Chapter Eleven Intercultural Communication and the Organization

Chapter Eleven

Intercultural Communication and the Organization

Chapter Objectives

1. Explain why intercultural communication is essential for organizational success and communication.

2. Describe what is meant by culture in intercultural communication.

3. Identify barriers to effective intercultural communication.

4. Identify steps that can be used to overcome these barriers.

5. Discuss the Hofstede dimensions as they apply to organizational contexts.

Organizational Communication: Foundations for Business and Management, 2e Thomson, 2006 ©

Reasons to Study Intercultural

Communication• We are a global village.

– Information is readily available anywhere on earth.

– The workplace is more diverse than ever before.

– We must be able to interact with others here and abroad efficiently and appropriately.

• Bottom line: Effective intercultural communication has become essential.Organizational Communication: Foundations for Business and Management, 2e Thomson, 2006 ©

Three Reasons Effective Intercultural Communication is

Essential1. Mobility.

– Time and distance are no longer factors in communication.

2. Economic and political interdependence.

– The world’s markets and global concerns are dependent on effective communication.

3. Communication Technology– Increased technology has allowed us

freedoms to communicate quickly, efficiently, and cheaply.


Defining Culture

• Multiple perspectives are apparent in all of the following categories

– Norms– Roles– Belief Systems– Values– Laws


Culture refers to the multiple perspectives a group has on the world and worldly phenomena.

Defining Culture

• Culture is learned, not biologically transmitted. Enculturation occurs through:

– Language– Nonverbal messages– Space and time orientation– Patterns for thinking– Self-images– Aesthetics

• Culture is also modified by exposure to other cultures, which is called acculturation.


(continued)

Intercultural Communication

Refers to communication exchanges between people whose cultural perceptions and symbols must be managed for effective communication.


Intercultural Communication

• Some examples of intercultural communication include:

– An African-American speaking to a Caucasian.

– A Jew speaking to a Muslim

– A Cajun speaking to a Californian

– A man communicating to a woman


Barriers to Effective Intercultural Communication

• Perceptual disparity– Selective perceptions may lead to

confusing or conflicting opinions.• What is taken for granted behavior in one

culture could be considered disrespectful in another.

• Ethnocentrism– People tend to judge the behaviors of

others based on their own cultural values that they believe are “right.”

– An ethnocentric individual believes his or her ethnicity or ethnic perspective is superior to others.


Barriers to Effective Intercultural Communication

• Language dissimilarity– Some researchers suggest that language

shapes reality. – Slang, jargon, and other language barriers

can impact message reception and understanding.

• Nonverbal dissimilarity– Gestures, emblems, and other nonverbal

behaviors may be judged differently or have different meanings in different cultures.


(continued)

Approaches to Multinational Expansion

• Multinational organizations can be structured in different ways towards the cultures they are expanding into.

• Adler identifies five structural orientations that multinational organizations use.


Structural Orientations of Multinational Organizations

1. Cultural dominance– Superimposing the culture to subsidiary

offices.

2. Cultural accommodation– Attempting to accept and assume the

cultural values of the host company.

3. Cultural compromise– Attempting to identify the divergent

cultural orientations, but using only the similarities in the formation of policy.


Structural Orientations of Multinational Organizations

4.Cultural avoidance– Pretending there are no differences

between cultures.

5.Cultural synergy– A synergistic approach.

• Policies are not superimposed by the parent organization.

• Values of both cultures are managed, effectively creating a new culture.


The Hofstede Studies

• Suggests that there are perceptual differences based on culture.

• Implies that these perceptual differences can account for misunderstanding and intercultural tensions in organizational contexts.



• Hofstede surveyed 116,000 employees in 72 nations to see if perceptions about work and work processes varied according to country and culture.

• Differences were categorized in four groups.


(continued)


• Uncertainty avoidance– High uncertainty avoidance

cultures seek more clarity and less abstraction.

• Power distance– Employees in high power distant

cultures respect superiors and disdain those who challenge them.


(continued)


• Individualism vs. Collectivism– Relates to whether persons in the

group value free-spirited independence, or community cooperation and compromise.

• Task vs. Social Orientation– Pertains to whether the dominant

values of the society emphasize assertiveness or nurture.


(continued)

Cultural Extremes


Adapted from tables in Hofstede, Geert, Culture’s Consequences: Second Edition, Comparing Values, Behaviors, Instituations and Organizations Across Nations, Sage Publications, 2001, pp. 87, 151, 215, 286.

Suggestions for Overcoming Barriers

• Follow Prescriptions– Sometimes we have an idea about what to do,

but find it hard to actually follow through.

• Learn about other cultures1. Acquire multicultural competencies and skills

including foreign languages.2. Become students of worldwide human relations

and values.3. Think beyond local perceptions and transform

stereotypes into positive views of people.4. Become open and flexible in dealing with

diversity.


Suggestions for Overcoming Barriers

• Recognize diversity within cultural groups.

– People within cultures are also diverse.– Question stereotypes you have about

people from a specific culture.

• Assume an egalitarian frame. – Be open to cultural differences.– Be aware of and question your own

ethnocentric attitudes and beliefs.


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Chapter Eleven Intercultural Communication and the Organization