August 12BCM 3700

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Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter 3 - 2

Chapter 3

Communicating in a World of Diversity

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Takeaways…

Why global business is important Why diversity is becoming more important Check how our values and beliefs affect our

responses to other people How nonverbal communication impacts

cross-cultural communications Why it is important to adapt oral and written

communication for cross-cultural context Why it is important to check cultural

generalizations

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Many people make assumptions about others based on their race, culture and/or gender.

It is important to develop an understanding of racial, cultural and gender differences.

“A Rude Introduction”

Communicating Across Cultures

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What is Culture? A lens – a frame of reference through

which we view and interpret human interaction

How important is nonverbal communication?

93% of communication is nonverbal

Nonverbal communication is heavily influenced by culture

What is Culture?

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How does it impact business activities?

How can cultural differences hamper international business?

How can an understanding of cultural differences improve international business?

What is Culture?

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Our values, priorities, and practices are shaped by the culture in which we grow up.

Modern business requires dealing with other cultures

Understanding other cultures is crucial if you want to sell your products to others in our

country, sell to other countries, manage an international plant or office, or work in this country for a multinational

company headquartered in another country. Shapes values, priorities, and practices

Understanding Culture

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Cultural differences have huge impacts in the business world International business dealings Working locally with an international work force

Culture profoundly affects how people communicate And communication is the basis of all business

activities

The Silent Language Culture is often outside of people’s conscious

awareness

Understand Cultural Differences

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Sources of Workplace Diversity

Gender Race and ethnicity Regional and national origin Social class Religion Age Sexual orientation Physical ability

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A successful intercultural communicator is… Aware of one’s preferred values Flexible and open to change Sensitive to verbal and nonverbal

behavior Aware of values, beliefs, and practices

in other cultures Sensitive to differences among

individuals within a culture

Successful Intercultural Communicator

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Importance of Global Business Customers Exports are essential to

Individual businesses Country’s economy

Vendors located in other countries

Managers look for international experience to fill top-level jobs

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First step: realize that others may do things very differently …the difference is not bad … …not inferior… …just different

Second step: understanding that people within a single culture often differ

Understanding Other Cultures

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Often unconscious Affect response to people and

situations Different cultures have different

views of Fairness Competition Success Social status

Values, Beliefs & Practices

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Context Space Time Interfacing Nonverbal Communication

Key Concepts

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How much of the relevant information is in the message, and how much is already understood by sender and receiver?

High context situations a message can contain lots of meaning

without much information content Low context situations

The message must contain all relevant information

Context

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High-Context Low-ContextPreferred communication strategy

indirectness, politeness, ambiguity

directness, confrontation, clarity

Reliance on words low high

Reliance on nonverbal signs to communicate

high low

Importance of relationships high low

Importance of written word low high

Agreements made in writing not binding binding

Agreements made orally binding not binding

Attention to detail low high

High-Context & Low-Context

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High-Context Cultures Latin American Japanese Arabic

Low-Context Cultures North American German Scandinavian

High-Context & Low-Context

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Personal space - distance one likes between self and others How close is too close? This is very culturally dependent Lots: North Americans, North Europeans, Asians Little: Arabs, Latin Americans, French, Italians

Territoriality What space and how much of it is “mine”? Size and location of an office

Some people are more comfortable with touch than others

Space

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Differences in time zones is understandable...

More Important: views and attitudes toward time

How people view time is culturally dependent

Monochronic vs. Polychronic How many things are done at once?

▪ One thing: monochronic▪ Many: polychronic

Time

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Organizations in the United States—businesses, government, and schools— keep time by the calendar and the clock. Being “on time” is seen as a sign of

dependability.

Other cultures may keep time by the seasons and the moon, the sun, internal “body clocks” …or a personal feeling that “the time is

right.”

Time

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Monochronic culture Highly scheduled cultures, People focus on clock time, Plan their time; avoid wasting it Time communicates importance, Lots of importance placed on punctuality Poor schedule adherence is interpreted as

arrogance or incompetence If you live in the United States, Canada, or

Northern Europe, you live in a monochronic culture.

Time

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Polychronic culture People focus on relationships Disregard clocks and planners Schedule and agendas - viewed as goals,

not binding Promptness - not as important as

completing a human interaction▪ As a result, interruptions will delay

appointments▪ Forcing someone to wait is not intended as an

insult If you live in Latin America, the Arabic

Middle East, or sub-Sahara Africa, you live in a polychronic culture.

Time

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What happens when different cultures meet?

Least difficult interfacing Low context to low context Germans and Americans Canadians and Scandinavians

Most difficulty High context to low context High context to high context

Interfacing

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Write in English unless fluent in audience’s language

Buffer negative messages Make requests indirect Re-think audience benefits Allow extra response time

Writing to International Audiences

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Red Western: Excitement, danger, passion Eastern: Good luck, celebration India: purity South Africa: mourning

White Western: purity, chastity, spirituality Japan, Hong Kong: death

Example: Colors

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Stress—emphasis given to one or more words

“I’ll give you a raise…” I’ll give you a raise.

▪ “…another supervisor wouldn’t”

I’ll give you a raise. ▪ “…yes, but I really don’t agree”

I’ll give you a raise. ▪ “…nobody else gets one”

Voice Qualities: Stress and Volume

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I’ll give you a raise. ▪ “…but just one”

I’ll give you a raise. ▪ “…but nothing else you want”

I’ll give you a raise. ▪ “…you deserve it”

I’ll give you a raise. ▪ “…the raise will please both of us”

Voice Qualities: Stress and Volume

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What to wear?

Asia: colors are extremely significant Simple and sophisticated Navy blue, Charcoal grey, Black No high heels and short sleeved blouses

Japan: symbols are very important Casual is never acceptable Minimal accessories and dress very conservatively

Middle East: Very conservative, very modest attire No jewelry, baggy concealment is the ultimate goal

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International business practices are constantly evolving/changing

Don’t judge culture Move slowly and softly

Ask, listen, observe No culture is more or less valuable or efficient than

any other Understand your own cultural framework Be interested – study the cultures you work with Seek out and talk to people from other

backgrounds Enhance understanding of multiple perspectives Be brave and have fun!

So… what should I do??