiza vpliva kulturnih razlik na neverbalno
komunikacijo med poslovnimi srečanji v živo slovenskih in črnogorskih partnerjev. Magistrska
naloga. Fakulteta za uporabne družbene študije v Novi Gorici.
1 INTRODUCTION
As globalisation takes its toll, intercultural communication is becoming common way of dealing
with business, now more than ever. Nowadays, in order to become and stay relevant on a
competitive business market, one has to be aware of the cruciality of intercultural connections
and partnerships.
European Central Bank (2022, under “Economic diversity”) emphasizes that EU countries differ
in economic activities which add to the total economic value: “Diversity in economic structures
relates, for example, to the relative importance of different economic activities for aggregate
output”. These differences reflect country’s specialized products which are recognized
internationally and are strongly influenced by geo-economic factors, such as location,
demography, institutional policies and consumption patterns. Countries become competitive on
the market since they can offer domestically produced goods and thus build trading connections
across countries. This does not limit trading operations only to the European Union market.
However, some countries are limited, whether by the geographical location, institutional support
or economy policies and consequently, they depend more on trade channels with other countries.
This also positively affects the real GDP, “which tends to increase growth potential as foreign
demand expands faster than domestic demand” (European Central Bank 2022, under “Economic
diversity”). Cooperation and exchange of goods can benefit both sides.
Today's global and European market are influenced and conditioned by the rules of EU, meaning
that many businesses coming from the non-EU area have difficulties while trying to step up on
the market and consolidate its position. When considering former Yugoslavia, it should be
pointed out that it was very well respected in the EU milieu, despite being a socialist country. The
first official contacts between the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the European
Economic Community (EEC) were already made in 1962, but the complexity of the process
meant that the official declaration was adopted in 1967 and a year later, the first Yugoslav
Ambassador in the EEC was appointed (Djurović and Lajh 2020). Only Slovenia and Croatia
became EU members, while other countries show slow process of democratic transition. Reasons
for it can be found in the direct or indirect involvement in war, ethnic and identity problems and
1
socio-economic factors. It is a very diverse region both culturally and socio-economically and
those differences are even more evident emphasized once compared to the EU in general terms,
going into depths about not to talk about cultural diversity within the EU. As said before, some of
the former Yugoslav countries are “stuck” in the transition process, war crimes and building their
own identity while trying to recover national economy. Therefore, they are fighting for their
democracy while at the same time trying to fulfill standards of the European integration process.
However, research shows that some of the crucial criteria has been fulfilled, specifically the
cooperation with the International Court of Justice in The Hague (Djurović and Lajh 2020).
Montenegro has been negotiating for eight years now, Serbia for six years, while North
Macedonia entered the negotiations only at the end of March 2020 and Kosovo is merely waiting
for visa liberalization.
Consequently, Montenegro should follow Slovenia’s example on its path to the European Union,
as Djurovic and Lajh (2020, p. 682) emphasize that “the two countries should – due to their
similar interests – collaborate more in both the political and economic spheres”. There are several
areas where Montenegro shows great potential and these are agriculture, energy sector and
tourism (Palalić, Bičo, Dana and Ramadani 2018).
Eurokaz also emphasizes the importance of Montenegro’s candidate status and urgency of its
future membership, while pointing out to the necessity of proclaiming Ulcinj’s Solana (salt
evaporation pond/plant) a nature park, prosciutto and Plantaze wine quality Montenegrin
products which need to be recognized on EU level (Radević 2019a). When it comes to the
relationship between Montenegro and Slovenia, former Prime Minister Duško Marković and the
Ambassador of Slovenia in Montenegro Gregor Presker have emphasized during their official
meetings in 2019 “excellent political and bilateral relations, as well as good economic
cooperation that can be further enhanced in the fields of tourism, energy and agriculture”
(Radević 2019b). There are about 150 Slovenian companies operating in Montenegro,
particularly in the field of insurance, banking, energy and tourism. These investments offer space
for further strategic planning of expansion and upgrading collaborative relationship between the
two countries. Apart from that, it is important to keep these collaborations strong so that Slovenia
offers its support to Montenegro in the EU process (Radević 2019b).
Montenegro has natural resources which can cover its internal economic activities and gain
2
surplus, therefore, the entrepreneurship development should be of future focus (Palalić, Bičo,
Dana and Ramadani 2018). Multicultural and multiethnic environment in Montenegro can only
aid social and economic development, if it is seen as an advantage in networking across the
former Yugoslavia region (Dana 2010). “Montenegro is like other ex-Yugoslavian republics, with
“specific country factors”, which sometimes prevent entrepreneurship development and do not
allow its smooth flow that will bring new values for the socioeconomic development of the
country” (Palalić 2017; Palalić, Bičo, Dana and Ramadani 2018; p.106). These “specific country
factors” are important to consider, given the fact that they can influence socioeconomic
development and thus also international business relationships, as cited above.
On the other hand, Slovenia represents the most developed economy in the former Yugoslav
region, even though it formed only 8% of the total area (Zizmond 1993). Slovenian economy is
rooted mostly in industry and it is very much similar to other, neighboring South Eastern
European economies, “very small privately owned sector and full employment with substantial
excess demand for labor and a well-educated labor force” (Palalić, Bičo, Dana and Ramadani
2018; p.138). Its geographic location allows business owners to develop relationships and expand
their business in other neighboring countries, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Romania, Turkey or Bulgaria, and university programs prepare well new and young
entrepreneurs.
Market sets standards for performance and this requires being competitive in the field of
expertise. To become competitive in a globalized world, one must build international networks,
which can be challenging. Intercultural managers are valuable to this network-building processes,
since they can mediate and facilitate communication between two business leaders with culturally
different background. Being a potential source of misunderstandings, differences in language,
values, norms, expectations or experiences can appear during business conversations and strongly
influence the business flow (Krstić 2017).
Given the number of Slovenian companies operating in Montenegro and their success (Radević
2019b), the potential for further growth and expansion is present in both societies, with the need
for Montenegro to penetrate more strongly the Slovenian market. Also, sharing historical and
geographical circumstances along with similar goals and visions, provides reasons why these two
cultures should be examined and come into the research focus. The cross-cultural analysis offers
3
insights which can only aid the political, bilateral relations together with economic growth in
both Slovenia and Montenegro.
Communication is not solely limited to verbal one but potential source of misunderstandings
exceeds the verbal and dives in the non-verbal area. This area includes various signs and forms of
behavior and this research was structured in a way which tried to include as many different sub-
areas as possible. Therefore, non- verbal communication as a focus of this research specifically
included kinesics, proxemics, chronemics, haptics, paralanguage, physical appearance and
location of business meetings. Hofstede’s dimensions of culture (Hofstede, Hofstede and Minkov
2010) were chosen as the basis for the theoretical framework of this research. The circular
relationship between culture and communication and their co-dependence and interconnection
has been pointed out by Hofstede (Hofstede, Hofstede and Minkov 2010). Consequently, this was
the starting point of the research.
2 CULTURE
2.1 Defining culture
To define culture is a very complicated process, since there are various definitions, each
formulating culture in a slightly different manner.
One of the earliest and also the most quoted definition of culture is by Edward Burnett Tylor,
which was published in 1871, in his book Primitive Culture: “That complex whole which
includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits
acquired by man as a member of society” (Lowie 1917). Even though this definition covers what
is meant by culture in the broad manner, there is a definition which allows deeper research of the
connection, better say interconnection between culture and communication, and people’s
perception of it.
Since this research’s framework is based on the Hofstede’s dimensions of culture, his vision of
theculture is presented in the following:
“Culture is the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group
4
or category of people from others” (Hofstede 2001, p. 2). “Collective programming” can be
misleading - culture is not an a priori concept, rather something learnt through the interaction
with one’s surrounding and environment. It begins with interactions with parents, siblings, other
family members, neighbors or strangers on the street. Culture consists of various norms which
shape one’s behavior. In this sense, it presents a set of shared values, interpretations, social
practices, just as Lustig defined it in his book Intercultural Competence (2010).
Historical, ecological, social, political, cultural and eventually interpersonal factors intersected
over for a long period of time and constructed a strong behavioral context which is stable and
resistant to a greater change over a short period time, meaning short in the evolutionary sense of
time. Because of this stability and differences in all the factors mentioned, people born and
brought up in different surroundings show differences in many behavioral aspects. Culture is not
limited to national or subnational level, but to all social systems or collectives, which persist over
a period of time and within which members share above mentioned factors (Lustig 2010). This
leads to the division between the groups, since the culture influences people’s emotions,
cognition and finally, behavior (Hofstede 2001). As Matsumoto (2007, p. 1286) describes: “In
my view, culture is the product of the interaction between universal biological needs and
functions, universal social problems created to address those needs, and the contexts in which
people live. Culture is created as people adapt to their environments in order to survive, and it
results from the process of individuals’ attempts to adapt to their contexts in addressing the
universal social problems and biological needs”.
As could be seen, culture is situational construct, which influences all aspects of one’s everyday
life. Its profound influence extends far and wide that it can drastically change the meaning of
certain, specific phenomenon and this is the focus of the research – how does culture influence
one’s perception on communication, which is another fluid construct. Communication dynamic
includes both verbal and non-verbal dimension and this research focused on the latter one. Non-
verbal communication (NVC) is a broad concept which includes various types of expressions or
codes, forming different non-verbal behavior, such as posture, eye contact, body language,
physical appearance, chronemics, proxemics, and also other, less expected expressions, as for
example, location of business meetings (Ekman, Friesen and Simons 1985). Even though
Slovenia and Montenegro were researched for reasons mentioned in the introductory part, it is
5
important to mention that culture is not limited to national level. As culture goes even deeper,
and our research is built around the businesscontext, this implied further focus on the organizational
culture.
2.2 The National and Organizational Culture
Lustig has already defined culture as a learned set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values,
norms and social practices, which affects the behavior of a relatively large group of people
(2010). Hofstede emphasizes values too, their central position within the understanding of the
culture. As said before, they are learned since birth, firstly in one’s closest environment, family,
as a part of the primary socialization process (Berger in Luckmann, in Bahovec 2012). People
internalize themas personal principles and this is an individual process, which later takes upon a
larger and more diverse set of values, during the secondary socialization, which takes place
during educational years.
Values are mostly normative, meaning they are invisible to the eye as such until they are evident
through behavior. They are beliefs in a certain value of what is good and according to Hrastelj
(2001) values are a permanent beliefs. Therefore, people are not conscious of them nor are able
to analyse them if not connecting it to behaviors, actions, verbal (words), which are
consequently tied to the culture. Since these aspects are much more visible and easier to
“tackle”, other, not so reachable aspects could be analyzed through these ones.
2.3 Hofstede’s dimensions and Organizational Culture
Wong (2020, p. 1) defines organizational culture: “Organizational culture is the collection of

