Applied Communication Assignment

Cultural Influences in Group CommunicationGroup Research Project

Holly Blay,Ciaran Henderson,

Gary Melia,Sheenagh Walker-Ayers,

DT413-Event ManagementGroup (A)Juliet Ryan

Communications

Table of Contents

ContentsExecutive Summary...................................................................................................2Introduction................................................................................................................3Non-Verbal Communication......................................................................................4Sexual Orientation......................................................................................................6Gender........................................................................................................................7Religion......................................................................................................................9Conclusions..............................................................................................................10Bibliography.............................................................................................................11

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Executive SummaryThe group will present four different cultural influences on group communications,

demonstrate their importance and show how they influence groups;

Non Verbal

Immediacy- Behaviour of individuals that communicates either approach or avoidance.

The group discovers that this differs greatly depending on nationality. The group

concludes this can have profound negative effects as misinterpreted immediacy can lead to

people feeling uncomfortably close or make them feel excluded.

Gestures- are culture-specific & convey very different meanings in different settings.

The group explains common gestures & discovers that a simple “thumbs up” gesture

means “good” to a westerner but means “up yours” in Greece. The group concludes that each

gesture can have positive or negative perceptions & can lead to misinterpretations.

Sexual Orientation

Diversity- People who look, speak or behave differently from what we accept

The group discovered that diversity is one of the qualities required for success in

groups but it is also the quality that can undermine success. Therefore sexual orientation can

have either a positive or negative effect on group communication; the more diverse the group

is to sexual orientation the more positive influences it has on communication.

Gender

The group differentiates behavioural aspects of how men and women communicate

differently and discovers that men are more forward, direct & tend to take more control, while

women are indirect, suggestive and tend to listen more. The group believes that both bring

positives to group communication; however the right ratio of male to female must be found.

Religion

The group found that the effect of religion on group communication can depend on

how important it is to the cultural identity of the people. Distinctive clothing such as Burkas

can be a distraction as other group members cannot see their facial expressions. Group

communication is also ineffective if discrimination is present and this may result in conflict

and a negative effect on group communications.

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Introduction

According to Donald Levine (1971) Culture is- “An integrated pattern of

human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for symbolic

thought and social learning” and is the “set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and

practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group”

Culture is a word that is used commonly in everyday life but nobody can

really explain what it is, how it works or how it can have profound effects on our

basic everyday communication. According to Albert Mehrabian (1971) 55% of our

communication is unconscious, so we may not even realise that someone else’s

cultural background will result in them having a different interpretation of our

communication.

We take many of our cultural customs for granted, as Leila Monaghan et al.

(2007) tells us, having an “our way is the only way” mentality can be dangerous and

lead to a lot of miscommunication of messages. This can spark ambiguity, lead to

unintentional insults, and may lead to violence.

In this report the group will present four different cultural influences on group

communications, demonstrate their importance and show how they influence groups.

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Non-Verbal CommunicationAccording to Knapp & Hall, (2002) “Nonverbal communication refers to

communication that is produced by some means other than words (eye

contact, body language, or vocal cues)”

Immediacy

This is the behaviour of individuals that communicate warmth, closeness

approach & accessibility and at the other extreme of expressing avoidance and

distance

(Andersen, 1998)

As Westsidetoastmasters (2011) demonstrates, this can differ greatly within different

cultures and can cause confusion and embarrassment within groups from different

nationalities. For instance the Italians and French love to constantly touch each other

while they talk, the Americans moderately touch, while the British avoid touching

each other as much as possible. Dr Ken Cooper studied touch frequencies per hour &

found that:

Puerto Rico 180

Paris 110

The group believes that this can have profound influences on group communication as

it can make members of particular multicultural groups feel either uncomfortably

close or makes them feel excluded and distant.

Cross-Cultural Gestures

“Gestures are culture-specific and can convey very different meanings in different

social or cultural settings” (Morris, D. 1979)

Westsidetoastmasters (2011) shows 3 common gestures used in group communication-

The Ring This means:

-“OK” to a westerner.

-“Money” to a Japanese person.

-“Zero” to a French person.

-“Homosexual”(insult) to the Turks & Brazilians.

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Thumbs Up This means:

-“Good” or “OK” to a westerner.

-“Male” to a Japanese person.

-“Up Yours” to a Greek person.

