A phased approach

Editor’s note: Theresa Schreiber and Daryl Gilbert are directors of qualitative research at Leo J. Shapiro & Associates, a Chicago research firm.

Anyone who has ever traveled internationally or has even placed an overseas telephone call knows the potential pitfalls that come with communicating in a language other than one’s own. When vacationing abroad, accidental miscues can result in serendipitous adventures and good stories to tell back home. In business, however, such mishaps can spell disaster: financial losses, upset clients, lost opportunities and misleading data. Obtaining accurate results in international market surveys is imperative, especially since qualitative research results are so often used to develop quantitative research measurements.

Language is only the most obvious hurdle to overcome when doing business in a foreign culture. Researchers must anticipate differences in economic systems, lifestyles and family structures, as well as shopping and consumer habits. As if all these variables weren’t enough, each country has (and very often, regions within countries have) differing customs that researchers must take into account.

There is no way to codify each variable because the idiosyncrasies between countries are too varied and are continually changing. So, to achieve the highest-quality research results, a firm conducting international market research must actively monitor each phase of the research project. Breaking the project down into four phases is a helpful way to guide researchers through a project and will ensure that qualitative consultants attain standard, consistent and measurable outcomes. The four phases are: planning; project management; choosing and working with translators and moderators; and interpreting results and findings.

Each has its own strata of tasks which we’ll summarize, to form a template that a consultant can use to organize the research project.

Planning

Scheduling. In addition to keeping time-zone differences in mind, make sure you know what hours the people you are working with keep. Familiarize yourself with the country’s holiday schedule and the cultural habits surrounding those holidays. You don’t want to schedule focus groups on days when the children may be home from school and mothers can’t attend. Researchers in other countries must be prepared to schedule group times around their respondents’ availability or else results may be hopelessly skewed. Plan for time to acclimate yourself, once you arrive in the country. Traveling to your destination over a weekend can be helpful if you have a tight schedule.

Managing expectations . Expect that establishing specifications and getting the costs back is going to take more time than putting together domestic costs. Certain follow-up services you are accustomed to in the U.S. may not be provided in the host country. Confirmation letters, reminder calls and other important details will take time.

Choosing a facility . Locating the right facility for conducting your research requires that you be flexible. If a survey center isn’t available, consider using a hotel or a classroom. Ascertain the location of the facility, the size of the room and any technical specifications. Also, be sure that recruits will be able to get to the facility location. In some countries, facilities may be so inadequate that it makes sense to establish your own.

Technical compatibility . Determine that the technology you will be using abroad will correspond to your technology back at home. Find out what kind of equipment will be available to you. Is it NTSC, PAL or SECAM? Does the facility you are using have the resources to broadcast the survey group in both English and the native language? Be sure you will have a way to transmit questions to the translator if he or she will be sitting in a different room than you.

Budget. Costs to do the same work in different countries can vary greatly. A project in Japan, China or the U.K. can cost more than twice as much to complete as the same project in the U.S. When budgeting, include the time you spend planning the setup, observing, reading through translations and the time you spend with the moderator and translator as well as the time you will spend on analysis and reporting. Establish the effect that the currency exchange rate will have on your budget.

The success of your international research project depends on how well you plan. The more details you nail down during your planning phase, the fewer obstacles you will face during the next phase, project management.

Project management

Demographics. It goes without saying that you’ll need to have a keen grasp of market demographics in the country with which you are working. For example, in Shenzhen, China, which has a rapidly growing population of nine million, 83 percent of the population is under 35! Such a youthful respondent pool may have more aggressive, quicker responses than people in other worldwide cities. Remember that demographic breaks may differ from those we are accustomed to in the States. Age cutoffs may have different intervals, for example. Keep in mind that pure numbers don’t tell the whole story. Qualitative researchers know that the key to really understanding the recruitment pool is being able to discern the shades and distinctions behind the numbers.

Cultural nuances . Cultural differences between two countries can lead to misunderstandings, even when you speak the same language as the participants. For instance, while one of the authors was conducting a focus group in England about toys, she asked the group where they bought stuffed animals and received only horrified looks in response. She quickly added, “You don’t think I mean taxidermy?,” and they all nodded their heads yes. It turns out that in England stuffed animals are called “cuddly toys.”

Find out as much as you can about the country’s cultural norms, work habits and attitudes toward punctuality, products and even family dynamics. In some cultures, participants may bring their whole families to a group and expect reimbursement.

Understanding the pattern of group dynamics in a specific culture is essential for obtaining good research results. In Japan, for example, groups will work together to maintain harmony and agreement is important; it can be difficult to get individuals to criticize an idea or product.

Recruitment. There are a number of considerations involved in the recruitment stage. How many people can your facility handle? Determine exactly how participants will be recruited. Face-to-face? Via telephone? Make sure attendance confirmation plans are in place and will be carried out and that honorarium and reimbursement issues have been determined. Familiarize yourself with the country’s laws relating to research projects. In China, for example, respondents are not allowed to taste products or take new products home for trial without prior government approval.

It’s now time to find your translator and your moderator, both of whom are critical to the success of your project. It’s important that you know their backgrounds, can understand them well and develop a good rapport with them.

Choosing and working with translators and moderators

Translators and translations . Most of the ideas you communicate to your respondents and to your local clients will be filtered through a translator. Does the facility you are working with employ translators or will you need to make the arrangements? To ensure accuracy, you might not want to rely solely on the local facility and may consider using at least one other source. When necessary, change wording or descriptions to be more accurately understood in different languages and cultures.

Moderators. Local moderators can help you sift through cultural nuances, customs and attitudes, which will improve your relationship with the focus group and viewers. Moderators can help you manage dominant responders and non-responders. Schedule enough time to meet with the moderator and translator prior to the groups so that you can address these issues fully. After the group, meet with the moderator to obtain his or her perspective and to follow up with any questions you have about the discussion. You might even request that the moderator write a topline in addition to the verbal debriefing. A moderator’s input can be invaluable to the final phase of your research project, interpreting results and findings.

Interpreting results and findings

Language meaning and interpretation . Qualitative research of any kind is, by its very nature, highly dependent on language. In an international setting, sorting through idioms, metaphors and other linguistic subtleties adds layers of complexity to interpreting what people are trying to communicate. The key to clarity in any international setting is to face language problems directly. Work closely with interpreters and local bilingual people in the research field staff.

Empathy. All successful qualitative research relies heavily on the ability to think and feel from the perspective of the people being interviewed. To develop empathy, spend time discovering how consumers use a product category that you are testing. Visit aisles in stores where the product is sold and observe who is buying the product and find out how they use the product. Background material on a culture and country is helpful, but watch out for assumptions and antiquated notions that are no longer accurate.

Class and cultural cues . Understanding how class and status are perceived within a society is paramount to a precise understanding of how your focus groups perceive the product you are testing. People are going to communicate their thoughts and feelings to you through a complex prism of these cultural concerns. Garner insights from local people you are working with about how to decipher class and cultural cues.

Clarity and understanding

Cooperating with the people you are working with abroad, and comparing notes and analysis with them, will bring clarity and understanding to what your group participants are trying to communicate to you and your client about the product you are testing. The myriad of details involved in an international research project may appear daunting at first.  By dividing your project into these four main phases and following through on the attendant stages of each project, the work will be more manageable and you will achieve the highest-quality research standards and results possible.