values, expectations, and practices that guide and inform the actions of all team members”. It is
built through less formal aspects, consistent and authentic behaviors, which lead to a behavioral
pattern, expected to be followed by all those included in the organizational structure.
According to Hofstede (2015), there are four types of organizational cultures – optimal, actual,
perceived and ideal work environment. Optimal, as the name already says, is tailored for one’s
own organization in order to gain as much success. Of course, this includes putting down some
6
rules and restrictions. Actual organizational culture is the basis for all types of organizational
cultures and is a part of the transformational process when organizations choose to change their
practices and consequently their organizational culture. Perceived organizational culture is the
one people within the organization think they have. Besides, dimensions of organizational
culture should be also considered – in the first place, there are goal-oriented and means-oriented
organizational cultures. The former means that people within such cultures focus on achieving
the specific internal goals, regardless of the risks, while the latter presents a culture where people
focuson the way and the approach to work.
Other dimension is customer orientation, whether the organizations are externally or internally
driven, which means that they either focus only on meeting customer’s needs, or that they focus
on ethics and honesty, and “know what is the best for the customer”, respectively. Level of
control is another dimension, which can be easy-going work discipline or strict. Therefore, it
applies to more fluid, dynamic, sometimes unpredictable culture, while strict culture goes for
more punctual, serious and static culture. Dimension of focus, whether it’s local or professional,
shows how the employee identifies himself – in local, he identifies with the boss or the unit he
works in, while in professional, he identifies with the job and his profession.
Fifth dimension is approachability, meaning the organizational culture is either an open or
closed system, and it shows to which extent does the organization welcomes new employees,
people from other organizations and from the outside. Finally, sixth dimension shows
management philosophy of the organization, whether the organization focuses more on the
employee or on the work, whether employee’s personal problems are being taken into account
or the focus is strictly on performing the task.
In order to choose the ideal work environment and optimal work organization, one has to be
aware that national culture strongly influences organizational one, and Hofstede emphasizes that
one canachieve open and optimal organizational culture if national culture is fairly Individualistic
and low in the dimension of Power Distance (2015).
2.4 Hofstede’s Dimensions of the National Culture
In the ever globalized world, where cultures have been becoming more and more connected,
7
there is also a strong need for defining and redefining what culture is and what it represents.
Values are already mentioned as a basis for the culture and their mostly unconscious nature has
for the consequence unawareness of its influence on one’s own behavior and how behavioral
patterns are“contaminated” by cultural factors (Hofstede 2001).
As said, cultures are becoming more, consequently businesses are building across nations. There
are numerous researchers, Hofstede, Trompenaars, Hall, just to mention a few, who have been
analysing the concept of culture and defining it in different terms. The aim of researching and
conceptualizing culture is to help companies and organizations working interculturally to
understand the cross-cultural differences, overcome them in the most efficient way possible and
assure the best outcome for all the parties involved in the business relationship. Awareness of
the multiculturalism, its perks and limits and recognizing them is a great step to learning how to
managecultural differences, react to them in a proper way and assure the greatest benefit.
As mentioned, there are various researchers who attempted to conceptualize culture and define it
within certain dimensions, however in this thesis Hofstede’s six dimensions of culture were
used as a theoretical platform for building the research.
Figure 2.1 Six cultural dimensions by Geert Hofstede
Source: Trainers library 2017.
8
Over the years, Geert Hofstede, together with his colleagues, has defined six dimensions of culture,
which represent six frames of functioning and organizational constructs. The cultural dimensions
represent independent preferences for one state of affairs over another that distinguish countries,
rather than individuals, from each other (Hofstede 2019). Each of the dimensions lies on a scale
which takes two extremes and they can be seen in the Figure 2.2.
Figure 1.2 Six dimensions of culture by Hofstede represented on a scale
Source: Visual paradigm online 2015.
It is important to once again emphasize that cultures are not eager to rapid change, especially if
there is an attempt to do it intentionally. Therefore, it is important for managers and business
leaders to understand cultural differences and work on integrating them into the business
context,with all the strengths and weaknesses each of them brings.
In the following, Hofstede’s six dimensions of culture are presented and explained. Based on
this, comparison of the Slovenian and Montenegrin culture ensue, because again, culture and
what it represents can only be analysed in the comparison, but not independently of each other.
9
2.4.1 Power distance (PDI)
Power distance represents the degree of inequality of the distribution of the power perceived by
the people as normal. Normal is that all societies are unequal when it comes to the power
distribution, however, some societies have larger discrepancies and some smaller. It shows the
degree to which those with lower status and less influence accept the authority and unequally
distributed power.
Those with lower status, less educated are more likely to subordinate the authority and accept it
and this is passed on to generations. There is fear, obedience and strong authority, corruption is
frequent, existential inequality too. It consequently affects all areas of functioning where there is
a relationship of subordination and superiority, from educational institutions in the earliest
childhood to workplace later in life (Hofstede 2011).
Figure 2.3 Differences between Small Power Distance and Large Power Distance societies
Source: Hofstede 2011.
10
2.4.2 Individualism and Collectivism (INV)
The dimension of individualism and collectivism shows the degree of strength of the connection
between people. This means how strong people need to be integrated in the group and how loose
or strong-knit framework is. In the individualist society everybody is supposed to take care of
themselves and their closest family. On the other side, in the collectivist society, people are
integrated in a wider social group, where everyone takes care of each other and loyalty is a key
point.
Figure 2.4 Differences between Individualist and Collectivist societies
2.4.3 Masculinity and Femininity (MAS)
Masculinity and femininity in this dimension represent characteristics of a society and show the
degree to which rather masculine or feminine values are emphasized in the society, because
IBM studies (in Hofstede 2011) show they differ significantly. Regarding the masculine values,
they are achievement, competitiveness, material rewards. On the other hand, feminine values
include emphasis on the interpersonal relationships, cooperation, quality of life. When it comes
business context, countries that share more masculine values have competitive advantages in
large volume productions (doing things efficiently, well and fast), production of the big and
11
heavy equipment and bulk industry, while the industrially developed feminine countries have
the competitive advantages in manufacturing according to customer’s specifications, high-yield
agriculture and biochemistry (Hofstede 2001).
Figure 2.2 Differences between Feminine and Masculine societies
2.4.4 Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI)
This dimension shows the degree to which society is comfortable with ambiguity. Those
countries that avoid uncertainty to a higher degree are not comfortable with unstructured
situations. They have more rigid codes of belief and do not “approve” of unorthodox ideas and
values. On the otherhand, societies which have lower uncertainty avoidance have a more relaxed
attitude towards unexpected situations, rules and challenges.
12
Figure 2.6 Differences between Weak and Strong Uncertainty Avoidance societies
2.4.5 The Long Term Orientation (LTO)
This dimension shows the degree to which people are willing to give the short-term returns in
favour of the long-term ones. Those societies which are long-term oriented value thrift, ordering
relationships by status and having a sense of shame, while short-term oriented societies value
respect for tradition, steadiness and stability. In the business context, long-term oriented cultures
are more focused on building a strong base and are not concerned about the immediate results
while short-term oriented are mostly focused on immediate results.
13
Figure 2.3 Differences between Short-term and Long-Term Oriented societies
2.4.6 Indulgence (IND)
Latest added, this dimension show whether society allows enjoying life and the degree of
impulse control. Such societies show appreciation of interpersonal relationships, friendships,
positive emotions, good food, hedonist lifestyle in general. On the other hand, restrained
societies show higher control of needs, impulses and urges with strong social norms.
14
Figure 2.4 Differences between Indulgent and Restrained societies
After this brief explanation of all six dimensions, it is important to point out that they serve as a
prism for observing individual and collective behavior and this includes non-verbal behavior
(NVB) part as well. In this sense, behavior and communication become culturally conditioned.
In other words, culture influences choice of expression, being verbal or non-verbal. The
continuum that Hofstede (2011) presents implies that there are no identical cultures and
consequently, differences on these six dimensions can produce differences in behavior. For
research purpose, further analysis was performed on the two countries in the focus, which
are Slovenia and Montenegro, in order to present their potential differences, which offered a
basis for understandingthe differences in NVB between them.
2.5 The Comparison of Culture Dimensions between Slovenia and Montenegro Using
Hofstede’s Dimensions
Slovenia and Montenegro have been analysed by using Hofstede’s dimensions of culture (2011)
in order to point out to the greatest differences which could eventually become causes of
conflicts within the communication channel, since it was already mentioned that people can react
differently to the same phenomena, which is to a great extent culturally conditioned. In order to
15
effectively show the differences, visual tools, such as graphs were used, which showed the
relative size of each dimension. However, similarities were also analysed since they can be both
a point of meet and diversion.
Graph 2.1 Hofstede’s Comparison of the Cultural Dimensions between Slovenia and
Montenegro
Source: Hofstede (2021)
2.5.1 The Power Distance
The reader should be aware that this dimension shows the degree to which the less powerful
members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is
distributed unequally (Hofstede 2011). In the case of the two countries, there is a difference
which positions Montenegro as a country with significantly high result, meaning it has large
power distance. Members of the Montenegrin culture show respect for the hierarchy and do not
seek justification for it. Those with greater power have greater benefits. Even though Slovenian
culture shows large power distance, it is to a lesser extent than the Montenegrin one. This could
be justified by the common historical and social circumstances which Montenegro and Slovenia
share. As previously said, this kind of relationship with power and authority is transmitted
through generations, social environments, educational institutions and in the end, brought to
work environment. In the business world of these cultures, hierarchical system is present, the
younger respect the older, with clearly defined roles, everybody has their own place and
16
tasks and there are supervisors who manage the workflow. What is the key in these kind of
cultures, if one considers it in the business context, the power is in hands of the smallest group,
or even of concentrated in the hands of an individual. Such environments have a centralized
source of power, privileges, status is hugely important, while others with less power fulfill tasks
and wage differences are present. As Hofstede (2010) points out, being abused by a superior is
presented as bad luck, but if there is a greater support over a population, it can lead to
demonstrations or revolution.
2.5.2 Individualism and Collectivism
The dimension shows the strength of the connection between people. When referring back to the
analysis, both Slovenia and Montenegro are found on the mid-lower end of the scale, very close
to each other. Therefore, they are both considered collectivist societies. In these societies loyalty
is highlyappreciated, there is a strong knit between the members of the culture, people take care
of each other, not just the closest family members. Beside loyalty, responsibility is distributed
across all members of the society, not just individually. There is a strong emotional link to the
business, offences usually cause shame, humiliation. In the business world, work relationships
are often considered as family links, therefore there is a higher sense of loyalty to the
organization and superiors.
2.5.3 Masculinity and Femininity
This dimension shows greatest discrepancy between the two countries. Index of the
Montenegrin culture lies on the mid-scale and therefore, it can be considered that it has a bit of
both, not clearly defined values. On the other hand, Slovenian culture lies on the lower side of
the scale, therefore considered as a Feminine society.
In Masculine societies, there are defined roles that are traditionally ascribed to men and women.
“Live in order to work” is a parole of living, while there is a strong need for material goods,
competitiveness, progress and finally, power.
Slovenia shows the feminine side, where it is more present to “work in order to live”. Quality of
17
life, equality and interpersonal relationships are emphasized, care for others is also emphasized,
traditional roles are not so clearly defined. In the business setting, managers are often looking
for compromise, which are more important than material rewards. Flexibility and free time are
more emphasized because there is much greater focus on the well-being of the individual.
Since this dimension shows greatest difference between the two, and values as such are basics
of the behaviour and communication and therefore, attention should be paid to this as a possible
cause for conflicts, misunderstandings, if companies, specially coming from different
backgrounds, do not share this type of common values.
2.5.4 Uncertainty Avoidance
As Hofstede (2011) defines, this dimension shows the extent to which the members of a culture
feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions
that try to avoid these. Both countries find themselves on the high end of the scale and are both
considered countries with strong uncertainty avoidance. In other words, they feel threatened by
ambiguity, uncertainty, consequently tending to form and follow strict rules. Rigidness is a
characteristic of the society, while there is no space for innovation. In the business setting, there
isgreater sense of trust in the leaders, structure and organization’s rules.
2.5.5 The Long-Term and Short-Term Orientation
Cultural dimension of the long-term orientation shows the difference between Slovenia and
Montenegro. Montenegro lies on the upper half of the scale, whereas Slovenia lies in the
middle, therefore it can be considered both long- and short-term oriented.
As Montenegro lies on the upper end, it can be considered it a pragmatic country. Truth is
considered in terms of place, time and situation. Contrary to the uncertainty avoidance result,
this dimension shows high level of adaptability to the environment. Since it is long-term
oriented, values such as upholding maintenance, planning, saving money, honesty, self-
discipline are valued. On the other hand, they are more short-term oriented and more oriented
towards the present and past. Achievements and freedom, together with respect for the tradition
18
are important values in such cultures. Since Slovenia lies in the middle, both sets of
characteristics are as significant for it.
2.5.6 Indulgence and Restraint
Indulgence represents the control people have over their impulses, needs and desires. Even
though they both find themselves on the lower end of the scale, Slovenia scored higher on this
dimension, meaning that Montenegro is considered a clearly Restrained culture, while Slovenia
lies in betweenand there is no clear categorization.
Slovenia shows more indulgence than Montenegro, which shows a tendency toward cynicism
and pessimism. They have strong control over their actions and behaviour in general, which is
under the control of clearly defined, rigid social norms. On the other hand, Slovenia shows more
appreciation of freedom, food, own needs etc.
To conclude with this analysis, Slovenia and Montenegro show similarities on all dimensions.
There is a difference in the degree, however, they always lay on the same side of the spectrum.
Inthis way, the two cultures are more similar than different.
2.6 Hofstede and Communication Styles
Previously Hofstede’s dimensions of culture were presented and explained, two countries’
cultures, Montenegro and Slovenia, were compared and contrasted on the basis of that and their
differences and similarities were pointed out. The question is, how do they relate to the
communication? Definitely, there is an interconnection between the two concepts, but not all
Hofstede’s dimensions do relate to communication in a relevant way. In the book Culture’s
Software, edited by Brzozowska and Chlopicki (2015, page 5), Hofstede has contributed to one
of the chapters, where he defined the following cultural dimensions: individualism and
collectivism, long- and short-term, uncertainty avoidance and power distance. In order to explore
the connection between the two concepts, culture and communication, this part is focused on
analysing communication styles through Hofstede’s framework. By being key part of the
communication, NVC was also valuable factor in the analysis.
19
In the following, contrasts within the dimensions were presented and helped further research.
Figure 2.9 The Contrast among Long-Term versus Short-Term Oriented societies
Source: Author’s source based Brzozowska and Chlopicki 2015.
Figure 2.10 The Contrast among Communication Styles in Individualist and Collectivist
societies
20
Figure 2.11 The Contrast among Communication Styles in Small Power Distance and Large
Power Distance societies
Figure 5.12 The Contrast among Communication Styles in Weak Uncertainty Avoidance and
Strong Uncertainty Avoidance
Source: Author`s source based Brzozowska and Chlopicki 2015.
21
Table 2.1 The Consequences of Collectivism/Individualism and Short-/Long-Term Orientation

for Communication (Courtesy of Marieke de Mooij) by Hofstede
Collectivist Short-term oriented Long-term oriented Individualist
Intensive Oral communication, Literate, preferences Active information
interpersonal elaborate for writing search
communication
Social media = Self-enhancement Modesty Individual
virtual family needs preferences
Intensive use od Preference for social Preference for Information via
social media media anonymity search
engines and media
Many personal Many friends in Few friends in social Selective friendships
contacts social media media
Source: Author’s source based Brzozowska and Chlopicki (2015)
Montenegro and Slovenia have shown more similarities than differences across all six
dimensions of culture. In the above presented tables, it is shown how communication style differs
across these dimensions. As already said, there are no identical cultures on the Hofstede’s
spectrum, therefore there are no identical communication styles. As communication and
behavior as a general term (both verbal and non-verbal) are culturally conditioned, there are no
identical NVB patterns in two countries. No matter how small that NVB gap is between the two
countries, as it isalso seen between Slovenia and Montenegro, it still exists and can be a moment
of misunderstanding. Cultural comparative analysis of the two countries has shown that the only
major difference is in the Masculinity and Femininity dimension, which offers a view on the
work attitude, whether it is more traditional, “work in order to live” or “live in order to work”.
Its relationship to the communication may not be obvious, but if it is contextualized in the
business world, it can be shown that NVC such as chronemics (attitude towards time) very
much depend on the attitude towards work. Other dimensions can make a similar connection to
the communication as it is explained in the tables above and consequently influence the flow of
the business meetings. To understand the connection better, one has to explore communication
22
in depth, which was done in the following chapter.
3 COMMUNICATION
People start communicating since their birth – and it is a process that is continuous and goes on
for one’s whole life and requires developed abilities, whether they are cognitive, emotional or
behavioral, verbal or non-verbal.
Riemer and Jensen (2003) define communication as a process of sharing of meanings, ideas,
opinions, facts, experiences, information between at least two people, who have two roles, a
sender and a receiver, also as a meeting of minds, through mutual understanding or agreement
between mentioned roles. Message sent through the communication channel to the receiver
should be understood, processed and feedback should be sent back to the primary sender – this
is critical in order for the communication to continue. This message has two aspects
which need to be considered when analyzing communication process and these are the content
of the message (what one wants to communicate) and the way of communication, the
relationship (which represents NVC, how one wants to communicate one’s message). As Nagy
(2006) emphasizes this is the most common source of conflicts. There is no communication, as
Watzlawick (in Nagy 2006) says, because it is something constant, something that surrounds
people completely, either in the verbalor the non-verbal way. Punctuation in the communication
builds the nature of the relationship between the sender and the receiver since each brings his/her
own perspective towards the specific things and world in general. Communication can be also
considered digital and analogical, in the sense that the former represents clear, direct, particularly
verbal communication, while the latter includes communicating with signs which allow only a
rough idea of the message and greater space for interpretation, which usually can lead to
misunderstandings. Finally, communication is either symmetrical or complementary
(Watzlawick, in Nagy 2006), which describes positions of the sender and the receiver, former
meaning equal positions and the latter one with the superior and the other with inferior position.
23
Figure 36.1 Elements of the Communication Process
Source: Abu-Arqoob & Alserhan 2019.
3.1 Intercultural communication
It is impossible not to repeat oneself in writing this thesis, however, it is important to emphasize
once more the presence of intercultural communication in the society, ever since the first
civilizations. In the past, there had been a violent context surrounding it, now, when living in a
more globalized world, this kind of communication is the key.
There are various models of intercultural communication and for the purpose of this thesis,
Neuliep’s model of intercultural communication is presented in the following. Communication
is not a simple process, it is contextualized and there are several levels of contexts, which differ
in size, nature and hierarchy. As can be seen in the Figure 3.1, communication flows through
socio-relational context, culture A and B and perceptual context of each, which are in the centre
and it presents the social environment and relationships which have their two ends in both
cultures A and B. Beside this, there are environmental, microcultural and cultural context which
also participate in the communication process. There is also an important point to make and it is
shownin the figure below, which is the size of non-verbal code circle which goes over the verbal
code. This shows us that non-verbal communication represents major part of
communicating, and as a consequence, the perception of the NVC should be changed and
24
awareness of its importance should be risen in order to reach a deeper level of understanding
culturally conditioned messages.
Figure 3.2 Neuliep’s Model of Intercultural Communication
Source: Neuliep 2005.
Going back to Hofstede (in Brzozowska and Chlopicki 2015), he points to several factors which
need to be satisfied in order to communicate successfully in the intercultural environment –
connecting it to the Neuliep’s model of intercultural communication, shows the necessity for
awareness of the one’s own communication with other people, of one’s own culture, culture of
the other and perception of cultural differences that are on both sides (A and B). Besides being
aware of the cultural differences, one should be aware of that it brings in different values which
are basic and highly influential in one’s behaviour, individual communication and personality.
When taking into account one’s personality, ti should be noted that individual differences are
interconnected with the cultural, but are at the same time independent of it, meaning individual
differences are not exclusively related to culture but there are differences which come from the
personal traits developed by individuals. Hofstede also determines two personal traits which
have a greater role in the intercultural communication – openness, which goes for enjoying
experiencing new things and neuroticism, which shows one’s emotional stability. These two are
part of the so called Big Five, which also includes extroversion, agreeableness and
conscientiousness, and in Figure 3.3 the five factor model, which is also called the OCEAN
model, because it gathers the initials of all five factors and therefore it is easier to remember.
25
Figure 37.3 The Five Factor Model
Source: Brzozowska and Chlopicki 2015.
Openness to new things is a trait which needs to be curated since childhood and it is something
Hofstede also points out – being exposed to other cultures since earliest phases of life,
childhood and adolescence are important pre-condition for successful intercultural
communication.
3.2 Communication in the International Companies
With ever more rapid way of living and globalization which is gaining its momentum,
functioning in such environment is increasingly competitive and there is a need for connections
(Hofner Saphiere 1996), and therefore, cultural diversity in companies is recognized as a new
necessity so there is a trend in many companies to become more and more intercultural
environment.
Cross-cultural communication is a study of a particular idea or concept within many cultures in
order to compare one culture to another on the aspect of interest (Ekachai and Komolsevin
2004). This means that employees and managers of the international companies should educate
26
themselves, reach those objectives that were defined by Hofstede, being aware of one’s own
culture and of others, and of cultural differences – in other words, they need to develop
intercultural sensitivity.
As said, one must become aware of the concept of culture, similarities and differences.
Bennett’s model of intercultural sensitivity development (1993, in Bennett 2017) understands it
as a necessary phase of individual’s own personal development. It is not just a simple decision,
“to become interculturally sensitive”, it is rather a process, which goes for two extreme poles –
ethnocentrism and ethnorelativism. Figure 3.4 shows Bennett’s model and its six phases, where
both poles take on three phases. Ethnocentrism relies on denial, defense and minimization,
ethnorelativism is represented with acceptation, adaptation and integration.
Figure 8. Bennett’s Model of the Intercultural Sensitivity
Source: Bennet 2017.
Creating a successful intercultural team is a great step towards a successful organization, or a

