Chapter 4 Communicating Across Cultures

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Chapter 4 Communicating Across Cultures

• PowerPoint by
• Kristopher Blanchard
• North Central University

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The Communication Process

• Cultural communications are deeper and more
  complex than spoken or written messages. The
  essence of effective cross-cultural communication
  has more to do with releasing the right responses
  than with sending the right messages.
• Hall and Hall

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The Communication Process

• Managers spend between 50 and 90 of their time
  talking to people
• Managers communicate to
• Coordinate activities
• Disseminate information
• Motivate people
• Negotiate future plans

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The Communication Process
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Cultural Noise

• Cultural Noise cultural variables that
  undermine the communication of intended meaning
• Intercultural communication when the member of
  one culture sends a message to a member of
  another culture
• Attribution the process in which people look
  for an explanation of another persons behavior

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Cultural Noise
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Trust in Communication

• Effective communication depends on informal
  understandings among individuals that are based
  upon trust
• When there is trust between individuals an
  implicit understanding in communication is present

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Trust in Communication

• Guidelines for developing trust
• Create a clear and calculated basis for mutual
  benefit
• Have realistic commitments and good intentions to
  honor them
• Improve predictability resolve conflicts and
  keep communication open
• Develop mutual bonding through socializing and
  friendly contact

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Cultural Variables

• Attitudes ethnocentric and stereotypical
  attitudes are a particular source of noise in
  cross-cultural communication
• Social Organization nations, tribes, religious
  sects, or professions can influence our
  priorities and values
• Though Patterns the logical progression of
  reasoning varies by culture

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Cultural Variables

• Roles the perception of the managers role
  differs considerable around the world, consider
  the conversation between the American and Greek
• Nonverbal Communication behavior communicated
  without words even minor variations in body
  language, speech rhythms, and punctuality can
  cause mistrust

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Cultural Variables

• Language an inability to speak the local
  language, and a poor or too literal translation
  are often causes for mistrust
• Pepsis slogan Come Alive with Pepsi
  translated into German as Come out of the
  grave.
• Rendezvous lounges on 747s were not used on
  airlines because in Portuguese rendezvous
  refers to prostitution

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Cultural Variables - Language

• Britain and America are two nations separated by
  a common language.
• - George Bernard Shaw

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Cultural Variables -Time

• Mono-chronic Cultures Time is experienced in a
  linear manner generally mono-chronic people
  concentrate on one thing at a time and adhere to
  time commitments
• Poly-chronic Cultures Many things occur
  simultaneously and emphasize involvement with
  people

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Context

• Context in which the communication takes place
  affects the meaning and interpretation of the
  interaction
• Cultures are either high- or low- context

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Context
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Comparative Management Focus Communicating with
Arabs

• Arabs are warm, emotional, and quick to explode
• The language aptly communicates the Arabic
  culture one of emotional extremes
• Contains means for over expression
• Words that allow for exaggeration
• Metaphors that emphasize a position
• Many adjectives
• What is said is not as important as how it is said

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Comparative Management Focus Communicating with
Arabs

• The core of the culture is friendship, honor,
  religion, and traditional hospitality
• Family and friends take precedence over business
  transactions
• Hospitality is a way of life and is highly
  symbolic
• Women play little or no role n business or
  entertainment it is a male-dominated society

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Comparative Management Focus Communicating with
Arabs

• Society values honor which is brought about
  when conformity is achieved
• Shame results not just from doing something wrong
  but from having others find out about it
• High contact and High context

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Comparative Management Focus Communicating with
Arabs
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Comparative Management Focus Communicating with
Arabs

• Be patient. Recognize the Arab attitude toward
  time and hospitalitytake time to develop
  friendship and trust, for these are prerequisites
  for any social or business transactions.
• Recognize that people and relationships matter
  more to Arabs than the job, company, or
  contractconduct business personally, not by
  correspondence or telephone.

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Comparative Management Focus Communicating with
Arabs

• Avoid expressing doubts or criticism when others
  are presentrecognize the importance of honor and
  dignity to Arabs.
• Adapt to the norms of body language, flowery
  speech, and circuitous verbal patterns in the
  Middle East, and dont be impatient to get to
  the point.
• Expect many interruptions in meetings, delays in
  schedules, and changes in plans.

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Information Systems

• Communication varies according to
• Where and how it originates
• The channels and the speed which it flows
• Whether it is formal or informal
• The nature of the organizations information
  system are affected by
• Organizational structure
• Staffing policies
• Leadership style

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Information Technology

• The Internet as a global medium for communication
  allows companies to develop a presence in markets
  globally
• Companies must adapt their web communication to
  deal with local cultural variables

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Managing Cross-Cultural Communication

• Cultural Sensitivity
• Careful Encoding
• Selective Transmission
• Careful Decoding
• Appropriate Follow-up Actions

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Appropriate Follow-Up Actions

• Respect (eye contact, posture, tone, etc)
• Interaction posture ability to respond in a
  descriptive, non-evaluative, and non-judgmental
  way
• Orientation to knowledge understand that your
  beliefs and perceptions are only valid for you
  and not everyone else
• Empathy

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Appropriate Follow-Up Actions

• Interaction management
• Tolerance for ambiguity
• Other-oriented role behavior capacity to be
  flexible and to adopt different roles for the
  sake of the greater group cohesion/communication

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Looking Ahead

• Chapter 5 Cross-cultural Negotiation and
  Decision making
• Negotiation
• The negotiation process
• Understanding negotiation styles
• Managing negotiation
• Decision making