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Consider the following scenarios
Scenario #1
Aisha, a Malaysian graduate student, works part-time in a chain drugstore in California. One day
while helping her unpack a new shipment of toiletries, Mr Hayes, the manager of the store,
invites her to take a break and sit down and have a cup of coffee with him. Shyly, she
accepts. Mr Hayes chats with her casually, but notices that when he speaks to her, Aisha
looks down on the floor and seems disinterested. He believes she is being disrespectful and
reprimands her for it. She is surprised by his anger.
Scenario #2
A negotiation is taking place to discuss the costs of renovating an office space in China for a new
US company. Mr Jones then asks, “Okay, then, how much will everything cost? Just give
me a ballpark figure.” Mr Zhang and Mr Li look at each other with a rather puzzled look.
Then Mr Li hesitatingly gave an estimated cost. In response, Mr Jones says, “You can’t be
serious. That’s going to cost us an arm and a leg!” The Chinese became a little
uncomfortable.
Scenario #3
The US marketing manager of a major car producer was finding it increasingly difficult to work in
Japan. In meetings, the Japanese colleagues hardly ever said anything. When they were asked
if they agreed to his suggestions they always said "yes", but they didn't do anything to follow up
the ideas. The only time they opened up was in a bar in the evening, but that was getting
stressful, as they seemed to expect him to go out with them on a regular basis.
Scenario #4
A North American was working in Indonesia as a consultant to banks on disaster recovery. At one of
his presentations to a client – an Indonesian bank, he suggested that individual employees who
did a good job ought to be given greater recognition by which he meant singling them out for
praise in front of their colleagues. His audience was horrified.
Scenario #5
A Singapore businessman in Saudi Arabia is keen to secure an important deal. He has a tight
schedule, and can’t afford to waste any time. His frustration increases because he has to wait for
ages to get an appointment with his Saudi partner. Meetings never start on time, and when they
do, there are frequent interruptions, with people coming in to get papers signed. The Saudi
partner even takes phone calls when his visitor is in the room.
In each of the above scenarios, we see people of different cultures
communicating with one another and how their different cultural
orientations result in problems or misunderstandings in the
communication. With more and more companies going global in today’s
changing business environment, it is not at all uncommon to walk into an
office and to find ourselves looking at a multinational multicultural
workforce. In fact, this is becoming more and more the norm these days.
Coupled with the easy availability of sophisticated means of long-distance
communication like the email and videoconferencing facilities, today’s
business environment, even if confined to your home country, will more
likely place you in communication situations involving colleagues or clients
whose cultures are different from yours. So, in order to succeed at the
workplace today, it is important for you to develop effective intercultural
communication skills.
Definition of Culture
Bovee & Thill (2021) define culture as a shared system of symbols, beliefs,
attitudes, values, expectations, and norms for behaviour. It is “the
coherent, learned, shared view a group of people has about life’s concerns
that ranks what is important, instills attitudes about what things are
appropriate, and prescribes behavior, given that some things have more
significance than others” (Varner and Beamer, 1995: 2).
It is useful to take note of a few points about the above definition:
· Culture is not something that we are born with, but rather it is learned,
imparted to us through our upbringing and exposure to the practices and
rules of conduct of the culture of which we are a part.
· Culture is shared by a society and members of a society agree about the
meanings of things and why.
· Culture teaches values and priorities, which in turn shape attitudes.
· Culture prescribes behaviour and members of a society usually behave
in ways that they think are appropriate or acceptable in their culture.
However, what may be acceptable or appropriate in one culture may be
unacceptable in another culture.
The iceberg is a good analogy to use to illustrate the concept of culture in
which the part above water that can be seen illustrates tangible expressions
of culture like behaviour, clothing and food while the part below the surface
represents the underlying attitudes, beliefs, values, and meanings (please
see picture below).
What causes intercultural communication problems?
To be effective in communicating across cultures, it is not enough to recognize
differences in behaviours.
Of greater importance is striving to understand the underlying factors
responsible for those differences.
the way others do things is not different or out of carelessness or incompetence
or malice, though it may sometimes seem that way. Most people do what
seems the right thing to do at the time. And the judgment of what is right is
rooted in beliefs, values, attitudes, as well as habit, tradition and accepted
norms.
Therefore, the first important step towards more effective intercultural
communication is to increase our awareness of those crucial underlying
factors starting firstly with our own cultures then proceeding with the target
cultures. It is only with a better understanding of these factors that we can
then communicate more clearly and build more meaningful relationships
with colleagues, customers, suppliers, and other individuals both locally and
internationally.