business in general. Lloyd and Hartel (2010) point out that most of the research on the
functioning of a team diversity shows that culturally diverse teams usually suffer from lack of
cohesion. This cohesion, and to be specific - lack of it, comes from the fundamental differences,
which can be understood as differences in values, which Hofstede also identified in his work.
There is a greater risk of conflicts and misunderstandings than within culturally homogenous
teams. Some of the greatest and most common issues in these teams are managing cultural
27
diversity, handling geographic distances, dispersion, coordination, communication quality and

team cohesion (Marquardt and Horvath 2001). Therefore, the effectiveness of such teams needs
to rely on the intercultural competence.
When talking about intercultural competence, it is important to define it. Iles (1995, in Lloyd
2010) defines it as an ability to understand differences which may arise as a result of different
cultural backgrounds and to communicate and integrate across these differences. In the Table 2.
the Cross-cultural Communication Competence Model is presented (Matveev & Nelson, 2004;
in Congden, Matveev and Desplaces 2009), which in detail describes four essential dimensions:
interpersonal skills, team effectiveness, cultural uncertainty and cultural empathy. The need for
developing intercultural competence is also suggested through various findings – Maznevski
(1994) shows that “diversity led to higher performance only when members were able to
understand each other, combine, and build on each others ideas”. Adler and Aycan (2018) also
explains the need for trainings and building intercultural competences in order to achieve
successful functioning of the organization. Besides, based on the effectiveness of the culturally
diverse team, the results could be on either end of the success continuum, which is less likely in
culturally homogenous teams, because they lean more towards average results (Adler 1983).
28
Table 3.1 The Cross cultural Communication Competence Model

Interpersonal Skills Team Effectiveness Cultural Uncertainty Cultural Empathy
Ability to Ability to understand Ability to deal with Ability to see and
acknowledge and define team goals, cultural uncertainty understand the world
Differences in roles and norms from others’ cultural
communication and perspectives
interaction styles
Ability to deal with Ability to give and Ability to display Exhibiting a spirit of
misunderstandings receive constructive patience inquiry about other
feedback cultures, values,
beliefs and
communication
patterns
Comfort when Ability to discuss and Tolerance of Ability to appreciate
communicating with solve problems ambiguity and dissimilar working
foreign nationals uncertainty due to styles
cultural differences
Awareness of your Ability to deal with Openness to cultural Ability to accept
own cultural conflict situations differences different ways of
conditioning doing things
Basic knowledge Ability to display Willingness to accept Non-judgmental
about the country, respect for other team change and risk stance toward the
culture and the members ways things are done
language of team in other cultures
members
Participatory Ability to exercise
leadership style Flexibility
Source: Congden, Matveev and Desplaces 2009.
29
Van den Born and Peltokorpi (2010) emphasize: “Language, as the generally agreed-on learned
symbol system, used to represent the experiences within a geographic or cultural community,
actsas a carrier of cultural values”.
Researching culture in interaction should be a priority, given the number of multinational
companies. Even though English is the most common language in such environments, conflicts
still appear, which is attributed to less conscious communicating - NVC (Coposescu, in
Giorgieva and James 2010). Language diversity is followed by cultural diversity and this could
be a space for conflict, if not for good management strategies (Janssens, Lambert and Steyaert
2004). Coposescu in her research analyses the discourse in multicultural organizations, showing
that “ethnic and cultural identity of the speakers in international companies seem to be
backgrounded and the organizational culture to be foregrounded” (p. 108, in Giorgieva and
James 2010). In this way, they shift their expectations and perceptions to the activity or goal
which they are performing. This does not mean that culture is not present and significant but that
managers prioritize goals ofthe business meeting over those differences.
Research (Wrench 2005) shows that people with different cultural backgrounds have different
knowledge and skills, which gives the organization a broader range of alternatives and for that
reason this can be enriching if well recognized and managed. If not, research shows (Lahti 2015,
p. 31) that different practices, perspectives and communication styles people have are usually
incompatible, which makes the intercultural communication “inherently problematic and
thwarted by misunderstandings, miscommunication and conflicts”. However, there are several
factors which influence the development of the work intercultural relationship. One’s culture
and cultural identity strongly influence work ethics, being conceptualized as a set of values and
characteristics of the employee (Lahti 2015). Therefore, expressing professional behaviour
depends on that, and this behaviour is much contextualized within the NVB framework. Apart
from that, managing initial encounters is also related to cultural identity, and “explaining one’s
background to foreigners at work is a common experience that stirs a range of reactions” (Lahti
2015, p. 32). These two factors, together with knowledge of other cultures and being aware of
the stigma, can aid the communication flow.
Since the focus of the research is NVC in the international organizations, several authors have
emphasized the same point – that non-verbal communication plays a key role in the
30
team functioning and performing (Congden, Matveev and Desplaces, 2009; Hunley,
Chakraborty, MacDonald, 2018). Before going to the central part of this research, defining NVC
and its specific aspects, potential causes for the conflicts and misunderstandings in the cross-
culturalcommunication were presented in the following.
3.3 Potential Barrieers in the Cross-Cultural Communication
Literature reviews often bring out certain categories which represent potential barriers in the
cross- cultural communication – Button and Rossera (1990) point out language as a primary
category, but further widens it, from solely grammar and vocabulary, to understanding language
at a deeper level, knowing what, when, why and how to say something. Culture is also seen as a
major barrier, mostly through stereotypes, cultural bias, as a construct where one tries to fit
people’s behaviour into already constructed categories. Next is the non-verbal communication
which was explained in detail later on. Also, stress of the intercultural interactions, which is
likely to be experienced by the intercultural contacts since being in the unfamiliar space
(Hofstede, Pedersen and Hofstede 2002). Cultural shock is also a phenomenon which is related
to a barrier of communication and occurs in the situation where one comes to a new
environment which is essentially different from what one previously learned and this is not
related solely to new culture, but also to different social systems, such as new school,
organization, town or other examples (Hofstede, Pedersen and Hofstede 2002).
These are obstacles and the question is how to overcome them. Regarding the language, one
should include an interpreter which could clarify anything ambiguous during the
communication. When it comes to culture, one should educate oneself about different cultures
and stereotypes related, then raising awareness about them and reinterpreting them. Talking
about NVC, one must not assume that all the NVC aspects and expressions are the same and
have the same meaning in all cultures, therefore informing about what is suitable for other
cultures. Finally, stress surrounding the intercultural communication should be decreased by
developing and working on the personality dimension openness, already mentioned in the
previous paragraphs. One should be patient and open to other cultures, forgiving and
understanding. If this is fulfilled, then miscommunication and misunderstandings are less likely
31
to happen.
However, to be aware of one’s NVC is to understand the concept and the most frequent and
important NVC signs, which were presented in the following.
3.4 Non-verbal communication
Being present in the international market, where successful business depends on many factors,
including communication, knowledge of different cultures and how different cultures
communicate, especially their ways of non-verbal expressions is crucial in order to build fruitful
business relationships. This knowledge leads to understanding and better prevention of conflicts
and business losses.
Research shows that 93% of the communication belongs to non-verbal, 55% belongs to the body
language and 38% to the tone (Kudesia and Anger Elfebein 2013). Kwal Gamble and Gamble
(1990) also show that in a normal two-person conversation, message that is sent carries less than
35% of the social meaning and more than 65% is communicated in a non-verbal manner.
Non-verbal communication is spontaneous and very often one does not pay attention to other’s
expressions nor to one’s own (Ekman, Friesen and Simons 1985). Therefore, it is something
driven by the emotional part of human nature, which sometimes shows more than one intends to
or what is possible to transfer through verbal communication.
3.5 The types of non-verbal communication
To begin with, it is difficult to limit the space of behaviour which is classified as non-verbal,
because it includes all the forms which excludes verbal communication (DePaulo and Friedman
1998). Since there is such a space, in this chapter the focus is on certain aspects of NVC, which
are explained further.
Why do some colleagues stand far apart from each other? What does it mean when a supervisor
gives a blank stare? Does body posture play a role in perceiving who has higher status? Why do
people engage in nonverbal behaviours (Kudesia and Anger Elfebein 2013)?
As said, NVC has a wide array, which mostly goes for unperceived, and some of the major
32
categories in studying NVC include kinesics, paralanguage, physical appearance, haptics,

proxemics and chronemics (Ker-Dincer 2014).
- Kinesics, and what is meant by this is the most superficial aspect of the NVC and it
includes facial expressions, body movements and eye contact. These usually go
coordinated hand in hand with verbal messages (Dodd 1985, in Ker-Dincer 2014).
Kinesics covers a great array of non-verbal behaviours, therefore it is grouped in
several categories: posture, meaning the inclination of the torso, body language,
meaning hand and arm gestures, head and leg gestures, oculesics i.e. the mentioned eye
contact. This category differs in between the cultures in the same way as languages
differ between themselves, therefore having their own functional structures (Ker-
Dincer 2014).
Postures signal agreement or disagreement, self-confidence, status and also interest; in order to
be perceived as positive and genuine they need to be natural (Chaney and Martin 2011). Body
language – from facial expressions, head and leg movements, hand and arm gestures - are the
most expressive aspects of the NVC. If one takes smile as the most prototypical sign of the body
language, its meaning differs across its cultures. In some cultures, mostly Asians, smile is
considered cover for embarrassment, discomfort or even anger and sadness. Hand and arm
gestures are used to emphasize the meaning of messages, which is sent verbally. Sometimes
excessive gestures may express disharmony between verbal communication and body talk
resulting in artificial and unnatural behaviour (Blahova 2015). This segment of kinesics also
differs significantly across the cultures, for example the gesture “OK” (thumb and forefinger)
can in some cultures be considered positive, in others, like Japan, it can be a symbol for money
and in Tunisia it means “I will kill you” (Chaney and Martin 2011).
Oculesics or the eye contact, represents the eye language and includes the stare, direct look,
movement, blinking, eye rolling and winking. Through eyes one can express many emotions,
from attitudes, emotions and sense of power. There are cultures which are known for having
minimal eye contact, those are East and Southeast Asians and Indians, those with moderate eye
contact - Mainstream Americans, Northern Europeans, UK, and there are those with as
maximum eye contact as possible, for example Middle Easterners, French and also Latin
Americans.
33
- Paralanguage represents the vocal effects that follow the words and are found in the
speaker’s voice, such as tone, breathiness, volume, pitch intonation, stress, rhythm and
tempo. There is also a phonation ratio, which is the ratio between speech and pauses
(Ker- Dincer 2014). It is more related to the speaker’s personality, because with this
aspect one expresses emotions, and according to Samovar, Porter and McDaniel (2007)
it is easier to convey negative emotions – fear, anger, impatience than it is to convey
satisfaction and admiration.
- Physical appearance means the general attractiveness (hairstyle, dress, artifacts), body
figure and height, breath and odors. Here artifacts can be also included, which are all
the elements people add to their bodies, such as earrings, piercings, tattoos, make-up,
sunglasses. However, this is not all – there are external elements which are considered
artifacts, such as cars, office, its temperature, colour, lighting, objects and arrangements
(Tubbs and Moss 1991, in Ker-Dincer 2014).
- Haptics covers the area of touching behaviour i.e. body contact. Masterson (2001)
classifies touches in several categories, from positive affect, playful, control, ritualistic,
hybrid and task-related touches. Why do people touch can also be categorized in
different manners and it also depends on the age, gender but also culture (Course Hero
2019). Regarding this, Axtell (2007) classifies cultures as ‘don’t touch’ cultures, which
include Japan, the USA, Canada, North European countries, then are middle ground
countries, which include Australia, France, China, Ireland and India, and finally there
are ‘touch’ cultures, which are Latin American countries, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal,
Russia.
- Proxemics presents the way how people use and perceive personal and social space,
whichphysical distance between people in interaction they consider suitable. Edward T.
Hall (1968, in Ker-Dincer 2014) classified that territory in four categories, which are
visually represented in the Figure 17. – public, social, personal and intimate.
34
Figure 9. Edward’s T. Hall’s Categorization of Physical Distance
Source: Paragon Interiors 2016.
As it is shown in Figure 3.5 there are four distances, expressed in approximate number of
meters. Public distance is the one that separates one from the audience when on the stage, it is a
very impersonal distance, at least apparently. Next one is social distance, which is a space where
one interacts with colleagues, social gatherings and meetings, also in the business context.
Personal distance is the circle which is dedicated to one’s friends and family, people with whom
one has more personal kin. Finally, there is the intimate distance, the closest space, and it
belongs to the closest loved ones, with whom one is most intimate – parents, closest friends,
lovers, children.
- Chronemics represents the approach and attitude towards the time, the way
people perceive and use it. In other words, it relates to punctuality and how and to what
extent people respect– in some cultures, being punctual is extremely important and
people hold high regard of it, therefore behaving otherwise is sign of disrespect (DeVito
1995, in Ker-Dincer 2014). It can also becalled time orientation, which can be displaced
and diffused – displaced meaning prioritizing time and schedules while diffused mean
that people do not worry about being on-time and do not respect other people’s time.
Regarding the cultures, there are also two terms which are used when describing the
35
perception of time, monochronic and polychronic. For the monochronic is significant to

