Communication & Organisation Lecture 10 1 Communication in Organisation Lecture 10 Cultural Barriers to Communication

Communication & Organisation Lecture 10

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Communication in Organisation

Lecture 10

Cultural Barriers to Communication


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Culture

• it is not innate, but learned

• it is shared by group members, and defines

boundaries between different groups

• language is a major component of culture


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General Motors

• Ad should read ‘Body by Fischer’

• It actually read ‘Corpse by Fischer’


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Hertz strap-line

• ‘Let Hertz put you in the driving seat’(liberation and action)

• ‘Let Hertz make you a chauffeur’ (change your occupation or status)


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Cultures and Nations

High context culture– the meaning of individual behaviour and speech

changes depending on the situation

– nonverbal messages are full of important meaning (Read between the lines)

– e.g. Japan


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• Low context culture– intentions are expressed verbally– the situation does not change the meaning of

words– e.g. Switzerland, India, China, Australia, New

Zealand


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English is generally a Low Context language i.e it is explicit and not dependent upon context very much…………..

Japanese is a High Context language


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Silence may be Positive or Negative dependent upon the Cultural context


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LocationParticipantsStereotypesRelationship

IntendedMessage

InterpretedMessage

Cultural Mediation


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Non-Verbal Communication

•KinesicsHand GesturesEye contactBody/head movements

•Paralanguage

How we say things

•Proxemics


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Social and cultural influences on the international buyer

• Cultural differences– language, spoken and silent

– mental processes and learning

– values and norms

– rewards and recognition

• Type of buyer behaviour– consumer

– business

– government


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• The influence of others in the buying process• decision-making unit• family• peers

• Specific cultural influences– religion– education– family– reference groups


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• The influence of the market– distribution channels– manufacturer– service provider


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‘Self-Reference Criteria’• Define problem or goals in terms of home-

country cultural traits, habits and norms• Define problem or goals in terms of foreign

cultural traits, habits and norms• Isolate the SRC influence in the problem

and examine it carefully to see how it complicates the problem

• Redefine the problem without the SRC influence and solve for the foreign market

James Lee (1966)


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Written English: but what does it mean?Japanese hotel notice to guests:

‘ You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid’

Bangkok dry cleaner to potential customers

‘Drop you trousers here for best results’

A Roman laundry innocently suggests:

‘ Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time’


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A Copenhagen Airline promises to

‘Take your bags and send them in all directions’

A Hong Kong dentist claims to extract teeth

‘By the latest Methodists’

A French hotel indicates:

For your pleasure there is a French Widow in every bedroom


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An outline of cross-cultural analysis of consumer behaviour

• Determine the relevant motivations of the culture

• Determine the characteristic behaviour patterns

• Determine what broad cultural patterns are relevant to this product

• Determine the characteristic forms of decision making


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• Evaluate promotion methods appropriate to the culture

• Determine appropriate institutions for this product in the mind of the consumer


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Question ?


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English Words

Find examples of words that sound the same but have different meanings

Find examples that Confuse…….

Documents

Communication & Organisation Lecture 10 1 Communication in Organisation Lecture 10 Cultural Barriers to Communication