1. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.1 Concept 8.1: Examines the obstacles to the effective flow of information within an organization. The breakdown in communication has often to do with: –Too much or too little information –Misplaced, inaccurate or incomplete communication. –The context: personal and environmental factors, often complicated by the question of culture. –The question of culture: misunderstandings when the sender and receiver do not share similar meanings for the communicated symbols. Chapter 8: Barriers to intercultural communication

2. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.2 Communication Through The Body Termed as kinesics and includes: Eye contact In US if you can look straight into the eye of someone it is interpreted as a sign of honesty. In Japan, it is respectful not stare into each other eyes. Usually subordinates will keep their eyes down while speaking. Gesture Vary widely across the world. Crossing ones arm across the chest is considered arrogant in Finland, but a sign of deference in many Asian countries especially when it is combined with the position gestures of lowering eyes to the ground.

3. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.3 Cont. Clothes/grooming Uniforms are command in Japanese companies. From staff to CEO wear the same uniforms to promotes equality in workplace. India is a high power distance country and manager did not appreciate dressing like their drivers or office boys, they wanted to show off their higher status and not look like drivers in the office. Olfaction Sense of smell. It is common for men and women to wear a perfume to attract each other. In Asia and Africa open market are common but in US society, fruit, vegetables and meat are neatly packed in plastic in retail stores.

4. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.4 Cont. Facial expression Researchers have found that certain facial expression such as those for emotion like anger, sadness, fear, disgust, surprise and happiness are similar across world. In Thai and Vietnam, someone may smile to hide discomfort. Smile too much viewed as a sign of frivolity by national of Sweden, Finland, Korea and Japan. Touch Also called haptic. Asian, North Americans and North Europeans avoid touching while speaking. In Brazil, a business associate may touch his partner often while speaking.

5. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.5 Cont. Posture and poise the way in which some holds their shoulders, neck or back or particular position in which one stands or sits. Poise assurance of manner. e.g: Head thrown back and chest out can be viewed as arrogant in Asia but confident in Western.

6. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.6 Communicating Through Vocal Characteristic People are judge by their vocal characteristics. Paralanguage refers to the vocal aspect of communication. Includes the quality of voice politic, pitch, loudness and rate of speech. Eg: 1. Japanese appreciate conversations at a moderate rate of speech, at the volume without too much fluctuation. 2. Low pitched voices are considered attractive by some culture such as Malaysia, Thailand and Filipines (Asian).

7. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.7 Communicating Through the Use of Time Also called chronemics. 2 major types are monochronic and polychronic. Monochronic cultures: time as linear and times is money. Don’t waste time. In time are all common saying in this culture. Eg: North Europeans & North Americans. Polychronic view time as continuous and non linear. feel that time is at their disposal. Being late has no significance such as Arabic country & South Asian.

8. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.8 Communication Through the use of Space Also known as proxemics. Help us to understand our sense of personal territory. Eg: South Americans and Southern Europe tend to stand close to each other while speaking. 4 distinct zones. DistanceSpace Intimate distanceUp to 18 inches-used for friend. Personal distance18 inches to 4 feet-casual conversation. Social distance4-12 feet-for job interviews and interpersonal business. Public distance12 feet-for public speaking.

9. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.9 Communication Through the Use of Environment Includes permanent structures, setting arrangements and furniture. 1.Permanent Structures building convey a lot of massages about culture and change. In US & Germany, the more important you are the high your office will be in the building-top floor are occupied by high ranking officials.

10. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.10 Cont. 2. Setting arrangements and Furniture Japanese-manager and staff all sit together in a large open space. High power culture (Malaysia, India & German)- bosses have their own large rooms with large tables. Bosses will often have their doors closed.

11. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.11 Colours West one can identify a bride wear white but in India bride wear red. In China, red and gold are auspicious (luck & prosperity). Japan-don’t give gifts wrapped in black and Mexicans in purple-associated with funerals in their culture.

12. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.12 Non-verbal signals used in a certain context may not only differ but also influence other consequent non-verbal signals. Question of the intention: did the sender (if from another culture) intentionally choose to transmit a non-verbal message with an exact purpose or was he pretending to do so? When responding to the signal, the receiver may need to re-adjust his communicative goal, vary the non-verbal messages so that the desired goal is eventually reached. Barriers in cross-cultural management communication (2)

13. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.13 Those communicating across cultures must therefore be careful not to assume that certain gestures they perceive do not have the same meaning as in their own culture. Barriers in cross-cultural management communication (3)

14. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.14 Non-verbal communication barriers in business (2) Silence –In western cultures, silence marks pauses in a discourse. –In oriental cultures, silences are an integral part of communication. Silences can indicate: Respect, of agreement or disagreement Modesty (avoid improper use of words).

15. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.15 Non-verbal communication barriers in business (3) The way feelings are expressed can vary so much between cultures and the result can be negative feelings towards another. The creation of such prejudices is not the differences in themselves but the way in which the differences are interpreted.

16. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.16 Assumptions and culture (1) Assumptions may have: 1) a cognitive dimension, related to presumptions as to how people think that things work; 2) an affective dimension, related to the presumed likings of people; and 3) a directive dimension related to the presumed choices of people.

17. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.17 Assumptions and culture (2) Assumptions can be time-related: Is time a scarce good (economy of time)? Are tasks performed simultaneously or one after the other (monochronic versus polychronic)? Is life seen as a continuity or as cyclic episodes? Is the orientation in time towards the past, the present or the future?

18. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.18 Assumptions and culture (3) Assumptions can be space-related relating to territories: orientation may be: ‘in-group’: the group space includes families, nations and cultures; ‘out-group’: based on the assumption that there is a unity of mankind beyond the borders of in-group spaces; in-group orientation does not completely exclude out- group orientation (e.g. in Nordic European cultures).

19. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.19 Assumptions and culture (4) Assumptions can be identity-related: related to identity of self and others. What is seen to be the ideal conduct in certain social contexts: –Main socio-demographic categories (age, sex, social class) –Particular roles in society (such as the perfect politician, or successful businessman).

20. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.20 Identity and communication National identity characterizes a nationality: sets the limits of an intercultural exchange. Perception of the other always is based on one’s own culture > ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism is inherent to any membership of a socio-cultural, ethnic or national group –It is the intrinsic mechanism separating ‘mine’ from ‘yours’ –Our perceptions are made through a barrier which is unconsciously made up of our own values Ethnocentrism is responsible for prejudices and stereotypes.

21. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.21 Stereotype building Starting-point for building a cultural stereotype is the norms and values of the culture concerned. A stereotype consists of images created in our minds with regard to a group or groups of people. These images are over-generalizations made from selective (self-) perceptions and information corresponding with our beliefs. A stereotype confirms our prejudices rather than reflecting accurate observations of reality. The development of prejudices is supported or provoked by our cultural environment.

22. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.22 How to deal with stereotypes? (1) Suppress them, fight them or ignore them? Better not to fight against them since they are the first stage in the process, whereby the existence of another culture is acknowledged. Stereotypes are necessary for establishing one’s own cultural identity. If a cultural group cannot compare itself to other groups, then it cannot become aware of what it is.

23. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.23 How to deal with stereotypes? (2) If people could place another culture in its own context and avoid judging it according to their own ‘system’, stereotypes would eventually disappear. Note the dynamic nature of interaction: –characteristics of speakers PLUS –structure of the situation and the context, as well as time and space (see Chapter 13). The variable nature of the interaction makes every communicative situation unique and therefore unpredictable.

24. Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-Cultural Management, 2 nd Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2011 Slide 14.24 Conclusion to Chapter 8 The cultures of the interlocutors filter information and interpret it according to their own references. Stereotypes form the most important barrier to intercultural communication.