concentrate one task at the time, putting all the energy and focus on that task, taking it
very seriously. On the other hand, polychronic cultures tend to multitask, consider time
in a more casual way (Chaney and Martin 2011).
- Location of the business meetings represents the decision of organizing meetings,
whether in the office or in some other, more casual place, such as cafes, bars or
restaurants. This aspect ‘’speaks’’ about one’s attitude toward business discussing and
how this shouldbe approached.
It was briefly explained what is genuinely considered under the term non-verbal communication
and these were the focus in further research. Literature review showed similar understanding of
the terms, and there is also one point of meeting between all the authors and those are cultural
differences. Some examples show how some examples how cultural differences can lead to
completely opposite understanding of the same non-verbal signs. Therefore, understanding and
intention behind the expression of NVC is a product of the interaction between the individual
andthe culture one belongs to.
Researching the relationship between expressing emotions and cultural differences, with the
focus on joy, anger and sadness, yielded interesting results and the main conclusion is that “in
general, verbal and non-verbal expressions of emotions were related with individualism,
femininity, low power distance, and only in case of sadness with high uncertainty avoidance”
(Fernández et al. 2000, p. 84). Also, Slovenia was included in the research and results have
shown that in feminine cultures (Slovenia being one of them) the expression of feelings is more
frequent and stronger because of the presence of social support. Therefore, feelings can be
expressed without any fear of shame or social rejection. Another conclusion is that the non-
verbal expression of joy, anger and sadness is higher in individualistic cultures than in
collectivistic cultures, to which Slovenia belongs (Fernandez et al. 2000). On the other hand,
Montenegro has not been included in any recent research, that focused on NVC, which is one
more reason for conducting this research and the need for it.
Up until this point, theoretical framework on the basis of which this research was constructed,
offered insights on culture and communication. Hofstede’s six dimensions of culture have
shown how culture could be categorized but it proved to be still very much fluid and dynamic,
36
grasping various elements, such as values, perspective, attitudes, language, traditions, which are
forming, together with history, geography and other socio-economic factors a unique culture,
which is laying on one specific point of that Hofstede’s continuum. In this way, there are no two
cultures which could be identical. As culture influences one’s own behaviour and personality, its
link to communication is obvious. Communicating is a part of one’s every day since the first day
and therefore, it is a complex process, which includes at least two sides, which individually
bring their own background, surely culturally “contaminated”. Language, verbal form of
communication is the smaller part of the communication channel, while the bigger part, NVC,
can lead to misunderstandings if there is not enough knowledge of different cultures and their
established meanings for specific signs. As has been already explained, in some cultures same
signs could be interpreted drastically differently and this could lead to conflicts. Their meanings
and interpretations are under the strong influence of cultural dimensions, since these shape one’s
own values, standards, perceptions and attitudes. Therefore, one cannot analyse culture and
communication separately, due to their interrelational nature.
As there is a need for living in a more intercultural environment and business world strives for
more interconnection, the companies need to manage well their international encounters in order
to avoid any misunderstandings and conflicts. When it comes to Slovenia and Montenegro, these
two countries showed more similarities than differences across Hofstede’s dimensions,
however, there is no research on their knowledge and awareness of NVC, especially in case of
Montenegro. Their bilateral and business relationships are growing stronger with time and this
is why some data should be gathered regarding their own perspective and interpretation of the
respective culture’s specific NVC.
After explaining theoretical background and all the segments which are deemed important for
the purpose of this thesis, the research structure itself can be presented.
37
4 EMPIRICAL RESEARCH AND METHOD
4.1 The Definition of the Research Problem
In the master’s thesis, the concept of culture and its relation to the NVC was explained, how the
two are interconnected and how this can be a barrier for successful communication, specially in
the organizational/business context. Furthermore, the focus was on the Hofstede’s dimensions of
culture that served as the basis for the research, the cross-cultural analysis of Slovenia and
Montenegro and its results showed cultural differences which exists between the two. After this,
certain aspects of NVC (kinesics (body language, eye contact, posture), physical appearance,
chronemics, proxemics and haptics) were chosen to focus on in the research, and empirical data
was collected about the perception of the business leaders in the international companies which
cooperate between Slovenia and Montenegro, on these aspects of NVC, through
phenomenological approach.
The importance of this topic was already explained earlier in the thesis. World is becoming
more connected and globalized and the number of international companies has been increasing.
Therefore, ultimate goal of every business, every organization is to work as efficiently and
successfully as possible. This is the point where knowledge and awareness of the NVC, cultural
differences in the ways of expressing and understanding it can only aid intercultural
communication in the organizations.
Intercultural communication is present at all times at the top levels of organizations and for that
reason respondents with many years of experience working with Montenegrin and Slovenian
managers or business leaders were chosen for this research. It is important for them to know
how to communicate in order to be as efficient in all other levels of the organizations or
companies. Intercultural communication should follow the pattern of utter mutual respect
between the sender and the receiver, as well as to eliminate any expression of animosity and find
common grounds between the two where there are clear standards that make two backgrounds
similar (Blahova 2015). When there is no successful communication at the top level, other
levels and work will suffer, which can result in losses or even, in the break-up of the partnership or
closingsof international departments.
38
Montenegrin and Slovenian business cultures have been interconnected over the decades, since
the Yugoslav times on, when Slovenia has become EU member, this business relationship
have become even more important for Montenegro. When speaking about former Yugoslavia, it
should be pointed out that it was very well respected in the EU environment, despite being a
socialist country (Djurović and Lajh 2020). First official contacts between the Socialist Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia and the European Economic Community (EEC) were already made in
1962, and was adopted in 1967, a year after the first Yugoslav Ambassador in the EEC was
appointed. Montenegro is a small country and business usually depends on the external partners,
them being from the Western or the Eastern “block”, sort to say. Today’s global and European
market is influenced and conditioned by the rules of EU, meaning that many business coming
from the non- EU area have difficulties while trying to step on the market and consolidate its
position – and Montenegro is not an exception.
Since this business relationship is already growing and Montenegro is a candidate for the EU, it
is important for business leaders to develop skills and intercultural competences and gain
knowledge of it in order to increase their own chances of building partnerships in the EU business
areas as there are many more opportunities. As for Slovenia, it is important for Slovenian
business leaders to build partnerships on the former Yugoslav area, where they can offer more
quality – there is a smaller competition and there is also historical and geographical common
ground on which they can build stronger personal and business kinships.
To start the analysis, Montenegrin and Slovenian culture were compared and contrasted through
Hofstede’s dimensions, which is a tool researcher was firstly acquainted with during studies,
analysing different cultures through specific case studies, examples of conflicts that arose in
business relationships due to misunderstandings of cultural differences. Bringing
theoreticalframework to something which usually went unperceived as reasons behind someone’s
behaviour can usually go, and solving the issues, forming recommendations for managers/leaders,
has drown researcher’s attention to the topic and finally become part of this research and
master’s thesis.
Companies which have participated in the research are in the bank, assurance, transport and
hospitality sector. They have their headquarters mostly in Slovenia, except for one. Offices are
based in major cities of both Slovenia and Montenegro and communication usually took digital
39
form (Skype, Viber, WhatsApp) together with monthly visits and on-site business meetings, in
some cases even spending larger portions of time in Slovenia and Montenegro respectively.
However, since this research was developed in the pandemic times of COVID-19, it was taken
into account that most communication was online and answers are given in retrospective. It was
a period after the second wave of pandemic and the transport was enabled, so they started
meeting in person again, even though less than usual – still, all the answers were valid and
valuable. Companies which participated have long history of cooperation with respective
countries and some of the respondents have worked over 15 years on their positions.
Unfortunately, some of them have been very new to their positions, having started right before
the pandemic and have just a couple of meetings in person.
Non-verbal communication usually takes place on a deeper level than pure conscious and is
more driven by one’s emotions. Therefore, it cannot be easily controlled and this can cause a
conflict in business relationship. It is a universal concept with universal signs which can have a
completely different meaning in different cultures (Ker-Dincer 2014).
There are many NVC in the everyday communication, the same happens in companies that
participated in this research. For the sake of this research, focus was on aspects of NVC which
are significant for the on-site business meetings (body language, physical appearance,
proxemics, haptics, chronemics, oculesics) and which are most commonly expressed, whether
one is aware ofit or not.
Research was conducted on two levels:
- Theoretical, which was based on the literature review about culture and
communication, Montenegrin and Slovenian business culture, together with the
framework of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions.
- Empirical, which was application of the framework to the gathered data, as to analyse
the perception of business leaders on cultural differences between the two cultures.
As can be seen in the paragraph 1.5, there are no significant differences between the two
cultures. However, the aim is to analyse business leaders’ perception of certain NVB, whether
their judgment and perception are based on some a priori formed opinion, mostly stereotypes
and prejudices about both cultures respectively. Stereotypes tend to overestimate usually
negative expectations on some phenomena, in this case behaviour of people from different
40
cultures, which may not be true (Blahova 2015). They are based in traditions, historical
background and they survive through history regardless of the opposite examples which defy
them. Therefore, stereotypes can be potential barrier in the intercultural communication and
one of the goals wasto see if they are any present in the reasoning of respondents and how these
can influence their answers.
4.2 The objectives of the Research
Master’s thesis aim was a two-level: to conduct a systematic literature review on intercultural
communication, non-verbal communication and cultural differences that are surrounding it and
applying framework of Hofstede’s dimensions of culture to two countries of interest – Slovenia
and Montenegro.
The aim was to identify cross-cultural differences of the NVC and its impact (body language,
physical appearance, proxemics, haptics, chronemics, oculesics) on the on-site business
meetings between Montenegro and Slovenia.
Finally, the goal was to formulate certain recommendations for the business leaders and
managers of the partner companies in both Slovenia and Montenegro, since the number of such
companies is rising. Recommendations would be in a form of a handbook, which should help
inform people in the Slovenian-Montenegrin business area on the importance of NVC, raising
awareness of the existing cultural differences and tools for understanding and accepting it in
order to buildsuccessful business relationship.
4.3 The Definition of the Research Area and the Description of the Problem
4.3.1 Research Area
Research area of this thesis is the cross-cultural communication in business, with the focus on
the intercultural differences and the non-verbal communication in international partnerships. The
focus of the research was the cultural differences in the perception of the business leaders and
company managers. Montenegrin and Slovenian culture were in the research focus, and were
41
also analyzed through cross-cultural comparison of cultural dimensions developed by Hofstede.

Empirical part of the research consisted of expert interviews with business leaders and managers
from both countries and their answers were compared on several aspects of non-verbal
communication.
4.3.2 The Description of the Problem
Market sets standards for performance and this requires being competitive in the field of
expertise. To become competitive in a globalized world, one must build international networks,
which can be challenging. Intercultural managers are valuable to this network-building
processes, since they can mediate and facilitate communication between two business leaders
with culturally different background. Being a potential source of misunderstandings, differences
in language, values, norms, expectations or experiences can appear during business
conversations and strongly influence the business flow (Krstić 2017). Communication and
culture are two strongly intersected constructs, and together they exert a powerful influence over
human behavior.
However, communication and communicating style one chooses to use is under the influence of
culture. Communication is not solely limited to the verbal part, but also includes a less
conscious level to it, and the significance of this part is also shown in the research that implies
how 93% of the communication belongs to non-verbal, 55% belongs to the body language and
38% to the tone (Kudesia and Anger Elfebein 2014). As culture influence the use of
communication, it also influences non-verbal expressions. Absolute understanding of one's own
reactions and deeds usually leads to believing that everything that deviates from one's own
standards, which are mostly culturally conditioned and learned, is abnormal and wrong
(Szkudlarek, Osland, Nardon and Zander 2020).
Consequently, when one does not understand something, one tends to reject it and this is a
common action in intercultural relationships where people bring their own, culturally specific
behavior. One of the areas of intercultural encounters is linked to the non-verbal behavior of
business partners, and to name a few: kinesics, paralanguage, physical appearance, haptics,
proxemics, chronemics and location of business meetings differ from country to country. It is
42
not known to what extent (if any) NVC impacts work flow of business partners from Slovenia
and Montenegro, since research on this subject including these cultures does not exist.
Researcher looked specifically into the posture, eye contact, physical appearance, proxemics
and chronemics during the on-site business meetings, comparing and contrasting perceptions
from two countries.
Therefore, communication between at least two business leaders or managers is under the
influence of several factors, from personal to social and cultural. These create a dynamic context
within which business meetings occur. If there is not enough awareness or knowledge
about respective cultures included, misunderstandings of certain expressions could happen.
Research shows that these differences can sometimes go to extremes, as in the example of the
gesture “OK” which is in some culture considered positive, in others a symbol of money and in
some even a threat (Chaney and Martin 2011). This is a practical example of how one simple
gesture can be misinterpreted over the world. Other examples, such as location of business
meetings, whether meetings are organized in office or in restaurants can be also misinterpreted
as unprofessionalism or distant, strict work relationship. Consequently, it affects the other side
and its vision of the relationship and the business which is being built, so that one side can
perceive partners as unprofessional and worry about the business outcomes because of the
relaxed attitude towards the work. Furthermore, it can lead to breaking up the business
relationship. Chronemics or the attitude towards the time is also very sensitive to cultural
influence and also to misinterpretations as unprofessional behaviour, if business leaders or
managers do not respect strictly deadlines or that work timetables are “too” flexible and open to
change.
Given these examples, one can see the possible outcomes if cultural differences are significant
or significantly influence NVC, leading to misinterpretation and more drastic outcomes such as
conflicts and breaking up.
In order to prevent and manage these conflicts and misunderstandings, people need to
understand such differences and accept them, therefore assuring maintenance of the successful
and fruitful intercultural business relationship. In other words, being aware of the cultural
differences and how they affect one's own behavior and way of expressing can help avoiding
conflicts and misunderstandings.
43
4.4 Research Purpose and Goals
The purpose of the thesis was to investigate and analyze the cultural differences in specific NVC
(kinesics, paralanguage, physical appearance, haptics, proxemics, chronemics and location of
business meeting) and its impact during the on site business meetings between Montenegrin and
Slovenian partners.
Slovenia and Montenegro are growing their economic relations with many Slovenian businesses
opening their centres in Montenegro. Reports also show the potential to boost cooperation from
tourism, IT, airport and road infrastructure, energy, as well as waste water management.
Slovenia is an important partner from which Montenegro can only benefit regarding its
institutional and economic growth and development, including in a bid to join the EU.
This thesis presented cultural differences between two cultures, which share some historical and
geographical points, however, through tools such as Hoefstede's comparison among six
dimensions, as described in: Cultures and Organizations, Software of the Mind, Intercultural
Cooperation and Its Importance for Survival (Hofstede, Hofstede and Minkov 2010).
The goals were to do the following: 1) conduct a systematic literature review of important
intercultural communication and non-verbal communication, together with Hofstede’s
theoretical framework; 2) identify the cross-cultural differences of the non-verbal
communication (with the focus on kinesics, paralanguage, physical appearance, haptics,
proxemics, chronemics and location of business meetings) between Montenegrin and Slovenian
business cultures; 3) finally, analyse the impact of intercultural differences on the non-verbal
communication during the on-site business meetings from both Montenegrin and Slovenian
perspective.
4.5 Methodology
While conducting research, the following methods were used:

