1. Cross Cultural Communication
Chapter 1 & 2
CCC
Chapter 1 & 2

2. Learning Outcomes Understanding the meaning of culture
Understanding our own culture and cultural differences, in general
Learning how to recognize the differences and cope up with these in a business context
Providing some cultural insights into the global Vs local dilemma facing international organizations
Understanding our own culture, assumptions, and expectations about how people should think and act is the basis for success
CCC
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3. Definition of Culture A set of values that are shared by a group
The collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another.
Consists of Values passed down from one generation to the next
The essence of culture is not what is visible on the surface but it is the shared ways groups of people understand and interpret the world.
CCC
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4. Definition of Culture
To provide people with meaningful context in which to meet, to think about themselves and face the outer world
The means by which people communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about attitudes towards life.
The fabric of meaning in terms of which human beings interpret their experiences and guide their actions
The culture is the way in which a group of people solve problems and dilemmas.
CCC
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5. What is Culture? Culture is: Man-made confirmed by others
conventionalized and
passed on to younger people or new comers to learn
There are many products and services becoming common to world markets, it is important:
Not to consider what they are
Not to consider where they are
But to consider what they mean to people in culture
CCC
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6. What is Culture?
The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought.
These patterns, traits, and products considered as the expression of a particular period, class, community, or population: Edwardian culture; Japanese culture; the culture of poverty.
These patterns, traits, and products considered with respect to a particular category, such as a field, subject, or mode of expression: religious culture in the Middle Ages; musical culture; oral culture.
The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization.
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7. Understanding Meaning of Culture
A shared definition of a situation by a group
Shared beliefs and their influence on the interactions between members of an organization
Meaningful interaction
Mutual expectations
When expectation of the two are same, there is mutuality of meaning
Culture is like gravity
CCC
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8. Human Nature & Culture Culture Human Nature: Culture is learned
The human ability to feel:
fear, anger, love, joy, sadness, the need to associate with others, to play and exercise, observing environment and talk about it to others
It is common to all
Inherited by birth
It determines one’s physical and basic psychological functioning
It is the operating system
Culture
Culture is learned
Not inherited
Derives from one’s social environment
Different from human nature and individual personality
It is the mental software
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9. Importance of understanding other Cultures
To achieve corporate goals
To implement policies
To sell products and services
To compete in the global market
To balance between consistency and adaptation for corporate success
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10. Impact of Culture on Business
Need for international managers to understand and learn cultures of the world
Most modern management philosophies for universal management solutions:
TQM – total quality management
SBU – strategic business unit
JIT – just in time
CFT – customer first team
MBO – management by objectives
Success and failure of these philosophies mainly depending on the cultural background of the employees and management
CCC
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11. Impact of Culture on Business
Things are tough for international managers to achieve their objectives because:
They belong to one culture
The culture in which they are working is different
The culture of the organization which employs them may be different as well
The following phenomena are different from one culture to another:
Authority
Bureaucracy
Creativity
Good fellowship
Verification
Accountability
Recognition
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12. Culture and Globalization
If people want to gain understanding of their corporate goals, policies, products and services, wherever they are doing business, they must understand what those and other aspects of management mean in different cultures
As companies go global and markets globalize, the need for standardization in organizational design, systems and procedures increases
Managers are under pressure to adapt their organizations to the local characteristics of the market, legislation, the fiscal regime, the socio-political system, and the cultural system
Globalization Vs Glocalization
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13. Culture and Globalization
Technology Vs Man
The Japanese business model Vs American business model
Japanese model recognizes the multi-dimensional character of the business
(when in Rome, understand the behavior of the Romans, do as the Romans do)
American business model treats management as a profession and regards emotionally detached rationality as scientifically necessary
Globalization of business life requires more knowledge of cultural patterns
CCC
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14. Crossing the Cultural Borders
Culture is like gravity:
You do not experience it until you jump six feet into the air
Local managers do not feel the differences in cultures until they cross the cultural borders
How the following concepts are different in different cultures:
Number of functions in an organizations
Level of hierarchy – chain of command
Degree of specialization
Cultural differences establishes the cultural borders
Culture in east coast and west coast of USA
Cultural differences between Europe and Asia
Cultural differences between Dutch and Belgians
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15. Culture as a solution
Culture is the way in which people solve problems
Understand the layers of culture
Observe the cultural aspects of a country
Language, food or dress
Understand the Norms and Values
Understand basic assumptions and unquestioned reality
Culture is the context in which things happen; out of context, even legal matters lack significance
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16. National, Corporate, and Professional Cultures
Levels of culture:
National or Regional culture
Corporate or Organizational culture
Professional or functional culture
This course will deal with the differences in culture at National level only.
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17. Basis of Cultural Differences
Every culture distinguishes itself from others by the specific solutions it chooses to certain problems
Problems/Differences could be approached on the following grounds:
Relationships with people
Attitudes to time
Attitudes to the environment
There are five orientations broadly dealt in this course
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18. Basis of Cultural Differences
Relationships with people
Universalism vs. particularism
Individualism vs. communitarianism
Neutral vs. emotional
Specific vs. diffuse
Achievement vs. ascription
Attitudes to Time
Attitudes to the Environment
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Chapter 1 & 2