The “V” Sign This means:

-“Up yours” in Britain

-“Two” in America

-“Victory” in Germany

Anna Wierzbicka (2003) shows us another gesture which has multiple meanings-

The Nose Tap This means:

-“a secret” in Italy and England

-“Be alert” in Rome and Naples

-“Your Nosey” in parts of Europe

The Group feels that this influences international groups who can easily insult

or mislead someone accidently. As we can see each of these gestures has positive and

negative perceptions depending on your cultural background and can often be

misinterpreted.

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Sexual Orientation

There are many types of cultural diversities and differences that

can have an influence on group communication such as gender, age, race

and religion. Another type is sexual orientation and here we look at the effect that it

can have on group communication.

“Research by Lynda Gratton and Tamara Erickson in to team behaviour in 15

multinational companies discovered the paradox that the four qualities required for

team success were the same ones that undermined that success. These were large size,

diversity, virtual participation and high educational levels.” (Buchanan & Huczynski

2010 P.388).

In this research diversity is stated as one of the qualities that is required for

team success but also is a quality that can undermine that success. Harris & Sherblom

(2005 P.91) state that “As a concept, diversity often refers to the “other”- people who

look, speak, or behave differently from what we expect and accept in those with

whom we are familiar”

Sexual Orientation can have an affect on the influence of group

communication in reaching its goals if there is a lack of understanding of diversity

within the group. A study carried out by McCann, Plummer and Minichiello (2010)

looks in to a group of men who discussed acceptable masculinity. The result of the

study showed that “Homophobic humour emerged as central to the formation of

Australian male identity” (McCann et al 2010). Coupling the findings of this study to

a statement by Harris et al (2005 P.96) “Being insensitive to these diverse

perspectives can lead to bad feelings...What some of us may take as a joke or a

humorous remark in a small group or team can make others feel uncomfortable,

unwelcome, discounted, or insulted”

The group feels that the lack of sexual orientation diversity in a group can

have negative influences on its communication. Likewise the more diverse the group

is to sexual orientation the more positive influences it has on communication.

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Gender

“The word gender refers to learned characteristics and psychological attitudes

of masculinity and femininity” (Wilson, G. 2005)

The group feels that Gender influences on group communication is one of the

most important aspects, on the topic of cultural influences of group communication.

Gender is an issue seen in all parts of society and business for centuries. A 50/50 ratio

of males and females would be ideal for any group as it would be equal. However this

ideal case is not always possible due to the set in stone norms of centuries gone by. It

is best to look at how gender influences group communication from a business aspect,

assuming the groups are teams of employees coming together to work on a particular

task.

Men and women may be equal but they are extremely different in physical

appearances and they the way in which they communicate. Divided by their methods

of communication it creates the argument of whether it is better to have more of one

gender or equal of each?

From examples shown in ‘Communication for Business’ (McClave, H. 2004),

we can see how men and women differ in their communication methods. The

following are ways in which each gender behaves in different situations present when

working in a group:

1. When putting ideas forward men are more direct and pushy where women are

more indirect and present them in a more suggestive way.

2. When conflict is present, men tend to resolve it with a winner/loser result.

Women look for a consensual and beneficial result which can be very time-

consuming.

3. In terms of emotions, men will criticize and women will ‘soften the blow’

which could lead to miscommunication of opinions.

4. In terms of mistakes, men don’t admit to mistakes or take the blame, where as

women will admit mistakes and accept blame.

5. Men talk more in a group situation and women will listen more.

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The group has demonstrated that both communicate differently, showing that

both genders bring positives and negatives to a group situation. It entirely depends on

the task that the group must complete when deciding how many of each gender should

be in the group to have the best communication. From the examples provided from

McClave, H (2004) we can see that if a task is to be completed in a small amount of

time then having more men in the group is more appropriate however if the task will

have a major impact then it is better to have more females in the group. If there is not

the right ratio of male and female present suited to the group then conflict can arise

and completion of the task will take longer.

The group believes that a good Example of gender influence on group

communication is the television show Dragon’s Den represents a group of ‘dragons’

that best shows how gender influences group communication. There are four men and

one woman in the group. This group really display the examples that McClave has

shown in his book. The woman takes her time before investing in any products; she

listens intently to all pitches, questions politely and explains her choices. She shows

assertiveness and is decisive after receiving information.

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ReligionReligion in groups and in the workplace can cause many difficulties,

conflicts and barriers to achieving successful communications in groups.

For many cases a persons’ religion and spirituality can be the central aspect

to their identity and for others it can be a completely irrelevant topic and not

define any part of their identity.