- A descriptive method to present theoretical background behind the communication,
itssystems of functioning, together with intercultural context.
- A classification method for the analysis of the general concepts (Hofstede's dimensions).
44
- Interviews with managers and leader of the companies that yielded empirical data.
- Qualitative data analysis of the collected data from both interviews and theory.
4.5.1 The Approach taken in this Research
Research was undertaken in two phases, the planning phase and the execution phase. In the
planning phase, the literature review was carried out, together with the cultural analysis and the
preparation for the interviews. The analysis of the data collected from the interviews and
preparation of the practical recommendations was part of the execution phase.
4.5.2 The Main Research Question
MQ: What is the impact of the cross-cultural differences (Slovenian and Montenegrin) on the
specific types of nonverbal communication (kinesics, proxemics, chronemics and physical
appearance) during the on-site business meetings?
4.5.3 Research Sub-Questions
SQ1: How do business leaders in both countries perceive and react to the cultural specificity of
nonverbals - the posture, eye contact, physical appearance, proxemics and chronemics during
theon site business meetings?
SQ2: To what extent do business leaders in both countries take into the account the posture, eye
contact, physical appearance, chronemics and proxemics of the opposite partner while dealing
withbusiness during the on-site meetings?
4.5.4 The Selected Method
In this research, qualitative method was used– for the literature review and for the field work,
gathering the primary data through interviews. This method was chosen because of the topic of
the research, which is essentially non-verbal behavior (NVB) during on site business meetings
45
and this method allowed gathering as much information as possible. Interviews were semi-
structured in order to allow much freedom and flexibility for both respondents and the
researcher, whilst keeping the structure of the interview and assuring all the relevant topics were
discussed.
4.5.5 Sampling
Snowball technique was conducted in this research, which allowed finding respondents from the
similar business environment. The respondents have been selected mostly in pairs, since they
came from same companies, and have had close business relationships. All the respondents have
daily contacts with Slovenian and Montenegrin side respectively, and have more than 3-4 years
of intercultural experience.
This particular technique was chosen due to researcher's non-involvement in the business world
ofboth countries. Therefore, it was easier to act on references, such as contacting one person and
following their recommendation on whom to invite for the interview. This allowed having two
perspectives on one business relationship, which is even more enriching, since it gives a two-
angle data to be compared. Also, having people recommending other people implied more
responsibility to accept the invitation and participate in the research, which was very convenient
for the research.
4.5.6 The Selected Techniques for the Data Collection
Research was conducted through expert interviews, which were conducted in an online form,
due to the pandemics. Interview summary table with the demographical data of the participants, as
well as the invitation letter and interview guide are in the appendix. The interviews usually took
place for around 30 minutes. In order to be precautious with the data, they were recorded on both
the phone (recorder app) and through Zoom application.
Regarding the data, each respondent was viewed as an individual and his or her answers were
viewed as a single phenomenon and offered unique perception on the NVC. This is why
semi structured interview technique was chosen as the most suitable. It offered the space for
46
dedicating time to the respondent and reaching insights in specific NVC topics, but also allowed
the respondent to share as much as one wants, sometimes leading to detailed stories from
business meetings. These stories represent a unique window into business meetings and how
they develop, which could only be told once there is confidence between the interviewer and the
interviewee andquestions could lead to elaborating on the answers.
4.5.7 The Method of Processing, Analysis, Interpretation of the Data
Hofstede's dimensions of culture were the basis of the analysis, starting point from which
gathered data was analyzed. Both Slovenian and Montenegrin culture were analyzed and
compared on the basis of Hofstede's dimensions, which offered a broad perspective on their
differences. Starting from that point on, it was easier to navigate interviews and modify
questions according to the cultural background of each participant, without being suggestive. In
other words, theoretical framework supported the research through conducting the interviews.
After gathering the data, qualitative content analysis was performed in order to easily discover
patterns in the responses and offered a more transparent and actual comparison of the two
cultures. Detailed transcripts were analysed and later integrated in the conceptualization of
business cultures for both countries. On the basis of this, interpretation of the data was performed
and the answers were not isolated from the theoretical background and the cross cultural
comparison of both Slovenia and Montenegro. In this way, the interpretation could include more
information and support the reasoning of respondents and their answers. This integrated
approach to interpretation offered at the same time more structure and freedom for analysis and
building conclusions.
The analysis of the data, highlighting the differences and similarities in the perception of the
NVC in both Slovenian and Montenegrin partners, its influence during the on site meetings and
finally combining it with the theoretical knowledge from the selected culture contributed to the
rich interpretation which benefits forming the recommendations for both parties, but also for
intercultural managers in general.
To sum up the methodology behind the research – theoretical framework was built around the
cross cultural analysis of both Slovenian and Montenegrin culture. After that, communication,
47
its styles and finally the non-verbal part of it have been explained with the focus on specific
NVC expressions which were the center of attention of the research. Respondents were business
leaders and company managers which have worked for several years in both Slovenian and
Montenegrin market. This offered rich experience and answers which allowed great insights in
the topic of cultural differences affecting not only NVC, but also work flow. Unique stories and
experience ofeach respondent were highly valuable to this research. In order to gain a two-angle
perspective on the same subject, snowball technique was used and this led to having mostly
respondents from respective partner companies. The data was gathered through semi-structured
interviews, which again allowed space for in-depth answers and stories which preceded the
formal interview, and this would not be possible by having a questionnaire or a survey in any
form. Later on, analysis was performed through the qualitative content analysis, which offered a
space for more integrated and cohesive interpretation of the data, finally leading to strongly
supported conclusions and recommendations for both sides.
5 FINDINGS
The research of the impact of the cultural differences of NVC during the on-site business
meetings has been done by expert interviews with managers and business leaders of companies
with their offices in both Slovenia and Montenegro, who are connected to the bank, assurance,
transport and hospitality sector. Interviews were semi-structured as to give certain freedom to
both interviewer in controlling interview flow and interviewees in elaborating their answers.
However, main questions were defined prior to the start of interviews, and were divided in three
parts:
- First part: general information about them, their experience and job position, their tasks
and the level of communication with partners from the counter culture (Slovenia or
Montenegro)
- Second part: history of conflicts with partners from the counter culture in general and
theirperception of those conflicts, why it happened and what led to it
48
- Third part: questions about specific NVC during on-site business meetings and cultural
differences they have perceived, if any.
The interviews were conducted in Montenegrin and Slovenian language in order to enable all
respondents to express their own opinion and share stories without any hesitation or barrier
which would minimize their contribution. Because of the pandemic COVID-19, all interviews
were conducted online via the Zoom platform and were recorded both on Zoom and on the
recorder application on the phone, except for one which was conducted through Viber call,
because of the technological issues with participant’s computer. This was a precautious measure
which was consented by all respondents prior to each interview. Besides precaution, the
recorder on the telephone offers the possibility of skipping backward and forward 10 seconds,
which makes it easier to transcribe later. Also, recording it leaves the room for more relaxed
discussion and taking fewer notes during the interview.
All the interviews took approximately 30 minutes. They were all conducted at the agreed time,
except for two due to connection problems and another appointment overlapping with the
scheduled interview. However, all respondents showed high level of professional behaviour and
willingness to help with this research.
Interviews were conducted with 9 participants individually and with some level of experience
and presence on the meetings. Five of them were from Montenegro and four were
representatives of the Slovenian sample. Seven respondents were male and two, both from
Montenegro were female. Because of the easier comparison and analysis, abbreviations were
used for all the respondents in the following chapters:
- P1: respondent from Montenegro; head of the risk management department of the
bank, interview was conducted through Viber call;
- P2: respondent from Montenegro; head of the international department of the
insurance company, interview was conducted on Zoom platform;
- P3: respondent from Montenegro; head of the sale department of the construction
company, interview was conducted on Zoom platform;
- P4: respondent from Montenegro; head of the airplane company, interview was
conducted on Zoom platform;
- P5: respondent from Montenegro; sale manager of the bedding brand company,
49
interview was conducted on Zoom platform;

