1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. “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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

18. “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

19. “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