Overview of chapter 4
'Greetings. I am pleased to see that we are different. May we together become greater than the sum of both of us.'
Vulcan greeting (Star Trek)
To start you thinking
- Consider how a stranger may type you by ethnic background, physical characteristics or group membership. List some characteristics that fit this stereotype. How could stereotyping affect behaviour and performance at work?
- Write down the core beliefs, values and principles that influence the way you manage your life and interactions. This is a difficult exercise and may be assisted by asking yourself the question: 'What are the key beliefs, values and principles I really stand for that influence the way I act?'
Think about a person from another culture. What do you think would be their core beliefs, values and principles? How are they different from you? How are they similar?
As we saw in the first chapter, effective communication centres on our ability to relate with others. This chapter takes that process a step further and is concerned with communication between and among people in different cultures and the ways in which we relate to people from different cultures. Much of the focus will be on people from different national cultures. However, we should also consider differences in gender, mental or physical characteristics, organisational culture and any other characteristics that distinguish one group of people from another.
With the increase in diversity in the workforce and globalisation, intercultural communication in business is an area that is now receiving much attention. Diversity has allowed a much more dynamic workforce to evolve, one in which people from many different cultures contribute to organisational goals. This diversity has been accelerated by globalisation. This is in large part due to the global telecommunications phenomenon, including e-mail, while information technology has made telecommunication services easily affordable, allowing a rapid increase in the exchange of information across the globe for multi-national and small businesses alike. Managers, however, should not only be concerned with delivering more information but also with delivering quality information and with building strong relationships through communication.
Despite the rapid growth of globalisation, the task of communicating with different cultures is still not easy because people tend to judge others from their own cultural standards. For instance, your view of life may be that individuals can influence the future while in other cultures there is a general belief that life's path is pre-ordained. You may think that punctuality is important, while in other cultures it is quite acceptable to be up to an hour late for an appointment. These and other differences can strain intercultural relationships if we are not prepared for them before we do business in another country or with people from another culture.
According to Locker (1992) a successful intercultural communicator is:
- aware that his or her preferred values and behaviours are influenced by culture and are not necessarily 'right'
- flexible and open to change
- sensitive to verbal and non-verbal behaviour
- aware of the values, beliefs and practices in other cultures
- sensitive to differences among individuals within a culture
A good understanding of how to communicate effectively in and with other cultures is becoming an increasingly important part of business communication. This chapter introduces you to competent communication in an intercultural context.
Learning objectives
On completion of this chapter you should be able to:
- define culture
- define intercultural, cross-cultural and intracultural communication
- define the terms enculturation, acculturation, ethnocentrism and cultural relativism
- discuss globalisation and the implications for intercultural business communication
- identify cultural differences in the workplace
- identify cultural variables
- identify barriers to intercultural communication
- discuss strategies for achieving intercultural communication competence
Topics
- 4.1 Overview of culture
- 4.2 Intercultural, cross-cultural and intracultural communication
- 4.3 Enculturation, acculturation, ethnocentrism and cultural relativism
- 4.4 Intercultural Business Communication and Globalisation
- 4.5 Cultural variables
- 4.6 Barriers to effective intercultural communication
- 4.7 Intercultural communication competence
In your text
Read Chapter 2 in your text by Dwyer, J. 2005, Communication in Business: Strategies and Skills, 3 rd edn, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest , Australia .
