Cross Cultural Communication

1339 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Cultural differences vs cross cultural communications

Definition
Cross-cultural commination important in today’s society because it’s what builds the company, technology and globally. Cross-cultural communication is the comparison of two or more cultural communities (Dainton & Zelley, 2015, p. 97). It’s an understanding how other people communicate around them from another country. It knowing the difference between business customs, beliefs, language difference, and nonverbal differences. By not understanding differences, communication can be difficult or create a barrier while conducting business. Managers can have seminars to develop their employees on how to act, know the culture that they will work with across the world.
Effective communication
With the workplace being so diverse, personnel
Having a strong diverse team with open communication and exploiting their strengths in knowledge and vision will ensure that any problem that comes their way will not be an issue. When eliciting ideas from team members, managers or other members need to understand participation norms, communication patterns, and enough time to express their thoughts. People from “individualistic countries may be accustomed to voicing their unfiltered opinions and ideas while people from other cultures may hesitate to contribute” (Toegel & Barsoux, 2016). Team members need to ensure they respect other cultures because some may have an issue talking over others or changing topics quickly. Some cultures need time to brainstorm, think about how they need to say it and wait for the right time to ensure that they are not interrupted (Toegel & Barsoux,
To understand this better, managers should examine the communication accommodation theory. When an individual starts working at a new company they may dabble between being art of the in-group or out-group because everyone has some similarities or differences and these will come out through conversations with individuals. In-groups are when an individual feels like they belong as a member and when they do not feel like they belong they are part of the out-groups (Dainton & Zelley, 2015, p. 102). When an individual wants to act or sound like the individual that they are speaking to, they will use the accommodation through convergence. The meaning of this is using the same tone, pitch, non-verbal or vocal patterns like the person they are talking to. It’s like looking in the mirror or hearing yourself on a video. As for the other side, accommodating through divergence when an individual uses their own techniques to not sound like the individual that they are talking to (Dainton & Zelley, 2015). Personnel may use this when they want to point out their difference. This theory exploits on how people communicate with other and have similarities and differences are important and when people understand this will aid in individuals to communicate

Show More
Related

  • Cultural Diversity Competency

    1894 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Communicating can be a very complex and intricate process involving the exchange of messages between interactants, both verbally and nonverbally” (2013).When effectively communicating in a culturally diverse workplace; it is important to understand the people in the different culture may not communicate in the same manner as another would. Each cultur...

    Read More

  • The Impact of Workforce Diversity

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    Obviously, people differ in numerous ways, so what does that mean for businesses? Well, when work groups are comprised of people with different backgrounds, cultures and lifestyles, promoting teamwork and smooth interactions can be challenging. Finding new ways to work together will require thinking about people’s differences, not to divide, separate or exclude, but to take advantage of those differences. When people engage in divergent thinking, they put themselves in a highly exploratory mode, drawing from more of their total life experience to help solve a particularly difficult problem or to discover new and better alternatives to doing things.

    Read More

  • The Multicultural Workplace

    1943 Words  | 4 Pages

    Keogh, Jack. "International Teams: Beyond Cultural Difference." www.jackkeogh.com. Keogh and Associate Consulting, LLC, n.d. Web. 6 May 2012. http://www.jackkeogh.com/Multicultural team article by JK.pdf

    Read More

  • Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks By Laray Barna

    1189 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people who go to visit or work in another country suffer some misunderstanding from the local people, because they have a different culture. Different culture will cause disparity points of view about almost everything. In the article, Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks by Laray M. Barna, there are five stumbling blocks mentioned that are seen in a cross-culture communication. These blocks are: language, nonverbal signs and symbols, preconceptions and stereotypes, the tendency to evaluate and high anxiety. Barna wants to use these stumbling blocks to show the common blockades between different cultures. I agree with what she thinks about the language, nonverbal signs and symbols, preconceptions and stereotypes, and the tendency

    Read More

  • Use of Style Shifting and Codeswitching in the English Language

    1682 Words  | 4 Pages

    Allan Bell’s theory of audience design argues that your speaking style varies according to the audience you are speaking to. Bell studied New Zealand newsreaders on various radio stations and discovered that more formal pronunciation was used on stations where the audience was known to consist of professional, educated people. Interestingly, some of the newsreaders worked on several stations and their pronunciation would change to suit the style of the station (p.301 course book). Bell examined the pronunciation of the letter /t/

    Read More

  • Importance Of Communication Accommodation Theory

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Communication Accommodation Theory developed by Giles while broad and complex is undeniably important to the field of Communication Studies. The broad focus of CAT can be perceived as a drawback, but could also be viewed as a merit by allowing researchers to apply CAT principles in almost any situation dealing with communication between representatives of differing cultural backgrounds. By using CAT, Communication Researchers can objectively make observations of the communication strategies, as well as the motivations for those strategies on both small and large scales. By understanding such information, individuals and organizations alike could potentially make great strides in the improvement of relations with other cultural counterparts. In a sense, the Communication Accommodation Theory is significant because it can be applied to any cultural interaction, can help disseminate the causes of intercultural incongruity, and potentially help prevent future misunderstanding.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Intercultural Communication

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    With an increase in globalization, many people venture into other countries to seek employment and education opportunities. The United States-based corporations employ over 100 million overseas workers. They also hire a large number of locals who then move to take roles in other countries where the company has operations (Reichard et al. 2015). This means that Americans are exposed to a high number of people from other nations with diverse cultures in their workplaces, schools, neighborhoods and other social places. Therefore, people need to improve their intercultural communication skills to enable them to interact efficiently with people with diverse cultures. The improvement of technology has made the media an agent for enhanced

    Read More

  • Multicultural Workplace Case Study

    793 Words  | 2 Pages

    In an era where globalization has increased we have observed an increase in multicultural teams in numerous companies. According to Inc.com a multicultural work force can be defined as: “one wherein a company 's employees include members of diversity of ethnic, racial, religious, and gender background.” A variety of backgrounds maybe an asset if all employees contribute their resources, however it can also so be a source of conflict. In multicultural workplaces, disputes are almost inevitable and often based on different needs, interests, perceptions, or cultural norms. The company must therefore, foresee how to amplify this diversity to the best interest of the company and decrease all conflicts.