- P6: respondent from Slovenia; long-time manager of the hotel chain, interview was
- P7: respondent from Slovenia; director of the hotel in Montenegro, interview was
- P8: respondent from Slovenia; head of the international department of the insurance
company, interview was conducted on Zoom platform;
- P9: respondent from Slovenia; director of the consulting agency.
Demographic table, invitation letter and the interview guide, which was sent by email to all
respondents are attached in the Appendix 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
5.1 The General Analysis
Interviews started with general, informative questions, which would help the respondents to
relax and engage more openly. Through these questions, space could be opened for more fluent
conversation about the research’s topic – impact of the intercultural differences of NVC in the
on-site business meetings.
First part of the questions gave information about participants, their expertise and years of
experience, current job position and work tasks, as well as the level of communication they
operateon with Slovenian and Montenegrin partners, respectively.
On average, respondents have 13 years of work experience, ranging from 30 to 6 years.
Most of them work with Slovenian and Montenegrin partners equally as to the number of years
of experience. Within that part, respondents talked about work in the intercultural environment
and how it differs from the culturally homogenous business environment, which they have at
their home offices. P1, from Montenegro, told “it is a much more professional relationship”,
which was also confirmed by Montenegrins P3 and P4, saying that “you pay more attention to
the quality of your performance”, while P4 added that “you have more responsibility, or you
feel more responsible to perform your tasks, the best you can”. Montenegrin P2 commented on
it in the following way: “I do think that there are pro and cons to every situation, however,
sometimes working in your own, home environment gives you a permission to be more relaxed
50
and not to stress about everything. And that can go both ways”, where P6 and P8, respondents
from Slovenia agreed on. Slovenian P7 added to that – “it seems to me that you try harder when
you work with people you don’t know, from other countries”.
Overall, respondents have emphasized the responsibility they feel when working with partners
from other countries, pushing them to work harder and try to be as professional as possible,
because a foreign and unknown business environment keeps one alerted to be more aware of
one’s own behaviour and therefore pay more attention to professionalism.
5.1.1 History of conflicts in the intercultural environment, their view on the respective culture
While talking about their experience of conflicts in the intercultural environment, Montenegrin
respondents did not report on any conflicts happening during their period of working in the
company. P2 commented that “we’ve never had any conflicts with our international partners, at
least since I am working here”, while P3 added that “whatever small conflict we had due to
deadlines was solved immediately and everyone was happy, we’ve kind of become “Slovenes”
inregards to that”.
P1 elaborated on that: “We’ve never had any major conflicts, I did not notice any dissatisfaction
from their side, I don’t know, it could be because they come here and then they behave
differentlyor they have different expectations, but I have not noticed any animosity towards our
company. We have a very friendly but professional relationship and I don’t know, maybe they
behave differently when they negotiate and work with someone in Slovenia, it could be that
too.”
P4 also emphasized great communication as a pre-condition for effective conflict-solving:
“During the pandemic, we have only strengthen our online communication channels. I now work
constantlywith two or three managers in Slovenia, which are all so helpful and usually they have
more knowledge about certain business things, I don’t want to bother you now with it, but they
really are open and understanding with postponing that happens sometimes in our sector. You
asked me about conflicts, I don’t think I’ve had any experience with that, no, now that I go back,
I don’t think we did, at least I personally didn’t.” P5 has similar experience, saying that “there
were rare occasions of misunderstandings which were solved quickly”.
51
On the other hand, Slovenian respondents reported slightly differently, with P7 stating that
“there were times when we didn’t understand each other, due to language or whatever, but I
don’t think it was that. In general, I personally consider myself relaxed person, but when we
work, we work. And there were times when workers didn’t work the way we agreed. The
problem was usually about the deadlines, and few times with the quality of work, but it was all
solved once we would all sit together and talk about it.”
P6, who is the richest in the intercultural work experience, reported that “in my 20 and
something years, most of them working in Montenegro, I did not have any conflicts, and I think
it is much related to the primary approach you take when you come to the new environment. I
have made great connections which helped organize everything well and formed straight
principles and rules from the beginning.” P8, head of the management in the insurance company,
commented that “Montenegrin partners are more relaxed than we are, however, they do their
work”. P9 had an interesting observation: “Sometimes funny things happen – our partners put
on a great show, not that they are not capable enough or something like that, but sometimes it
was just, how do you say it, “selling fog”, while they were not fulfilling with their part of the
job”, continuing on that “sometimes we would ignore it, sometimes we would become aware of
it later on, but sometimes we would have to say it, but they did not argue on that, therefore all the
conflicts were solved very, very quickly.”
Therefore, Slovenian respondents perceived Montenegrin partners sometimes as show offs,
which covers up for the work which has not been done. On the other hand, Montenegrin
respondents seem to be satisfied with their respective partners, pointing out the professionalism
and organizational skills of each other.
When talking about each other’s perspectives on Montenegrin and Slovenian cultural
differences in general, they all reported on “historical and cultural context which bonds us” and
P1 compared this relationship and differences with German and Austrian partners, saying that “I
think we are much more similar than we are to German or Austrian partners, with whom we
work a lot. If you want me to explain it why, I think it’s because of the historical and cultural
context, just to mention Yugoslavia, which we know about. From the Balkan wars in 1912-1913
then when we were in the major part under the Ottoman reign and then Slovenians were under
Austro-Hungarian reign, and we can see the differences in the architecture. Overall, I can say that
55
they are much more organized and follow the rules more strictly. It is the awareness which was
developed over the centuries, to follow the rules and this left marks” and added to this “I know
there are exceptions, but this is how I see it generally”. P4 commented on the general differences
in personal traits between Slovenians and Montenegrin, saying that the former are “much less
vain”, however that Montenegrins often seem “more confident, in situations which require
public appearance”, which goes in line with comments from P9. There were some comments
regarding the professional attitudes, contextualizing them within the Eastern-Western
perspective, with P2 saying that “Slovenians are above all our neighbours, the closest to the
Western philosophy, while here at our company, we have a more traditional organizational
work”. They all speak in general terms; while P3 said “I’m moreof the theory of individual,
every man for himself, every person is unique and I could not generalize in such way”.
It can be seen from the responses that both groups of respondents showed awareness of the
geographical proximity of the two countries and also of historical circumstances which are
much present in the modern societies of both. This geo-historical bond is the bridge for the two,
however, most respondents showed awareness of the danger of generalization and did not want to
make general statements about either culture.
On the other side, Slovenian respondents perceive Montenegrin business partners in the
followingway – P7 emphasized “the importance of the informal part of the meetings”, especially
when it comes to “dealing with legal part of the work” and the importance of “personal
connections”, which is much more present in Montenegro than in Slovenia. P8 gives the example
of one director in Montenegro, who famously said: “It is important to eat, drink and gain as
much profit as possible”, continuing with “and this shows the attitude towards work, which also
shows how fast we are leaning towards capitalism”. P9 gave another statement: “If you want me
to say it’s different, I don’t know, I couldn’t. However, one thing that is evident that you can
arrange more things in the informal part of the business meetings than during the formal”. Also,
he commented that “we usually prefer to go to Montenegro, rather than them coming here and it
was strange to me, once, when we went there on Wednesday, during working hours – every
coffee shop and bar was full, and later there were at least five bars with live music, you don’t
have that in Slovenia”.
56
5.2 Non-verbal communication differences
After discussing more general topics, which put the interview into the cultural context and
offered insight into the business dynamics of all participants, interview continued into specific
NVC. Answers put a perspective on the general business relationship and their general
perception of each other, finding reasons for to justify it by the geographical and historical
reasons. Question on potential conflicts, which included thoughts on the communication and
conflict-solving skills, also served as an introduction to the central part of the interview, which
focused on the less conscious part of the communicationand the main part of this research, which
is the non-verbal communication.
5.2.1 Kinesics
What is meant by this is the most superficial and closer to eye aspect of the NVC, which
includes facial expressions, body movements and eye contact. Kinesics covers a great array of
non-verbal behaviors, therefore it is grouped in several categories: posture, meaning the
inclination of the torso, body language, meaning hand and arm gestures, head and leg gestures,
oculesics, meaning the mentioned eye contact.
5.2.1.1 Posture
Regarding this first specific aspect, all respondents have reported the same – they did not
perceive any differences, with P1 saying that “I am not aware of that, at least it didn’t catch my
attention, that there are some differences”, P3 saying that “now with COVID-19, I pay even less
attention to such things, it’s impossible to see it since we are all behind our cameras”, P5 saying
that people are not usually aware of it, since it “doesn’t catch the attention if it’s not something
completely out of the normal”. P8 said “I pay attention only to my own posture and not to
others’, but after this question, I sure will”. Other respondents reported in the same way, they
are more or less not aware of the it or do not perceive differences between their own and
respective business culture.
57
5.2.1.2 Body language
Regarding body language, hand, arm and leg gestures, Montenegrin respondent P1 reported
that “during business meetings, I can say that Slovenian partners are more reserved and they are
not so expressive with their hands”, while P3 said “if I go back to some meetings, I wasn’t that
aware of this, but they definitely are less expressive when it comes to hand and arm gestures,
compared to us”. P4 further explained it with “I don’t know if it is like that because they come
here, but they are a bit reserved during the first few contacts, later on during the informal part,
they seem relaxed and much more expressive than usual, maybe that’s just my experience”. On
the other hand P2 reported that “I work with same people for several years and I can say that
there are not significant differences, maybe we are more relaxed in that way”.
On the other hand, Slovenian respondents report similar points of view. P7 commented that “we
are more reserved, but it’s all individual, maybe sometimes we want to appear more professional
by not showing too much, not moving too much”, adding that “but I do not see significant
differences in between us”. P9 made a comparison between Montenegrin, Austrian and Italian
partners: “I worked with many international partners, some of them Austrian and Italian, they
are our neighbours, also with Croatians. It seems to me that we are more similar to Italians and
Montenegrins in that sense, we all express ourselves, move our hands more frequently when we
are passionately talking about some things, maybe more so during informal parts of the
meetings, lunches and dinners than in offices but I don’t see differences there, maybe Italians are
for a degree more expressive”. P8 had a similar opinion, “don’t see there are such differences
which would be noticeable”.
5.2.1.3 Oculesics
Oculesics or eye contact are an important aspect of NVC, however, often people do not pay
attention to it. For example, our respondents in the majority report on low awareness of it, with
Montenegrin respondent P2 commenting that “I am not aware of it, usually, but I would say that
there are not some significant differences, not that I noticed” and P1 adds to that “maybe we seem
more confident in our public appearance and maybe sometimes we can seem that we look at each
58
other more intensely, but I don’t think there are such major differences, that would be so visible
and disturbing to the communication”. On the other hand, some respondents showed awareness
of this, as P4 showed: “I worked in sales for years and I am well trained in working with
customers, therefore well-educated on the importance of the eye contact. I always try to keep it
with our partners during meetings, equally now because of the COVID, but there are not some
significant differences. We all try not to be invasive and as natural as possible, but this is
important to pay attention to during meetings”. Slovenian respondent P9 respondent also
emphasized the importance of eye contact in any type of conversation but cannot recall any
differences between Montenegrin and Slovenian partners. P8 said “we are all business people,
hopefully all aware of it, some people can be a bit more persistent with it, and it can get
uncomfortable at times, but it’s usually with partners we meet for the first times, later it all falls
into normal”. P7 also added that “maybe sometimes during business meetings we all pay more
attention to it and try to keep it with the other person, otherwise, it is not something we are all
aware of and we don’t see great differences between us”.
5.2.2 Paralanguage
This aspect represents the vocal effects that follow the words and are found in the speaker’s
voice, such as tone, breathiness, volume, pitch intonation, stress, rhythm and tempo. Here, there
are slight differences in perceptions between our participants, with Montenegrin respondentP1
commenting those differences in the following way: “Montenegrins are definitely louder, which
usually gets moderated during business meetings”, P2 adding that “we are louder and talk faster,
then our partners from Slovenia seem more professional, because they talk more calmly”. On
the other hand, P4 explained these perceived differences with “historical circumstances, which
have made Montenegrin people to be louder and to fight for their rights and for their freedom”.
Slovenian respondentP7 saw these differences arise from “Italian influence, which have not
been so present in the part of Slovenia, from which he comes from”. He sees Montenegrin
business partners as “more talkative, louder and fast-speaking” which sometimes can be
perceived as “rushing with things”. P8 commented that “there is a difference between
professional and informal conversation and sometimes they do overlap, especially in
59
Montenegro, people definitely have more rhythm and talk faster”.
5.2.3 Physical appearance
What is meant by this is the general attractiveness (hairstyle, dress, artifacts), body figure and
height, breath and odors. Montenegrin P1 talked about dress code in their company, where “it is
very casual in some sectors, while in my position it is important to wear suit and tie, because we
do have a lot of formal meetings”. P2 talked about having a strict dress code in the company,
which “is also evident in the partner company from Slovenia, whenever we travelled to
Ljubljana for meetings, we observed them in the office meeting rooms and there are no greater
differences, maybe we don’t go full dress code every day, but for the meetings definitely”. P3
and P4 worked in sales department for many years and report on having a strict dress code, and
now, on higher positions, it is very important to follow it, no matter for how long they cooperate
with Slovenian partners. Regarding the Slovenian partner’s dress code and physical appearance,
P4 said “our partners are always very nicely dressed, nothing too expensive, modest and classy,
whether in formal meetings or later in the informal part, when they come to Montenegro, or we go
to Slovenia, it’s the same”. On the other hand, Slovenian respondents report on more relaxed
way towards the dress code, where P8 commented: “when we don’t have formal meetings, we
are more free, but when it comes to meetings, especially international ones, you have to be
presentable”, regarding the Montenegrin partners, he says: “there are not greater differences, you
can see they pay attention to the way they are dressed, I would say we are more relaxed in that
way”. P9 commented that there are not greater differences either, sometimes would happen that
“partners would choose rather not to wear a tie during meetings, women were always decently
and professionally dressed, sometimes maybe seeming to try too hard”. P7 summarized this
perspective well, saying that “we, Slovenians I say, don’t pay that much attention to our casual,
day-to-day dressing, which I have noticed while coming to meetings in Montenegro, I mean, I
appreciate it, but during meetings we all try to respect some not-said and already established
rules, and there aren’t big differences, if we talk about formal meetings only”.
60
5.2.4 Haptics
This aspect covers the area of touching behaviour, body contact. Regarding this NVC aspect, P1
said that there are definitely differences in general behaviour, however, “during meetings, we
try to respect other culture, no matter how close it is to us”. P2 explained initial differences with
the process of getting to know each other and working together, so that “after a while, we all
greet each other warmly, hug and are much more relaxed”. P3 had a bit different perspective,
saying that “sometimes would happen that we would get along great during formal meetings,
even better after during work dinners or drinks, however, after we would go there, it would be as
if we have never met before, I don’t know, a strange feeling, I don’t know how to explain it”. P4
commented that there are definitely differences, which “fade away with time” and “they
become more open with hugging as a way of greeting, it’s not something too personal, it’s just
our normal greet with two or three kisses on the cheeks”. On the other hand, Slovenian
respondents see themselves as more reserved when it comes to greeting, especially in
comparison to Montenegrin partners, with P7 commenting: “They have this custom of saying
“Dje si brate” to everyone, which in our language could be “Živjo”, so there are no differences
in that way, however, there are differences when it comes to greeting, from the first meeting they
hug and kiss, which is not something I am personally used to, it doesn’t mean my co-workers
aren’t”. P8 said “I think it’s normal to greet someone in the meeting cordially, however there is a
difference, we will not hug here I don’t know how warmly, but when you go to southern Bosnia,
Montenegro, you can see that”. P9 goes in line with P8, saying that “you get quickly used to this
and when you cross this border of reserved and really get to know each other, it is something
completely natural, I work with same people for years now and it is something normal in
between us”.
5.2.5 Proxemics
Proxemics presents the way how people use and perceive personal and social space, which
physical distance between people in interaction they consider suitable. P8 commented that “it is
normal to sit closer to your business partner, now things have changed, and we don’t know if it’s
61
going to go back to the normal, however, in my opinion, this is normal, but Montenegrin partners
sit closer to their business partners for sure”. P9 and P7 go in line, saying “that there are
differences in the beginning, they sometimes can seem intrusive at the beginning, but after a
while it all just fades away, more than in comparison to German or Austrian partners”.
Montenegrin respondents also comments on the initial wider personal space, which over time
narrows down. P1 said “we don’t take our personal space that seriously, however during
business meetings we really show respect for other cultures and therefore we try to keep it a
professional distance, then with time, it kinds of melts down and we operate as we do in our
own country”. P3 commented that there is a difference which “is understandable, but then we
try to respect it”. P4 reported feeling stressed of paying too much attention to it, however “after
some time, we all come to the same level”. P2 summarized Montenegrin perspective by saying:
“We are definitely people who love to be side by side, but in the professional world, we adjust
quickly and respect one’s own personal space, which in the case of Slovenian partners, quickly
diminishes as a problem and we all behave as naturally as possible and relaxed, especially with
those you work with for years”.
5.2.6 Chronemics
This aspect represents the approach and attitude towards the time, the way people perceive and
use it. P8 started with feeling surprised “that all the bars and coffee shops were full during
working hours”, however most of their Montenegrin partners and co-workers do have the value
of time and respect the deadlines, which is important in their job, where many projects develop
simultaneously and the key is in good organization and deadlines. P9 went on to describing
Montenegrin partners who in the majority “have effective attitude towards time in general,
however there are some who take on more the attitude ‘’from today to tomorrow’’ and this can
cause problems in the workflow”. P7 elaborated on this: “They definitely have a more relaxed
attitude towards time and are more flexible with it. It happens many times that they call and
arrange the meeting for some other time”, adding to it “meetings in Montenegro last much longer,
we here don’t have that custom of offering coffee to people when they come, it’s not that one
needs it urgently, but not even a glass of water...I don’t think it goes for saving money, in
62
Germany maximum they’ve done is to take you to the coffee vending machine to buy it yourself.
This wasn’t a habit in Slovenia ten years ago and it never happened to me when I was somewhere
in former Yugoslavia. I think it’s part of the basic culture, manners, it’s a way to cross those first
barriers of communication, I mean, you don’t need it, if you know the person, however it is
something normal to me, I don’t know. It happened to me many times that I was in a hurry and
they (Montenegrins) were like „relax, we’ll sort it out, don’t worry“, „don’t worry, it will all
get arranged“, so yes, there are definitely differences, especially now“. Montenegrin
respondents have a different view on this – P2 saying that „we have become more Slovenian in
this way, we work a lot with Western partners and this has made us be more strict with our time
and deadlines“. P1 also said „we have adjusted well, I think, there is no negative feedback about
our dealing with deadlines or time, not within the business context, I don’t think so“, which also
goes in line with P3’s opinion. P4 reported on the differences in general, but which are not so
evident in the business meetings, because „Slovenian partners show level of relaxation when
they come to Montenegro, they take their time in both formal and informal parts of the
meetings“.
5.2.7 Location of business meetings
Location of business meetings, whether they are held in the office or in more informal places,
such as restaurants or bars, is important aspect of NVC which shows the professional attitude
towards business meetings and work in general. Regarding this aspect, both cultures overlap in
the majority, P1 said “we usually have first part of the meeting in our offices then we leave for
work lunch or sometimes in work dinner, which is more of informal nature” and when they go
to Slovenia “it is the same, we are always welcomed in a very nice way”. P2 and P4 reported the
same “there are always both formal and informal part of the visit, whether in Slovenia or here in
Podgorica, formal is in our office and then we go for some lunch”. P3 also mentioned day trips
organized for guests, on both locations “visiting wonderful places like Bled lake, where we had
lunch and then we reciprocate by organizing day trips to Skadar lake or Cetinje, or Boka Bay”.
Slovenian respondents report that there are no differences, “we all have the same attitude, first
organizing meeting in the office and then lunch or dinner, or even both, depending on time” as
63
P9 reported. P8 said “there is always this parole, business then pleasure and it applies to both
countries, and I haven’t seen any greater differences”. P7 added to this “I’ve always felt more
thanwelcomed and meetings were usually done quickly in the office so that later we can continue
with more informal talk during lunch, where we also discuss some work issues, therefore I
would say there are no differences compared to here”.
5.3 Research Findings
Specific research question 1: How do business leaders in both countries perceive and react to
the cultural specificity of non-verbals – kinesics, paralanguage, haptics, proxemics and
chronemics during the on-site business meetings?
According to the answers provided by participants, business leaders, managers of their
departments, it can be concluded that there are not any significant differences in specific NVC
which could cause conflicts between the partners of respective countries. They perceive each
country as more similar to their home one than the rest of the neighbouring countries, which is
usually justified by the historical and geographical circumstances. Therefore, in the majority,
they do not perceive significant differences in the specific aspects of NVC, however, there is the
aspect of time, chronemics, which has been regarded as a point of difference between the
cultures and this can be a problem in the beginning of partnerships, especially when the cultures
are extremely different than Montenegro and Slovenia are. They all reported insignificant or no
differences regarding specifics and this could be a consequence of learning how to manage these
differences over time, since all of them have years of intercultural work experience.
Specific research question 2: To what extent do business leaders in both countries take into the
account the posture, eye contact, physical appearance and proxemics of the opposite partner
whiledealing with business during the on-site meetings?
This question has emerged low level of unawareness to these specific NVC, which have been
pointed out by the respondents themselves. In the majority, except for one respondent who has
been working in sales for a long time and has been educated on the matter, have reported on not
being aware of these aspects and not paying enough attention to it in their everyday life and
even less during business meetings. They all report the same, if there would be any major
64
differences, theywould definitely notice it, otherwise, it does not catch their attention. This way,
there is a space for improvement and raising awareness of business leaders to pay more attention
to specific NVC, such as eye contact, smile, posture which influence the flow of the business
meeting and businesscommunication in general.
Main research question: What is the impact of the cross-cultural differences (Slovenian and
Montenegrin) on the specific types of nonverbal communication (kinesics, haptics, proxemics,
chronemics, paralanguage, physical appearance) during the on-site business meetings?
Hofstede, Vermunt, Smits and Noorderhaven (1997) show that “people from different cultures
tend to misunderstand each other’s behaviors and hence come to distrust one another”. As can be
seen in Table 3, the two countries of interest do not have many differences when it comes to
specific dimensions of culture. The only differences are regarding Masculinity-Femininity
dimension, where Montenegro lies in the middle and could not be specified as either of the
extremes, and Long-term orientation and Indulgence where Slovenia positions in the middle of the
continuum. However, these differences are not extreme and therefore they go in line with
participants’ answers, which also show that differences in specific NVC are not significant or in
some examples, respondents are not even aware of it, as it happens with eye contact or posture.
Table 5.1 The Cultural Dimensions of the Researched Countries