Religion can be brought into a workplace and group situations in many different and

sometimes very indirect and subtle ways. For example, wearing distinctive religious

clothes, such as the Burka, jewellery, bringing religious articles into groups and the

workplace, engaging in group prayers, bible studies or discussions of religion during

work hours or requesting time off to take part in some sort of religious celebration or

occasion.

Successful group communication can be broken down by religious factors. For

example, distinctive clothing such as a Burka or veil can be a distraction to group

members and a sense of uncertainty of feelings and opinions may come about if a

speaker cannot see their colleague’s facial expressions. This, in group

communication, can cause confusion and uncertainty from the addresser if there is no

non-verbal communication, such as smiling or frowning.

Group communications can also be ineffective if discrimination is present due

to someone’s religion. Conflict may result if a person is unable to only focus on the

group task at hand and is not being respectful of a persons’ choice of how they live

their life.

Discrimination can be defined as “bias or prejudice resulting in denial of opportunity,

or unfair treatment regarding selection, promotion, or transfer. Discrimination is

practiced commonly on the grounds of age, disability, ethnicity, origin, political

belief, race, religion, sex, etc. factors which are irrelevant to a person's competence

or suitability.” (BD, 2010)

The group feels that tolerance and acceptance of religion is key to being able to

communicate successfully and cut out any discrimination which can lead to a

breakdown in effective group communication.

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Conclusions

In conclusion the group believes that any of these cultural aspects can severely

impede the communication process within groups with different cultural backgrounds

and cause barriers to communication. This can result in long delays, insulted

colleagues and feelings of ambiguity to form.

As a stubborn society few people know other cultures non-verbal

communication and even fewer go out of their way to learn any. We tend to believe

that there is only one correct way to behave and all the others are wrong. This can

result in a handshake, the simplest of gestures, becoming a complete insult to the

other party. As group work in the business environment becomes more diverse it is

important for participants of the group to understand non-verbal communication to

help create a positive impact of group influence.

Taking sexual-orientation and religion in to account when dealing with

diversity in a group the lack of understanding towards religious views or homophobic

humour can lead to a feeling of a group member being uncomfortable, unwelcome,

discounted or insulted.

As the group feels that Gender influences on group communication is one of

the most important aspects, understanding the different traits and characteristics of

male and female personalities in a group will help towards positive influences of

group decisions.

The group concludes that cultural influence on group communication can have

both positive and negative effects depending on the mix and diversity of a group but

also on the cultural understanding of the other group members.

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BibliographyBooks

Knapp, M. L., & Hall, J. A. (2002) “nonverbal communication in Human Interaction” Crawfordsville, IN: Thomas Learning

Argyle, M. (1988). “Bodily Communication” 2nd ed. New York, NY: Methuen.

Anderson, P.A. (1985) “nonverbal immediacy in interpersonal communication” In A. W. Siegman & S. Feldstein(Eds.), “Multichannel integrations of nonverbal behaviour” (pp. 1-36). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlabaum.

Morris, Desmond, Collett, Peter, Marsh, Peter, O'Shaughnessy, Marie. (1979) Gestures, their origins and distribution. London: Cape.

Levine, Donald (ed) 'Simmel: On individuality and social forms' Chicago University Press, 1971. p6.

Buchanan, David A. Huczynski, Andrezej A. (2010) Organisational Behaviour, Seventh Edition, Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Harris, Thomas E. Sherbolm, John C. (2005) Small Group And Team Communication, Third Edition, Boston: Pearson Education Inc.

Wilson, G. (2005) ‘’Groups in Context: Leadership & Participation in small groups’’ , 7th edition, McGraw-Hill: New York

Devito, J., (2008) ‘’Essentials of Human Communication’’, 6th edition, Pearson Education Inc. : Boston

McClave, H., (2004) ‘’Communication for Business’’ 3rd edition, Gill & Macmillan: Dublin

Monaghan L., Goodman J.E. (2007) “A Cultural Approach to Interpersonal Communication: essential readings” Oxford: Blackwell Publishing

Mehrabian, Albert (1971). Silent Messages (1st ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

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Putnik, (2008) “400px-Religion_icon_svg” [Electronic Print] available at: <http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=religion&view=detail&id=BE9DC135075AFAD560AB38DF9121357273D74C0E&first=1&FORM=IDFRIR> [Accessed 02/03/2011]

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