    Read More

  • Intercultural Communication: An Eveolving Discipline

    1868 Words  | 4 Pages

    Intercultural communication is an evolving discipline that occurs between individuals from contrasting backgrounds. It include...

    Read More

  • The American Culture And Nonverbal Communication And Culture

    1669 Words  | 4 Pages

    Therefore, it is essential to study nonverbal and verbal communication Nonverbal communication is all forms of communication other than words themselves, which includes “body motions; vocal qualities; and the use of time, space, and even smell” (Neuliep, 2011, p. 269). On the other hand verbal communication or language “consists of symbols in the form of spoken or written words (Wood, 2014, p. 67). Thus cultures have different representations of symbols and what one culture interprets another may define or view differently. Communication is closely related to culture because communication expresses and alters culture. In a culture you learn behaviors and acceptable ideologies. This can be seen in verbal and nonverbal communication. For example, the tone of your voice is based on culture. Without communication you are unable to establish cultural differences. Your own culture directly shapes how one communicates, such as when it is appropriate to make eye contact. We are not born knowing when and how we should speak; this is a learned behavior that is taught by interaction with others. This is not an easy task because nonverbal signals differ from culture to culture. Charles Braithwaite stated, “One of the fundamental components of cultural and linguistic competence is knowing how and when to use silence as a communication tactic” (Neuliep, 2011, p. 64). Before one can communicate effectively one must understand the context in which the culture exchanges information. One must have a working awareness of how each society conveys meaning, hence high vs. low context cultures. According to the Central Michigan University text, organizational dynamics and human behavior (2009), to become a successful international manager one must develop “cross-cultural skills”. One part of the skill set involves the comprehension of the difference between high-context and low-context

    Read More

  • Problems In Intercultural Communication

    1552 Words  | 4 Pages

    The way people communicate varies widely between, and even within, cultures. One aspect of communication style is language usage. Language has always been perceived as a link between people but it can also constitute a barrier. Across cultures, some words and phrases are used in different ways. For example, even in countries that share the English language, the meaning of "yes" varies from "maybe, I'll consider it" to "definitely so," with many shades in between . Furthermore, communication between cultures which do not share the same language is considerably more difficult . Each culture, has its distinct syntax, expressions and structure which causes confusion in intercultural communication. For example , in Asian countries the word “no” is rarely used, so that “yea” can mean “no” or “perhaps”. Therefore, an American traveling to Japan might be considered impolite if he ignores this rule. Furthermore, individuals who are not comfortable with a certain language may not be taken seriously. Such is the case in the classroom, where a student who has a perfect knowledge of the subject in question may have difficulty expressing his idea due to his inability to write properly and therefore he would not receive the grade he truly deserves. Similarly intercultural communication is dominant in the workplace. In the past, many companies and organizations could operate entirely within their country of origin and conduct their activities exclusively in their own native language. But now, due...

    Read More

  • Examples Of Human Resource Management Interventions

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    Within an organization, there are always people that think and behave differently, all dependent on their personal values and cultures. Efficient managing of the human resources is an art, and it is hard to find a perfect solution/combination. It is important that management recognize and understand that people work differently. This is why it is important to have strong cultural foundations that also guides how employees are expected to behave and work. Thereby it should be easier for management to utilize the work force diversity to something meaningful.

    Read More

  • Globalization Means Communication with Different Countries

    798 Words  | 2 Pages

    With the rapid growth in globalization there are a number of firms who have taken their businesses abroad. Their challenge, cross cultural management and communication. An effective communication strategy begins first with understanding who the sender of the message is and who the receiver of the message is. Many companies have realized this and offer training in the different cultures to help better facilitate communication between leaders (Cross-Cultural Communication, mindtools.com). Without this basic understand between sender and receiver it can be very difficult for companies of multicultural to even begin to communicate. The second important understanding is that leaders must demand a cultural tolerance of acceptable behavior between cultures to facilitate effective communication (Cross-Cultural Communication, mindtools.com).

    Read More

  • Cultural Differences in Communication

    1414 Words  | 3 Pages

    The term “culture” refers to the complex accumulation of knowledge, folklore, language, rules, rituals, habits, lifestyles, attitudes, beliefs, and customs that link and provide a general identity to a group of people. Cultures take a long time to develop. There are many things that establish identity give meaning to life, define what one becomes, and how one should behave.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Intercultural Communication

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    Abstract: Globalization has made intercultural communication inevitable. Communicating with other cultures characterizes today’s business, classroom, and community. Technology, especially the internet, has increased the probability that whatever is documented online will be read by someone from another culture. Intercultural communication is of importance in any career field, thus the art of knowing how to communicate with other cultures should be a workplace skill that is emphasized. This is a conceptual paper whose purpose is twofold.

    Read More

More about Cross Cultural Communication

Open Document