At any one time, each of us belongs to more than one culture, the most obvious
being the culture of the country in which we live. Other cultural entities
include an ethnic group, a religious group, or even a profession that has its
own specialized ways of doing things. Given the constraint of time, the
emphasis in what follows will be on communication across national
cultures. It is very important to note that statements made about any culture
are mere generalizations about cultural norms; they are not absolute truths,
and exceptions must be allowed as individuals in the same culture do not
necessarily behave according to the norms of their culture. The norms of a
culture also change over time. As members of a particular culture realize
that a practice or custom no longer works, it will be substituted with
something else that is viewed as more acceptable, though change usually
takes time.
SEX AND GENDER
Sex – biological and physical qualities that
characterise men and women
Determined by genes
Gender – socially constructed roles and behaviour
society deems appropriate for male/female
Learned from society as we grow up
Cultures teach boys/girls differences in behaviour,
attitudes, beliefs, values CAN YOU THINK OF EXAMPLES?
TRANSMISSION OF CULTURE
ENCULTURATION – culture transmitted from one
generation to the next; process of learning your
culture
ACCULTURATION – process by which you learn
rules, norms of a culture different from your own;
modifies your culture
ASSIMILATION – the values, behaviour of host
culture dominates your own culture, sometimes
it takes over
CULTURAL RELATIVISM – cultures are different
but no culture is either superior or inferior to any
other
Does not mean all cultural practices are equal or
that you accept all cultural practices equally
CAN YOU THINK OF ANY?
CULTURAL RELATIVITY
When we judge other cultures as good or bad,
from the point of view of our own culture
WHY?
We do not understand the true nature of other
cultures
What impact will this have in an organisation?
CULTURAL MORES
This term describes the customs and habits
that cultural groups accept as right
These customs and habits will vary from
culture to culture
CAN YOU PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE FROM YOUR OWN CULTURE?
CULTURAL NORMS
Norms – what is considered normal
What people in a culture value as the
right way of behaving
HOW DOES THIS DIFFER FROM ‘MORES’?
CULTURAL STEREOTYPING
When we classify every member of a
particular cultural group in the same way
No allowances are made for individual
differences
There may be no evidence to support this
stereotyping
ETHNOCENTRISM
Unconscious belief in the superiority of your own
culture
Believe other cultures are inferior – no proof
Their culture is placed at centre of the world
They measure all cultures in relation to their own
and view them as inferior
EXAMPLES?
Ways of improving intercultural communication
• In order for you to become an effective communicator in this global workplace, the following is a
list of things that you should try to work towards.
• · Develop a sense of cultural awareness. First of all, be aware of what it is to be from your
own country. Then, learn all you possibly can about the culture of the people with whom you
need to communicate.
• · Do away with ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge all other groups
according to your own group’s standards, behaviours and customs and to see other groups as
inferior by comparison. You have to give up your ethnocentricity in an intercultural
communication context, because different cultures have different ways of behaving and
interpreting behaviours so you must:
• · Recognise differences. Just because people do things differently from you, it does not mean
that they are inefficient or stupid. Being different should not always be seen as negative.
• · Show respect for your counterparts.
• · Learn to adapt. Be flexible and ready to adapt or adjust your behaviour, but do not overdo
your adjustment as then you may be perceived as insincere. Just try to act in a way appropriate
to the target culture, be yourself and show sincerity.
• · Be more tolerant. Because people of different cultures do things differently from one
another, you must be tolerant of deviations from the norms - what you are used to in your own
culture. Remember what may be the norm for you may not be the norm for other cultures.
• · Listen carefully and empathise. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes, consider his/her
point of view and understand where he/she is coming from.
• · Look beyond the superficial. Do not get distracted by dress, appearance, or environmental
discomforts.
• · Do not lapse into your own language while in the presence of others who do not speak it.
When in an intercultural context, always use a language which is understood by all. Using a
language that is only understood by the few people from your own culture may be seen as your
way of excluding all others in the group or may suggest that you have something negative to
say.
OVERATTRIBUTION
• Occurs in two ways:
• See too much of what the person believes or
does as caused by their cultural identification
• See the person as a spokesperson for his or her
particular culture
• Avoid any of the above to improve intercultural
communication
Take responsibility for the communication. Do not assume it is the other person’s responsibility to
make the communication work. As a party in the communication process, you also have to do your
part to ensure effective communication.
• When using language,
• · Send clear messages in both oral and written communication
• · Use simple, frequently used words
• · Be very careful with translation
• · Avoid slang, acronyms, colloquialisms and idiomatic expressions
• In written communication,
• · Use short, simple sentences and short paragraphs
• · Number points for clarity
• · Reflect your relationship with the reader in your choice of words
• In oral communication,
• · Speak slowly and clearly
• · Be careful with pronunciation
• · Simplify speech
• · Make one point at a time
• · Adapt tone of voice, style and behaviour to what is culturally acceptable to your audience
• · Watch the other person for misunderstanding and be ready to provide feedback