Power Individualism Masculinity Uncertainty Long term Indulgence
distance avoidance Orientation
Slovenia HPD COL FEM HUAI LTO/STO REST/IND
Montenegro HPD COL FEM/MAS HUAI LTO REST
Author’s source based on the Hofstede’s dimensions data matrix (2015)
Cultural differences they openly mentioned as significant were regarding the chronemics, in
other words the attitude towards time. This can impact the flow of business meetings or even
make an impression of hurrying up on one hand, or not caring enough for the work on the other
hand, as both cultures’ perspective have shown. However, this is managed once they build a
partnership and also show respect for each other’s culture, which has been stated several times
during interviews. There has been some implications in their answers that respondents from
65
Montenegrinculture do adjust to Slovenian business culture, but this does not imply any changes
in their NVC expression.
6 LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
Limitations of the research of the impact of the cultural differences on the NVC during business
meetings could be found in the small sample size. Nine respondents from both countries can be
seen as a small number, but for the purpose of this research, it was decided on this number in
order to dive in depth of the NVC topic. Due to the pandemics, all interviews and research were
conducted online, which has its own limitations. Besides, the amount of time available for
conducting the research and analyzing data was also limited, and because of that, it was
important to choose respondents with high level of intercultural experience, mostly leaders of
the sector or of the company in order to gain as much information as possible. Choosing the
right respondents was not a simple linear process, with the factor of online communication,
therefore it is important to acknowledge that information could significantly differ if other
respondents were chosen. Another limitation was also the personal bias, since the most of the
respondents were chosen from the same company but from both Slovenian and Montenegrin
sector. Snowball technique, in spite of several great advantages, also put some visible pressure
on the participants, and there is a point at which social desirability should be taken into account.
Other limitation can also be found in choosing only two countries to compare, but due to
researcher’s personal experience and knowledge, Montenegro and Slovenia were decided on as
pre-research perceived as significantly different, basing this perception on numerous stereotypes
about both, present in societies. However, as respondents and the research show, they are not as
different as media sometimes represents. However, these limitations lead one to thinking would
the results differ if other ex-Yugoslavian countries were included in this research. It is
recommended to conduct more empirical research related to the business culture analysis, verbal
and non-verbal communication in the geographical region.
Overall, the research could be further expanded and developed in the future, as it should be, in
66
order to gain more complete knowledge of the NVC phenomenon in intercultural business
partnerships and teams. This research can serve as a basis for further development and possible
solution finding, forming specific strategies which would help prevent intercultural conflicts
within the business context. Consequently, these results and solutions can be used to prepare a
handbook or a workshop for HRs and other staff in the organizations which cooperate
internationally, in order to ease the process of onboarding of new international employees or to
ease the initial steps of building intercultural business partnerships.
7 RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Business world is becoming more and more connected due to globalization and the acceleration
of its development. Consequently, companies need to gear up in their game and reach the
international market, which of course implies dealing with intercultural environment. To
become and more importantly, stay relevant in the field, business leaders and managers should
know how to develop intercultural relationships and manage differences which could cause
misunderstandings and conflicts. In order to do this, one has to become aware of his own culture
and the differences partner’s culture brings to the table. If one only mentions the negative
effects of the pandemic COVID-19 on the business market, the implications of the research gain
even more importance.
Building intercultural communities, especially within the business context is complex and
dynamic process, which requires several specific abilities. One of them is intercultural
sensitivity, which has to be developed in all respondents of the company’s organization, from
top level to employees on a lower level. Creating a successful intercultural team is a great step
towards a successful organization, or a business in general. To acquire this personal trait, which,
without a doubt, has great impact on the performance, one has to be open, have a high level of
awareness and accept that cultural differences can exist to a smaller or higher extent. Only in
this way can conflicts and misunderstandings be prevented or reduced, which happens more
often in culturally heterogeneous teams than in homogenous.
67
In this master thesis, research focused on cultural differences in the perception between
respondents coming from two countries, Slovenia and Montenegro, about specific NVC:
kinesics (posture, body language, oculesics or eye contact), paralanguage, physical appearance,
haptics, proxemics, chronemics and location of the business meetings. The research was based
on the theoretical framework developed by Geert Hofstede and his six cultural dimensions,
yielding a comparison between two cultures. On the other hand, empirical data was collected
through nine interviews with business leaders, managers from both Slovenian and Montenegrin
companies.
The purpose of the research was to analyze the impact of cultural differences of Montenegrin
and Slovenian culture on the NVC during the on-site business meetings.
In the first part, by using descriptive method and the method of classification, the focus was on
the theoretical framework which would serve as a basis for further analysis of the empirical
data. The concept of culture was defined, encompassing cultural dimensions, cultural
differences, communication in general and finally nonverbal communication, with all its
specific aspects. Montenegro and Slovenia were compared within the Hofstede’s theoretical
framework of cultural dimensions, Results have shown that differences between the two
countries are rather small, showing differences in three dimensions: Masculinity, Long-term
orientation and Indulgence. In these three dimensions, one or another country show tendency
towards the middle of the continuum, for which they cannot be sorted in one category
specifically. However, there are not extreme differences in neither of the dimensions. All the
results complement well for each country, there are not any contradictions, however, the
differences, even if they are not extreme, they can be a barrier in communication and impact the
NVC during business meetings.
In the second part, the focus was on the analysis of the empirical data, which has been collected
through expert interviews with respondents from both Montenegro and Slovenia, them being
business leaders, managers of specific departments who cooperate in person with Montenegrin
and Slovenian partners, respectively. For the purpose of the research, a phenomenological
approach of the qualitative data was used in order to compare information from interviews with
theory the research was based on, focusing on NVC specifics. Findings have shown that the
empirical data goes in line with the comparison of Montenegrin and Slovenian culture within
68
the Hofstede’s framework. Participants’ answers have reflected the results of the cross-cultural
comparison. They did not perceive greater and significant differences, which could impact
quality of NVC or lead to greater conflicts. They reported on the normality of conflicts, which
have been solved very quickly. Also, respondents have shown low level of awareness of certain
aspects of NVC, specifically posture, body language and oculesics – some were already familiar
with its importance and have paid attention to it, however, the majority did not. They all
reported on insignificant or no differences, which would definitely be noticed, if they would be
out of the normal. Paralanguage, other aspect which was researched, has shown some
differences, with Montenegrins being perceived as more talkative and fast paced. Physical
appearance aspect discussion did not show any greater differences, since there is a universal
business dress code which is respected by participants. Also, location of the business meetings
have been reported the same, without any significant differences. Only differences they
mentioned as indeed noticeable are regarding haptics aspect of NVC, meaning tendency for
physical touch, body contact and chronemics, meaning the attitude towards the time, however
they all emphasize that differences fade away with time, as they get to know each other,
therefore they do not seem a barrier which would harm their business relationship.
Montenegrins are in both aspects perceived as more relaxed and opened, however, this does not
present a barrier or an obstacle in their essentially intercultural business communication.
Overall, it can be seen from the results presented above that cultural differences are recognized
to some extent and it goes in hand with theoretical framework the research relied on. On the
basis of their results and explanations given, it can be concluded that differences are
insignificant and do not have significant impact on the NVC and the business meetings flow.
Reasons for such result could be found in the rich intercultural work experience of participants,
ranging from 6 to 30 years and also in their own perception of respective culture as not being
significantly different from their home culture, which consequently implies not noticing
significant differences in specific NVC expressions.
On the basis of what has previously been presented and elaborated, it can be concluded that
even though some cultural differences exist between the cultures, significant or insignificant,
there is a way to approach them and manage them. This can be done through raising awareness
of one’s own culture and of others’ along with the openness and acceptance of the others’
69
culture. In this way, differences can be recognized in non-verbal communication, which are
culturally conditioned, prevent and intervene in conflicts arisen in intercultural business
communities, which consequently can only aid business’ successful performance in the
international business markets.
70
8 REFERENCES
Adler, Nancy J. and Zeynep Aycan. 2018. “Cross-Cultural Interaction: What we know and what
we need to know.” Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational
Behavior5(1): 307-333.
Adler, Nancy J. 1983. “Cross-cultural management:Issues to be faced.” International Studiesof

Management & Organization 13(1-2): 7-45.
Axtell, Roger. 1994. Essential Do's and Taboos: The Complete Guide to International Business
and Leisure Travel. New York: Wiley Online Publisher.
Bahovec, Igor. 2012. “Medkulturni dialog, religije in izobraževanje.” Bogoslovni vestnik 72(4):
599-608.
Bennett, Milton and Mitchell Hammer. 2017. A developmental model of intercultural sensitivity.
The international encyclopedia of intercultural communication. New York: Wiley Online
Library.
Blahova, Maria. 2015. “Specific role of nonverbal communication in business.” European

Scientific Journal 11 (10): 9-19.
Brzozowska, Dorota and Władysław Chlopicki. 2015. Culture's Software: CommunicationStyles.

Newcastle: Lady Stephenson Library.
Button, Kenneth and Fabio Rossera. 1990. “Barriers to communication.” The annals of regional
science 24(4): 337-357.
Chaney, Lillian and Jeanette Martin. 2011. Intercultural Business Communication (6th Edition).
Memphis: University of Memphis.
Congden, Steven, Alexei Matveev and David Desplaces. 2009. “Cross-cultural Communication
and Multicultural Team Performance: A German and American Comparison.” Journal of
Comparative International Management 12(2): 73-89.
71
Dana, Leo Paul. 2010. When economies change hands: A survey of entrepreneurship in the
emerging markets of Europe from the Balkans to the Baltic States. New York: Routledge.
Djurovic, Gordana and Damjan Lajh. 2020. “Relationship with the European Union:
Slovenia and Montenegro Compared.” Politics in Central Europe 16 (3): 668-687.
Ekachai, Daradirek and Rosechongporn Komolsevin. 2004. Public Relations in Thailand:From
Propaganda to Strategic Communication. Singapore: Cengage Learning.
Ekman, Paul, Wallace Friesen and Ronald Simons. 1985. “Is the startle reaction anemotion?”
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49 (5): 1416–1426.
European Central Bank. 2022. “Economic diversity”.
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/mopo/eaec/diversity/html/index.en.html. Assesed 13 March
2022.
Fernández, Itziar, Pilar Carrera, Flor Sánchez, Dario Paez and Luis Candia. 2000. “Differences
between Cultures in Emotional Verbal and Non-Verbal Reactions.” Psicothema 12: 83-92.
Georgieva, Maria and Allen James. 2010. Globalization in English Studies. Newcastle:
Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Hofner Saphiere, Dianne.1996. “Productive behaviors of global business teams.” International

Journal of Intercultural Relations 20 (2): 227–259.
Hofstede, Gert Jan, Arno Vermunt, Martin Smits and Niels Noorderhaven. 1997. Wired
International Teams: Experiments in Strategic Decisionmaking by Multi-Cultural Virtual
Teams. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/6714909.pdf
Hofstede, Geert. 2001. Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions,

and Organizations Across Nations. California: Sage Publications.
Hofstede, Gert Jan, Paul Pedersen and Geert Hofstede. 2002. Exploring culture: Exercises,
stories and synthetic cultures. UK: Nicholas Brealey.
Hofstede, Geert, Hofstede, Gert Jan and Micheal Minkov. 2010. Cultures and
Organizations: Software of the Mind. New York: McGraw Hill. https://e-
edu.nbu.bg/pluginfile.php/900222/mod_resource/content/1/G.Hofstede_G.J.Hofstede_M.
72
Minkov%20-%20Cultures%20and%20Organizations%20
%20Software%20of%20the%20Mind%203rd_edition%202010.pdf
Hofstede, Geert. 2011. “Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context.” Online
Readings in Psychology and Culture 2(1): 3-26.
Hofstede, Geert. 2015. The Hofstede Centre: Strategy, Culture, Change. http://geert-
hofstede.com/countries.html
Hofstede, Geert. 2019. Compare Countries. Hofstede Insights. https://www.hofstede-

insights.com/fi/product/compare-countries/
Hrastelj, Tone. 2001. Mednarodno poslovanje v vrtincu novih priložnosti.
Ljubljana: GV založba
Hunley, Bret, Smarajit Chakraborty and Stephen MacDonald. 2018. The impact of cultural
communication on team performance. Student project. Portland: University of
Portland.https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2913&context=et
m_studentprojects
Janssens, Maddy, José Lambert and Chris Steyaert. 2004. “Developing language strategies for
international companies: The contribution of translation studies.” Journal of World
Business 39(4): 414-430.
Ker-Dincer, Müjde. 2014. From the intercultural perspective »The world beyond words«.
Krstić, Ivana. 2017. Uloga neverbalne komunikacije u poslovnom komuniciranju. BScthesis.
Osijek: University of Osijek.
Kudesia, Ravi and Hillary Anger Elfenbein. 2013. Nonverbal communication in the
workplace.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249643461_Nonverbal_communication_in_
the_workpl ace
Gamble, Teri Kwal. 1990. Communication works. New York: McGraw Hill.
Lahti, Malgorzata. 2015. Communicating Interculturality in the Workplace. Jyväskylä:
University Library of Jyväskylä.
Lowie, Robert Harry. 1917. “Edward B. Tylor.” American Anthropologist 19 (2): 262-268.
73
Lloyd, Shannon and Charmine Härtel. 2010. “Intercultural competencies for culturally diverse
work teams.” Journal of Managerial Psychology 25 (8): 845-875.
Lustig, M. W. 2010. Intercultural Competence:Interpersonal Comunication across Cultures(6th
edition). Boston: Pearson International Education.
Marquardt, Michael and Lisa Horvath. 2001. Global teams: how top multinationals span
boundaries and cultures with high-speed teamwork. California: Davies-Black Publishing.
Matsumoto, David. 2007. “Culture, Context and Behavior.” Journal of Personality 75 (6): 1285-
1320.
Maznevski, Martha. 1994. “Understanding our differences: performance in decision-making
groups with diverse members.” Human relations 47(5): 531-552.
Nagy, Carolin. 2006. “We Talk Even When We’re Not Saying Anything – The Five Axioms of
Communication According to Paul Watzlawick.”
https://www.academia.edu/16196491/We_talk_even_when_we_re_not_saying_anything_
The_Five_Axioms_of_Communic
Palalić, Ramo, Azra Bičo, Leo-Paul Dana and Veland Ramadani. 2018. Entrepreneurship in
Montenegro. In Entrepreneurship in Former Yugoslavia, edited by Ramo Palalič, Leo-Paul
Dana and Veland Ramadani, 91-105.
Radević, Milena. 2019a. “Magazine on EU Integration of Montenegro” Eurokaz No.4 Published

July 2019. Total Montenegro News, 31 July. https://www.total-montenegro-
news.com/business/5108-slovenian-companies-montenegrin-market
Radević, Milena. 2019b. “150 Slovenian Companies Present on Montenegrin Market.” Total
Montenegro News, 27 september. https://www.total-montenegro-
news.com/business/5108- slovenian-companies-montenegrin-market
Riemer, Marc and Detlev E. Jansen. 2003. “Non-verbal intercultural communication awareness
for the modern engineer.” World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education
2(3): 373-378.
Samovar, Larry, Richard Porter and Edwin McDaniel. 2007. Communication between cultures
74
(6th edition). California: Thomson Wadsworth.
Szkudlarek, Betina, Joyce Osland, Luciara Nardon and Lena Zander. 2020. “Communication
and culture in international business – Moving the field forward.” Journal of WorldBusiness
55 (6). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090951620300547
Van den Born, Floor and Vesa Peltokorpi. 2010. “Language policies and communication in
multinational companies: Alignment with strategic orientation and human resource
management practices.” The Journal of Business Communication 47(2): 97-118.
Zizmond, Egon. 1993. “Slovenia – One year of independence.” Europe-Asia Studies 45(5): 887-
905.
Wong, Kellie. 2020. “Organizational culture: Definition, importance, and development.”

