Ronald Adler Santa Barbara City College Jeanne Elmhorst Albuquerque TVI Community College Communicating at Work

© Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005 Slide 2 Chapter 2 Communication, Culture, and Work Cultural Diversity and CommunicationCultural Diversity and CommunicationCultural Diversity and CommunicationCultural Diversity and Communication Organizational CultureOrganizational CultureOrganizational CultureOrganizational Culture Chapter Outline

© Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005 Slide 3 Cultural Diversity and Communication Figure 2-1: U.S. Multiethnic Workforce

© Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005 Slide 4 Cultural Diversity and Communication Culture – A learned set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values, and norms, which affect the behaviors of a relatively large group of people.

© Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005 Slide 5 Cultural Diversity and Communication The Nature of CultureThe Nature of Culture –Learned, not innate –Shapes our view of the world –Determines how we interact –Formed of many dimensions –Is usually invisible to its inhabitants

© Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005 Slide 6 Cultural Diversity and Communication Cultural Differences in International BusinessCultural Differences in International Business –The internationality of business activities is increasing steadily –80% of U. S. products compete internationally –The average Fortune 500 company has operations in 17 countries –40,000 U.S. firms do business with overseas customers –300 Japanese companies operate in Michigan

© Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005 Slide 7 Cultural Diversity and Communication Cultural Differences in International BusinessCultural Differences in International Business Formality (e.g.: personal titles) Formality (e.g.: personal titles) Social Customs (e.g.: business cards) Social Customs (e.g.: business cards) Styles of Dress Styles of Dress Time (e.g.: monochronic vs. polychronic) Time (e.g.: monochronic vs. polychronic) Tolerance for Conflict (e.g.: degree of directness) Tolerance for Conflict (e.g.: degree of directness) Gender Roles (e.g.: a woman’s credibility) Gender Roles (e.g.: a woman’s credibility)

© Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005 Slide 8 Cultural Diversity and Communication Table 2-1: Cultural Traits Influencing Communication on the Job

© Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005 Slide 9 Cultural Diversity and Communication Co-Cultural Dimensions of a Diverse SocietyCo-Cultural Dimensions of a Diverse Society –Regional Differences –Ethnicity Attitudes about talkAttitudes about talk Attitudes towards conflictAttitudes towards conflict Self-disclosure and candorSelf-disclosure and candor Nonverbal behaviorNonverbal behavior –Disabilities “a club anyone can join, anytime” – Karen Stone“a club anyone can join, anytime” – Karen Stone Guidelines for interactionGuidelines for interaction

© Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005 Slide 10 Cultural Diversity and Communication Fundamental Dimensions of Cultural DiversityFundamental Dimensions of Cultural Diversity –High- versus Low-Context –Individualism versus Collectivism –Power Distance –Uncertainty Avoidance –Task versus Social Orientation –Short-Term versus Long-Term Orientation

© Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005 Slide 11 Cultural Diversity and Communication Diversity and Ethical IssuesDiversity and Ethical Issues –Cultural Differences can lead to ethical dilemmas –Caux Round Table Principles for Business –A variety of responses includes: avoiding, accommodating, forcing, negotiating- compromising –Evaluating significance of the situation can help

© Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005 Slide 12 Cultural Diversity and Communication Communicating across DiversityCommunicating across Diversity –Knowledge can illuminate puzzling situations –Diversity as an opportunity –Don’t condescend –Talk openly about differences

© Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005 Slide 13 Organizational Culture Dimensions of Organizational CultureDimensions of Organizational Culture –Organizations display distinct personalities –“Knowing the ropes” affects the bottom line –Employees and organizations must match for good results –Mid-level managers best know and transmit company culture

© Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005 Slide 14 Organizational Culture Dimensions of Organizational CultureDimensions of Organizational Culture  Sociability  Power distribution  Job autonomy  Degree of structure  Achievement rewards  Growth opportunities  Risk tolerance  Change tolerance  Conflict tolerance  Emotional support

© Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005 Slide 15 Organizational Culture Creating and Maintaining Organizational CulturesCreating and Maintaining Organizational Cultures –Set from the beginning –Takes a life of its own –Reinforced by daily activities –Positive traditions: pranks and no-layoff policies –Negative traditions: negativism and coercion