1. Communicating Across Cultures
Chapter 4
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2. What is Communication?
Communication describes the process of sharing meaning by transmitting messages through media such as words, behavior, or material artifacts.
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3. The Communication Process (Exhibit 4-1)
Sender
Medium
Receiver
Decode Meaning
Meaning Encode
Message
Noise
Culture
Feedback
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4. Terms in Communication
Intercultural communication is when a member of one culture sends a message to a member of another culture.
Attribution is the process in which people look for the explanation of another person’s behavior.
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5. Guidelines for Creating Trust (as suggested by John Child)
Mutual benefit
Improve predictability
Develop mutual bonding
Create a clear and calculated basis for mutual benefit. There must be realistic commitments and good intentions to honor them.
Improve predictability: strive to resolve conflicts and keep communication open.
Develop mutual bonding through regular socializing and friendly contact.
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6. Cultural Variables Affecting Communication
Attitudes:
Social Organization:
Thought Patterns:
Roles:
Language:
Nonverbal Communication:
Time:
Attitudes: attitudes underlie the way we behave and communicate and the way we interpret messages from other people. Ethnocentric attitudes are a particular source of noise in cross-cultural communication.
Social Organization: our perceptions can be influenced by differences in values, approach, or priorities relative to the kind of social organizations to which we belong.
Thought Patterns: The logical progression of reasoning varies widely around the world. Managers cannot assume that others use the same reasoning processes.
Roles: societies differ considerably in their perception of a manager’s role. Much of the difference is attributable to their perception of who should make the decisions and who has responsibility for what.
Language: Spoken or written language is a frequent cause of miscommunication, stemming from a person’s inability to speak the local language, a poor or too-literal translation, a speaker’s failure to explain idioms, or a person missing the meaning conveyed through body language or certain symbols.
Nonverbal Communication: behavior that communicates without words (although it often is accompanied by words). Exhibit 4-4, p. 136
Time: another variable that communicates culture is the way people regard and use time.
Monochronic time systems – time is experienced in a linear way
Polychronic time systems – tolerate many things occurring simultaneously and emphasize involvement with people.
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7. Context
In high-context cultures, feelings and thoughts are not explicitly expressed; instead, one has to read between the lines and interpret meaning from one’s general understanding.
In low-context cultures, where personal and business relationships are more separated, communication media have to be more explicit. Feelings and thoughts are expressed in words, and information is more readily available.
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8. Guidelines for Effective Communication in the Middle East
Be patient.
Recognize that people and relationships matter more to Arabs than the job, company, or contract
Avoid expressing doubts or criticism when others are present
Adapt to the norms of body language, flowery speech, and circuitous verbal patterns in the Middle East, and don’t be impatient to “get to the point.”
Expect many interruptions in meetings, delays in schedules, and changes in plans.
Be patient. Recognize the Arab attitude toward time and hospitality – take time to develop friendship and trust, as these are prerequisites for any social or business transactions.
Recognize that people and relationships matter more to Arabs than the job, company, or contract – conduct business personally, not by correspondence or telephone.
Avoid expressing doubts or criticism when others are present – recognize the importance of honor and dignity to Arabs.
Adapt to the norms of body language, flowery speech, and circuitous verbal patterns in the Middle East, and don’t be impatient to “get to the point.”
Expect many interruptions in meetings, delays in schedules, and changes in plans.
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9. Managing Cross-Cultural Communication
Developing cultural sensitivity
Careful encoding
Selective transmission
Careful decoding of feedback
Follow-up actions
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10. Orientation to knowledge Empathy Interaction management
Behaviors Most Important to Intercultural Communication Effectiveness (as reviewed by Ruben)
Respect
Interaction posture
Orientation to knowledge
Empathy
Interaction management
Tolerance for ambiguity
Other-oriented role behavior
Respect (conveyed through eye contact, body posture, voice tone and pitch)
Interaction posture (the ability to respond to others in a descriptive, nonevaluative, and nonjudgmental way)
Orientation to knowledge (recognizing that one’s knowledge, perception, and beliefs are valid only for oneself and not for everyone else)
Empathy
Interaction management
Tolerance for ambiguity
Other-oriented role behavior (one’s capacity to be flexible and to adopt different roles for the sake of greater group cohesion and group communication)
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11. Personality Factors For Effective Intercultural Communication (as reviewed by Kim)
Openness – traits such as open-mindedness, tolerance for ambiguity, and extrovertedness
Resilience – traits such as having an internal locus of control, persistence, a tolerance of ambiguity, and resourcefulness
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