Intercultural Communication & Effectiveness Interpersonal communication challenges are compounded by intercultural communication difficulties Normal reactions to lack of communication imply other person has problem, hence: slowing speech speaking more distinctly listening more carefully Interpretation requires manager’s willingness to explain ability to get outside his/her own culture

Communication and Language Communication ≠ use of language alone send idea receive idea from someone else and understand it Communication = the dynamic process through which verbal and non-verbal human behavior is perceived and responded to In the case of communication between two people of different culture: initiator must understand cutlural differences / similarities that affect a respondent of another culture and the initiator too both must want to communicate and seek mutual understanding both need to set aside superior-inferior relationships based on membership in particular cultures

Barriers to Effective Communication Process Assumptions other person sees the situation same as you other person shares your assumptions other person experiences your feelings other person understands you based on your logic, not her/his feelings communication situation has no relationship to past events the other person has a problem understanding the situation other cultures are becoming more like yours... others are more like you (US perspective??) Content Assumptions status/hierarchy and its effect on the communication role of individual vs group role of contracts

Dynamics of Differing World Views Assumptions: the more others share them the better the communication Assumptions influence Perceptions, i.e., Understanding then may become barriers to effective relations “we see what we want to see and hear what we want to hear” Key: Fit between assumptions and perceptions no fit: cognitive inconsistency -> negative feeling, i.e., discomfort then, -> distortion of perceptions to achieve consistency with assumptions and false comfort i.e., we seek pleasure to avoid pain good fit: cognitive consistency -> justified “harmony, comfort” cross-cultural situations: assumptions are likely to have no fit with perceptions -> misunderstanding

“MBI”: A Model for Improving Interpersonal and Team Effectiveness Map Bridge Integrate Value and use the differences to achieve high performance Understand the differences Communicate the differences Manage the differences “To understand one’s own culture and that of others, one needs ways to identify, describe and organize components of culture” “People who live for a long time in a culture different from the one they grew up in eventually develop such a map, often unconsciously” It is possible to accelerate one’s development of such a map by learning from a formal framework that helps organize and interpret what one experiences and what one is told

Culture Maps - Frameworks Edward T. Hall Geert Hofstede Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck Trompenaars Value Patterns Variations in Value Orientations Culture Elements Value Patterns universalism– particularism collectivism– individualism affective–neutral relationships specificity–diffuseness achievement– ascription time orientation Internal–external control & Int’l. business practice time space things friendships agreements & interpersonal behavior power risk individualism masculinity long term orientation & management theories - practice relation to nature orientation to time belief about human nature mode of human activity relationships space & Int’l. business practice

Definition of “Culture” Hofstede “the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes one group or category from another” Kluckhohn and Stodtbeck “a shared, commonly held body of beliefs and values that define the “shoulds” and “oughts” of life” “the culture of a country–or other category of people–is not a combination of the properties of the ‘average citizen,’ and not a ‘modal personality.’ It is (also) a set of likely reactions of citizens with a common mental programming” Culture shapes assumptions, perceptions, behavior awareness of culture’s impact comes from exposure to different cultures

Value Orientations Framework (Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck) Is one tool for “mapping” differing patterns of beliefs held by different cultures Can promote deeper cultural awareness BUT, must be used prudently Presupposes understanding of: concepts underlying culture assumptions underlying the framework itself

Value-Orientation Framework Assumptions There are common (universal) themes in the challenges that different societies faced over time Six universal challenges or issues or themes are identified by K & S as being faced by all societies Different societies developed different ways to cope with each of these issues

All variations of a particular value orientation exist in a given culture every member of the culture cannot believe that there is only one way to deal with a given situation Each culture has an ordered preference of variations for solving a particular problem a dominant variation may reflect

“MBI”: A Model for Improving Interpersonal and Team Effectiveness Map Bridge Integrate Understand the differences Communicate the differences Manage the differences Value and use the differences to achieve high performance Cultural Orientations Framework Prepare Decenter Recenter Build Participation Resolve Conflicts Build on Ideas

“MBI”: A Model for Improving Interpersonal and Team Effectiveness Map Bridge Integrate Understand the differences Communicate the differences Manage the differences Value and use the differences to achieve high performance Prepare: Motivation, Confidence Decenter: Perspective taking, explain without blame Recenter: Common view Cultural Orientations Framework Build Participation Resolve Conflicts Build on Ideas