What Is Cultural Diversity And Interpersonal Communication?

It is important to understand cultural diversity and interpersonal communication when wanting to interact with someone from a country you are not familiar with. Over the course of this semester Group 3 was tasked with researching cultural and communication differences between the United States and Belarus with the purpose of establishing a student exchange program. Through research Group 3 was able to gather information that could be used to help establish a healthy relationship between the two countries.

I have two main goals for this paper. My first purpose is to inform the readers about two intercultural concepts and how they pertain the Belarus. These concepts are Collective Orientation and High Ambiguity Tolerance. My second purpose

According to Devito, “A collectivist culture teaches member the importance of group values and conformity.” (Devito,37) It is important while talking with the Belarusians representatives we keep in mind that they are a collective culture. Using words like “We” and “Together” may work to are advantage, because the helps us sounds group oriented; however, using words like “Me” and “I” may make us come across as selfish and close-minded. If we want to do business with the Belarusians we must first be willing to get to know them, which will take time. Belarusians will want to personal get to know us before starting business meetings. Because Belarus is a collective culture the needs of the many are most important. Collectivist Cultures such as Belarus tend to value close relationship with their family, friends, and community more than the individual (Guess, 12). So, the best approach would be to prepare for long-term relationship. If the Belarusians feel they are being rush or are terms are not all inclusive they will not be willing to work with

They are not troubled by the unknown. According to the article, “Causal Ambiguity, Cultural Integration and Partner Attractiveness as Determinants of Knowledge Transfer: Evidence from Finnish Acquisitions” written by Junni and Sarala, “Ambiguity tolerance is the level of distress a culture shows when presented with uncertainty.” High ambiguity tolerance means that not knowing the end result is perfectly fine with them. It is important to keep in mind that when making an agenda for the meeting that every topic may not be covered and new ones may be added on. It is also important for are representative to keep in mind that meeting may not go as planned. Because Belarusians are highly ambiguous it is important not to try to push deadline and plan to far in advance. U.S. representative must be prepared to hear the words, “we will see” and “maybe.” It is to be expected. Patience will be the key to having a successful relationship will