Achievers, 7 May. https://www.achievers.com/blog/organizational-culture-definition/
Wrench, John. 2005. “Diversity management can be bad for you.” Race & Class 46(3): 73- 84
75
ANNEXES
Annex 1: Demographics table

Annex 2: The invitation letter
Annex 3: The interview guide
Annex 1: Demographics table
Participant Country of origin Gender Years of work
experience
P1 Montenegro Male 20 years
P2 Montenegro Female 6 years
P5 Montenegro Female 8 years
P6 Slovenia Male 30 years
Annex 2: The invitation letter
Slovenian version
Datum: 15.3.2021
Telefonska številka: +38641569548
Spoštovani,
Pišem vam, da Vas povabim k sodelovanju v sociološki medkulturni raziskavi v obliki Zoom
intervjuja (30 min). Moje ime je Jelena Lacmanović, sem diplomirana študentka-raziskovalka
programa Medkulturni menedžment na Fakulteti za uporabne družbene študije v Ljubljani.
Magistrsko delo je »Cross-cultural analysis of the impact of cultural differences on nonverbal
communication during the on site business meetings of Slovenian and Montenegrin partners«.
Cilj mi je zbrati empirične podatke o tej pomembni temi medkulturnega poslovnega
komuniciranja.
Raziskovalni koncept je potrdil akademski svet FUDŠ, vsi podatki bodo uporabljeni samo za
akademske raziskave, podatki o anketirancih so strogo zaupni. Ugotovitve nameravam uporabiti
za spodbujanje razvoja medkulturnega poslovanja v Sloveniji in Črni gori ter ozaveščanje o
različnih vidikih globalnega poslovanja v Sloveniji.
Če se strinjate, da boste prispevali, mi sporočite, kdaj bi bilo najboljše, da se dogovoriva za

datumintervjuja (po telefonu / Skype / WhatsApp / Viber / Zoom ali osebno, če je to primerno).
Informacije bodo transkribirane in zabeležene. Za vse anketirane imam vnaprej pripravljen
sklop vprašanj.
Najpomembnejši del raziskave so Vaše osebne izkušnje, Vaša opažanja in Vaša zgodba.
Napačnih odgovorov ni, saj je ključno razmišljanje o posameznikovi poti v medkulturnem
poslovnem kontekstu.
Če imate kakršna koli vprašanja, se obrnite neposredno na tel: +38641569548 ali

+38267340764 ali na e-pošto: jelena.lacmanovic15@gmail.com; Moja raziskovalna mentorica
dr. Svitlana Buko je na voljo tudi za vse dodatne informacije o raziskavi na:
svitlana.buko@gmail.com; +386 70 53 48 47
Montenegrin version
Datum: 15.3.2021.
Telefonski broj: +38641569548
Poštovani,
Pišem Vam, kako bih Vas pozvala da učestvujete u sociološkom interkulturnom istraživanju u
obliku audio intervjua (30 min). Zovem se Jelena Lacmanović, istraživač programa Interkulturni
menadžment na Školi za napredne društvene studije u Ljubljani. Moj magistarski rad je “Cross-
cultural analysis of the impact of cultural differences on nonverbal communication during the on
site business meetings of Slovenian and Montenegrin partners”. Cilj mi je prikupljanje
empirijskihpodataka o ovoj važnoj temi interkulturalne poslovne komunikacije.
Koncept istraživanja je odobrilo akademsko vijeće FUDŠ-a, svi podaci će biti korišteni
isključivo u akademske svrhe, te su podaci o ispitanicima su strogo poverljivi. Planiram koristiti
rezultate za promociju interkulturnog poslovnog razvoja između Slovenije i Crne Gore, kao i za
podizanje svijesti o različitim aspektima globalnog poslovanja u Crnoj Gori.
Ako se slažete da date svoj doprinos, javite mi koje bi bilo najbolje vreme da zakažem razgovor
sa Vama (putem telefona / Skipe / WhatsApp / Viber / Zoom). Podaci će biti zabeleženi i
transkribovani. Pitanja su unaprijed pripremljena za sve ispitanike.
Najvažniji dio istraživanja je vaše lično iskustvo, vaša zapažanja i vaša priča. Ne postoje
pogrešni odgovori, jer je ključna priča o putu svakog pojedinca u interkulturalnom poslovnom
kontekstu.
Ako imate bilo kakvih pitanja, kontaktirajte me direktno na tel: +38641569548 ili
+38267340764 ili na email: jelena.lacmanovic15@gmail.com; moja mentorka dr. Svitlana Buko
takođe je dostupna za sve dodatne informacije o istraživanju na: svitlana.buko@gmail.com;
+386 70 53 48 47
English version
Date: 15.3.2021
Phone number: +38641569548
Dear Mr/Ms,
I am writing to invite you to participate in an intercultural research in the form of a Zoom
interview (30 min). My name is Jelena Lacmanović, I am a graduate student of the Intercultural
Management program at the Faculty of Applied Social Studies in Ljubljana. The master's thesis
is "Cross- cultural analysis of the impact of cultural differences on nonverbal communication
during the on- site business meetings of Slovenian and Montenegrin partners". My goal is to
gather empirical data on this important topic of intercultural business communication.
The research concept has been confirmed by the FUDŠ academic council, all data will be used
only for academic research, and data on respondents is strictly confidential. I intend to use the
findings to promote the development of intercultural business in Slovenia and Montenegro and
toraise awareness of various aspects of global business in Slovenia.
If you agree to contribute, let me know when it would be best to arrange an interview date (by
phone / Skype / WhatsApp / Viber / Zoom or in person if appropriate). The information will be
transcribed and recorded. I have a set of questions prepared in advance for all respondents.
The most important part of the research is your personal experience, your observations and your
story. There are no wrong answers, as it is crucial to think about the individual's path in an
intercultural business context.
If you have any questions, please contact us directly at tel: +38641569548 or +38267340764 or
by e-mail: jelena.lacmanovic15@gmail.com; my research mentor dr. Svitlana Buko is also
available for any additional information about the research at: svitlana.buko@gmail.com; +386
70 53 48 47
Annex 3: Interview guide
Slovenian version
Hvala, ker ste si vzeli čas za naše raziskovanje. Preden se lotimo samih vprašanj, bi rad najprej
povedala, da bo ta intervju posnet in uporabljen izključno v raziskovalne namene, vaše ime in
podatki bodo zaščiteni. Intervju bo trajal 30-40 minut, upam, da se vam bo zdel zanimiv. Imate
kakšno vprašanje? Če ne, lahko greva naprej, na intervju:
1. Mi lahko na kratko opišete svojo trenutno službo?

2. Ste opazili kakšne razlike pri tistih, ko gre za poslovna srečanja s partnerji / strankami iz
drugih kultur? (Kako se počutite glede teh razlik?)
3. Ste med srečanji kdaj naleteli na konflikt ali nesporazum, ki so ga povzročile kulturne
razlike?Ali mi lahko navedete primer, zgodbo?
4. Ali lahko opozorite na nekatere posebnosti neverbalne komunikacije v vašem podjetju?

5. Ali imate v svojem podjetju kodeks oblačenja? Ste na poslovnih srečanjih opazili kakšne
razlike med tujimi kolegi in vami?
6. Ste med poslovnimi sestanki med pozdravi opazili razlike med seboj in tujimi kolegi?
7. Obstaja nekaj, čemur pravimo osebni prostor - ste med osebnim prostorom opazili
kakšnerazlike med seboj in sodelavci?
8. Ali ste med srečanji opazili razlike v drži med seboj in tujimi kolegi?
9. Bi rekli, da je očesni stik pomemben pri poslovni komunikaciji? Ste opazili kakšne razlike v
odnosu do slovenskih partnerjev?
10. Pravijo, da Črnogorci vedno zamujajo na sestanke? Bi se strinjali glede tega? Ste glede
obravnave časa, rokov ali pravočasnega prihoda na sestanke opazili razlike v primerjavi s
slovenskimi kolegi?
Zahvaljujem se vam za vaš prispevek in mi pomagate pri razvoju te raziskave.

Montenegrin version
Hvala Vam što se izdvojili vrijeme za istraživanje. Prije nego što krenemo na sama pitanja,
željela bih prvo reći, da će se ovaj intervju snimati i koristiti isključivo u svrhe istraživanja, Vaše
ime I podaci će biti zaštićeni. Intervju će trajati 30-40 minuta, nadam se da će Vam biti
zanimljivo. Imateli kakvih pitanja? Ako ne, možemo krenuti:
1. Možete li mi ukratko opisati Vaše trenutno radno mjesto?
2. Da li ste primjetili neke razlike kada su u pitanju poslovni sastanci sa partnerima / klijentima
iz drugih kultura? (Kako se osećate zbog tih razlika?) Kada dolaze gosti iz Slovenije, gdje
organizujete poslovne sastanke – da li su to kancelarije kompanije ili su u pitanju neka više
neformalna mjesta poput restorana, kafića?
3. Da li ste ikada naišli na sukob ili nesporazum tokom sastanaka, a bili su uzrokovani
kulturološkim razlikama? Možete li mi dati primjer, neku priču?
4. Možete li da ukažete na neke specifičnosti neverbalne komunikacije u Vašoj kompaniji?
5. Da li u svojoj kompaniji imate pravila oblačenja (dress code)? Da li ste primjetili razlike u
tome između slovenačkih kolega i Vas na poslovnim sastancima?
6. Da li ste prilikom pozdravljanja tokom poslovnih sastanaka primjetili razlike između sebe
I slovenačkih kolega, da su možda suzdržaniji ili upravo suprotno, nasmijaniji su i prisniji?
7. Postoji nešto što nazivamo lični prostor - da li ste primjetili neke razlike između sebe i
svojih slovenačkih kolega kada je reč o ličnom prostoru?
8. Da li biste rekli da je kontakt očima važan u poslovnoj komunikaciji? Jeste li primijetili
neke razlike u odnosu na svoje slovenačke partnere?
9. Kažu da Crnogorci uvijek kasne na sastanke? Da li biste se složili oko toga? Što se tiče
odnosa do vremena, poštovanja rokova ili dolaska na vrijeme za sastanke, da li ste primjetili
neke razlikeu odnosu na slovenačke kolege?
Da li imate kontakt primjerne osobe u slovenačkoj partnerskoj kompaniji, koga bih mogla
intervjuisati kako bih napravila komparaciju perspektiva?
English version
Thank you for taking the time to research. Before we go into the questions, I would first like to
say that this interview will be recorded and used exclusively for research purposes, your name
anddata will be protected. The interview will last 30-40 minutes, I hope you find it interesting. Do
youhave any questions? If not, we can go:
1. Can you briefly describe your current job?

2. Have you noticed any differences when it comes to business meetings with partners / clients
from other cultures? (How do you feel about these differences?) When guests from
Slovenia/Montenegro come, where do you organize business meetings - are they the company's
offices or are they some more informal places like restaurants, cafes?
3. Have you ever encountered a conflict or misunderstanding during meetings that was caused
bycultural differences? Can you give me an example, a story?
4. Can you point out some specifics of non-verbal communication in your company?
5. Do you have dress code in your company? Did you notice differences in that between your
Slovenian colleagues and you at business meetings?
6. When greeting during business meetings, did you notice the differences between yourself
and your Slovenian/Montenegrin colleagues, that they may be more restrained or, on the
contrary, theyare more smiling and intimate?
7. There is something we call personal space - have you noticed any differences between
yourselfand your Slovenian/Montenegrin colleagues when it comes to personal space?
8. Would you say that eye contact is important in business communication? Have you noticed
anydifferences in relation to your Slovenian/Montenegrin partners?
9. They say that Montenegrins are always late for meetings? Would you agree on that?
Regarding the attitude towards time, meeting deadlines or arriving on time for meetings, did
you notice any differences in relation to Slovenian/Montenegrin colleagues?
Do you have the contact of a person in a Slovenian/Montenegrin partner company, whom I could
interview in order to make a comparison of perspectives?

Finalna MA - Lacmanovic Jelena

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

Finalna MA - Lacmanovic Jelena

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Finalna MA - Lacmanovic Jelena

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

FAKULTETA ZA UPORABNE DRUŽBENE ŠTUDIJE V

MEDKULTURNA ANALIZA VPLIVA

MEDKULTURNA ANALIZA VPLIVA

Mentorica: izr. prof. dr. Svitlana Buko

Ljubljana, maj 2022 Jelena Lacmanović

Spodaj podpisana Jelena Lacmanović, izjavljam,

• rezultat lastnega raziskovalnega procesa,

• da je elektronska oblika identična tiskani obliki dela,

Kraj, datum: 02.05.2022 Podpis avtorice:

Raziskava obravnava izzive medkulturnih poslovnih srečanj slovenskih in črnogorskih poslovnih

Keywords: non-verbal communication, Montenegro, Slovenia, cultural differences, Hofstede,

Table 2.1 The Consequences of Collectivism/Individualism and Short-/Long-Term Orientation

Figure 2.1 Six cultural dimensions by Geert Hofstede………..…………...…………………8

2.1 Defining culture

2.2 The National and Organizational Culture

2.3 Hofstede’s dimensions and Organizational Culture

Wong (2020, p. 1) defines organizational culture: “Organizational culture is the collection of

2.4 Hofstede’s Dimensions of the National Culture

Figure 2.1 Six cultural dimensions by Geert Hofstede

Source: Trainers library 2017.

Figure 1.2 Six dimensions of culture by Hofstede represented on a scale

Source: Visual paradigm online 2015.

2.4.1 Power distance (PDI)

Source: Hofstede 2011.

2.4.2 Individualism and Collectivism (INV)

Figure 2.4 Differences between Individualist and Collectivist societies

Source: Hofstede 2011.

2.4.3 Masculinity and Femininity (MAS)

Figure 2.2 Differences between Feminine and Masculine societies

Source: Hofstede 2011.

2.4.4 Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI)

Source: Hofstede 2011.

2.4.5 The Long Term Orientation (LTO)

Figure 2.3 Differences between Short-term and Long-Term Oriented societies

Source: Hofstede 2011.

2.4.6 Indulgence (IND)

Figure 2.4 Differences between Indulgent and Restrained societies

Source: Hofstede 2011.

Source: Hofstede (2021)

2.5.1 The Power Distance

2.5.2 Individualism and Collectivism

2.5.3 Masculinity and Femininity

2.5.4 Uncertainty Avoidance

2.5.5 The Long-Term and Short-Term Orientation

2.5.6 Indulgence and Restraint

2.6 Hofstede and Communication Styles

Source: Author’s source based Brzozowska and Chlopicki 2015.

Source: Author’s source based Brzozowska and Chlopicki 2015.

Source: Author’s source based Brzozowska and Chlopicki 2015.

Source: Author`s source based Brzozowska and Chlopicki 2015.

Table 2.1 The Consequences of Collectivism/Individualism and Short-/Long-Term Orientation

in depth, which was done in the following chapter.

Figure 36.1 Elements of the Communication Process

Source: Abu-Arqoob & Alserhan 2019.

3.1 Intercultural communication

Figure 3.2 Neuliep’s Model of Intercultural Communication

Source: Neuliep 2005.

Figure 37.3 The Five Factor Model