Intercultural Communication "...the single greatest barrier to business success is the one erected by culture." Edward T. Hall and Mildred Reed Hall Understanding and appreciating intercultural differences ultimately promotes clearer communication, breaks down barriers, builds trust, strengthens relationships, opens horizons and yields tangible results in terms of business success.

Consider these examples: When Kentucky Fried Chicken entered the Chinese market, to their horror they discovered that their slogan "finger lickin' good" came out as "eat your fingers off" General Motors had a perplexing problem when they introduced the Chevy Nova in South America. Despite their best efforts, they weren't selling many cars. They finally realized that in Spanish, "nova" means "it won't go". *In Italy, a campaign for "Schweppes Tonic Water" translated the name into the much less thirst quenching "Schweppes Toilet Water". More and more companies around the world are hopping national borders to conduct business. Regardless of the organization you join, you are likely to be dealing with people who come from various national, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. Communicating across language and cultural barriers at home will also challenge your skills. Without leaving your own country, you're likely to come into contact with people from a variety of backgrounds who work in your company, industry, and community.

Globalization Increasing world interdependence caused by changes in global economies and communications technology Cultures differ in several ways that affect communication: • Stability: conditions in the culture may be stable or may be changing either slowly or rapidly; • Complexity: cultures vary in the accessibility of information. • Composition: some cultures are made up of many diverse subcultures and generally, the fewer the subcultures in a person's background, the easier it is to communicate, because you have fewer potential differences to consider; • Acceptance: cultures carry in their attitudes toward outsiders, some are openly hostile, some maintain a detached aloofness, and others are friendly, and cooperative toward strangers.

What is Culture? Learned social behaviors that develop over time A complex and multidimensional concept

Do the languages we speak shape the way we think Do the languages we speak shape the way we think? Do they merely express thoughts, or do the structures in languages (without our knowledge or consent) shape the very thoughts we wish to express? Take “Humpty Dumpty sat on a…” Even this snippet of a nursery rhyme reveals how much languages can differ from one another. In English, we have to mark the verb for tense; in this case, we say “sat” rather than “sit.” In Indonesian you need not (in fact, you can’t) change the verb to mark tense. In Russian, you would have to mark tense and also gender, changing the verb if Mrs. Dumpty did the sitting. You would also have to decide if the sitting event was completed or not. If our ovoid hero sat on the wall for the entire time he was meant to, it would be a different form of the verb than if, say, he had a great fall. In Turkish, you would have to include in the verb how you acquired this information. For example, if you saw the chubby fellow on the wall with your own eyes, you’d use one form of the verb, but if you had simply read or heard about it, you’d use a different form. Do English, Indonesian, Russian and Turkish speakers end up attending to, understanding, and remembering their experiences differently simply because they speak different languages? These questions touch on all the major controversies in the study of mind, with important implications for politics, law and religion. Yet very little empirical work had been done on these questions until recently. The idea that language might shape thought was for a long time considered untestable at best and more often simply crazy and wrong. Now, a flurry of new cognitive science research is showing that in fact, language does profoundly influence how we see the world.

Cultural Norms and Values

True or False? Exchanging business cards is very ceremonious in the UK. Business cards are always reciprocated in the USA? When meeting a group of people in Venezuela you should give your business card to... What language should you ideally translate your business cards into if going to Taiwan? Which of these should you not do to a South Korean's business card?

Answers 1. Exchanging business cards is very ceremonious in the UK. False 2. Business cards are always reciprocated in the USA? False 3. When meeting a group of people in Venezuela you should give your business card to...Everyone 4. What language should you ideally translate your business cards into if going to Taiwan? Cantonese 5. Which of these should you not do to a South Korean's business card? Write on it

Intercultural Communication The sharing of meanings between individuals from different cultures By bridging these differences, you can successfully achieve intercultural communication. However, the four elements of culture are very general in nature. They don't say much about how to communicate with persons from other cultures.

For discussion What are the most common barriers to communication between cultures? I. Be aware of differing social values; II. Be aware of differing status symbols and how to demonstrate them; III. Be aware of decision making customs: not all people like to make decisions quickly and efficiently; IV. Be aware of concepts of time: not all people like to see time as money; V. Be aware of personal space: people from different cultures have different 'comfort zones';

Intercultural Communication… Requires an understanding of … Own culture Cultures of other groups Parent/Dominant culture (e.g. based on race or ethnicity) Co-cultures (e.g. based on gender, religion, age)

Intercultural Communication… Requires an understanding of ….. Knowledge system Beliefs Values Customs behaviors

Cross-cultural Communication Involves highlighting similarities and differences across cultural groups to promote communication VI. Be aware of cultural context: people from certain cultures (called 'high-context cultures) rely less on verbal communication and more on the context of nonverbal actions and environmental settings to convey meaning. People from low-context cultures like the USA rely more on verbal communication and less on circumstances and implied meaning to convey meaning; VII. Be aware of body language: learn the basic differences in the way people supplement their words with body movement; VIII. Be aware of different etiquette rules or manners: what is polite in one culture may be considered rude in another; IX. Be aware of legal and ethical behavior; X. Be aware of language barriers: English is the most prevalent language in international business, but it's a mistake to assume that everyone understands it.

Intracultural Communication Shared communication between members of the same cultural group

For discussion How can education help reduce or eliminate these barriers?

The process of learning or absorbing one’s own culture Enculturation The process of learning or absorbing one’s own culture

Acculturation The process of adjusting to the host culture by adopting its values, symbols and/or behavior

Ethnocentrism The belief that one’s own cultural norms are superior to those of other social groups

Cultural Relativism The acknowledgement of cultural differences and acceptance that each social groups has its own set of norms

Intercultural Business Communication Intercultural sensitivity is vital for success in business! Learning as much as possible about another culture will enhance your ability to communicate with its members. Read books and articles about the culture and talk to people who have done business with that culture's members. Concentrate on learning something about the culture's history, religion, politics, values, and customs. Find out about a country's subcultures, especially its business subculture, and any special rules of protocol.

Dimensions of Cultural Diversity Power Distance Individualism Masculinity Uncertainty Avoidance Hofstede (1984)

Barriers to Intercultural Communication Linguistic Cultural Physical Perceptual Nonverbal Emotional Experiential Take responsibility for communication • Withhold judgments • Show respect • Empathize • Tolerate ambiguity • Look beyond the superficial • Be patient and persistent • Recognize your own cultural biases • Be flexible • Emphasize common ground • Send clear messages • Increase your cultural sensitivity • Deal with the individual • Learn when to be direct Bell (1992)

Developing Intercultural Communication Competence Culture-specific approach Process of learning information about the other culture Useful but limited

For discussion What are three ways you could improve your own intercultural communication competence?

Developing Intercultural Communication Competence Culture-general approach focuses on… Cultural awareness and sensitivity Cultural and communication sensitivity behavioral flexibility An ‘other-orientation’

Developing Intercultural Communication Competence Business communicators need to be competent in ….. Their own culture Their business culture Their corporate culture