Communicating across Cultures

Chapter 4

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Importance of Intercultural Skills

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The Importance of Intercultural Communication

Intercultural Workforce

Global Connectivity

Global Markets

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Mergers, acquisitions, and buyouts stir growth beyond national boundaries.

American companies in global markets must adapt to other cultures.

New trade agreements, declining domestic markets, and middle-class growth drive global markets.

Intercultural Communication Matters

GlobalMarkets

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Advances in logistics and transportation reduce distances.

Information technology has changed they way we do business.

The Internet permits instant communication across time zones and continents.

Intercultural Communication Matters

GlobalConnectivity

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Immigration makes intercultural communication increasingly necessary.

Business communicators must learn to adapt to an intercultural workforce.

Multinational companies and diversity at home require culturally savvy workers.

Intercultural Communication Matters

Intercultural Workforce

Developing Cultural Intelligence

Culture includes the shared values, norms, rules, and behaviors of an identifiable group of people who share a common history and communication system. national, organizational, team

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© 2016 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.

Developing Cultural Intelligence

Cultural intelligence (CQ) a measure of your ability to work with and adapt to members of other cultures.

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Cultural Intelligence in the Workplace

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Respect, Recognize, and Appreciate Cultural Differences

Cultural intelligence is built on attitudes of respect and recognition of other cultures.

This means that you view other cultures as holding legitimate and valid views of and approaches to managing business and workplace relationships.

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Be Curious about Other Cultures

Study abroadLearn a languageDevelop friendships with international

students on your campusTake an interest in culture and routinely learn

about it

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Take an Interest in a Culture and Routinely Learn About It

Watch films, television, documentaries, news, and other video of the culture

Follow the business culture of a country Take courses and attend events related to

particular cultures Make friends with people who live in other

cultures and communicate online

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Avoid Inappropriate Stereotypes

Projected cognitive similarity

the tendency to assume others have the same norms and values as your own cultural group.

Outgroup homogeneity effect

the tendency to think members of other groups are all the same.

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PracticeToleranceOpen-mindednessEmpathy

See the world through another’s eyes

Bridging the Gap Between Cultures

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Adjust Your Conceptions of Time

People high in CQ show patience They understand that most tasks take longer

when working across cultures because more time is needed to understand one another and cooperate effectively

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Manage Language Differences

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Avoid quickly judging that others have limited communication proficiency

Articulate clearly and slow down

Avoid slang and jargon

Give others time to express themselves

Use interpreters as necessary

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Learn foreign phrases.Use simple English.Speak slowly and

enunciate clearly.Observe eye messages.Encourage accurate

feedback.

Improving Intercultural Communication

Check frequently for comprehension.

Accept blame.Listen without interrupting.Smile when appropriate.Follow up in writing.

Oral Messages

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In high-context cultures opt for indirectness to help preserve harmony.

Respect the image a person holds in his or her social network.

Bridging the Gap: Saving Face

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Be patientWait and listenEmbrace silence

Recognize the effort non-native speakers are making

Bridging the Gap: Patience

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Consider local formats.Observe titles and rank.Use short sentences and

short paragraphs.Avoid ambiguous

expressions.

Improving Intercultural Communication

Strive for clarity. Use correct grammar.Cite numbers carefully.Accommodate reader in

organization, tone, and style.

Written Messages

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Cultural Contrasts in Written Business Communication

ArabAmerican Japanese

Cultural Objectives

Provide information

Seek information, offer proposal

Exchange information

Opening State objective directly

Offer thanks, apologize

Issue personal greeting

Body Present facts and plans of action, direct approach

Pose questions, solicit information

Provide back-ground data, use indirect approach

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Cultural Contrasts in Written Business Communication

ArabAmerican JapanesePersuasion tools

Immediate gain or loss of opportunity

Waiting Personal connection, future opportunity

Style Urgency, short sentences

Modesty, minimize position

Elaborate expression

Closing Affirmative, specific requests

Maintain harmony, future relationship

Future relationship, personal greeting

Cultural values

Efficiency, directness, action

Politeness, indirectness, relationship

Status, continuation, recognition

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Broaden your view of other cultures.

Avoid reflex judgments.Find alternatives.Refuse business if options

violate your basic values.Conduct all business openly. Don’t rationalize shady decisions.

Making Ethical Decisions Across Borders

Resist lawful but unethical strategies.

Individualism and Collectivism

Individualism a mind-set that prioritizes independence more highly than interdependence, emphasizing individual goals over group goals, and valuing choice more than obligation

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Figure 4.2

Individualism and Collectivism

Collectivism a mind-set that prioritizes interdependence more highly than independence, emphasizing group goals over individual goals, and valuing obligation more than choice

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Figure 4.3

Communication Practices in High Individualist and High Collectivist Cultures

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Egalitarianism and Hierarchy

EgalitarianismBelieving in the principle that all people are

equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.

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Egalitarianism and Hierarchy

Egalitarian culturesPeople tend to distribute and share power evenly, minimize status differences, and minimize special privileges and opportunities for people just because they have higher authority

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Gender Egalitarianism

Gender egalitarianism deals with the division of roles between men and women in society

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Egalitarianism and Hierarchy

Hierarchical culturespeople expect power differences, follow leaders without questioning them, and feel comfortable with leaders receiving special privileges and opportunities

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Figure 4.5

Communication Practices in Egalitarian and Hierarchical Cultures

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Communication Practices in High and Low Gender-Egalitarianism Cultures

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Building and Maintaining Cross-Cultural Work Relationships

Establish Trust and Show EmpathyAdopt a Learner Mind-setBuild a Co-Culture of Cooperation and

Innovation

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Seek training.Understand the value of

differences.Don’t expect conformity.Learn about your cultural self.Make fewer assumptions. Build on similarities.

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Capitalize on Workplace Diversity

Etiquette and Customs in the BRIC Countries

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Perceptions that Members of Various Cultures Have about Americans

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U.S. Proverbs• He who holds the gold makes

the rules.• Waste not, want not.• The early bird gets the worm.• If at first you don’t succeed,

try, try again.

Proverbs Reflect Culture

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Chinese Proverbs• A man who waits for a roast

duck to fly into his mouth must wait a very, very long time.

• A man who says it cannot be done should not interrupt a man doing it.

• Give a man a fish, and he will live a day; give him a net, and he will live a lifetime.

Proverbs Reflect Culture

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• No one is either rich or poor who has not helped himself to be so. (German)

• Words do not make flour. (Italian)• Wealth that comes in at the door unjustly,

goes out at the windows. (Egyptian)

Proverbs Reflect Culture

Other Proverbs