Communicating across Cultures
Chapter 4
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The Importance of Intercultural Communication
Intercultural Workforce
Global Connectivity
Global Markets
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Mergers, acquisitions, and buyouts stir growth beyond national boundaries.
American companies in global markets must adapt to other cultures.
New trade agreements, declining domestic markets, and middle-class growth drive global markets.
Intercultural Communication Matters
GlobalMarkets
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Advances in logistics and transportation reduce distances.
Information technology has changed they way we do business.
The Internet permits instant communication across time zones and continents.
Intercultural Communication Matters
GlobalConnectivity
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Immigration makes intercultural communication increasingly necessary.
Business communicators must learn to adapt to an intercultural workforce.
Multinational companies and diversity at home require culturally savvy workers.
Intercultural Communication Matters
Intercultural Workforce
Developing Cultural Intelligence
Culture includes the shared values, norms, rules, and behaviors of an identifiable group of people who share a common history and communication system. national, organizational, team
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© 2016 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Developing Cultural Intelligence
Cultural intelligence (CQ) a measure of your ability to work with and adapt to members of other cultures.
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Respect, Recognize, and Appreciate Cultural Differences
Cultural intelligence is built on attitudes of respect and recognition of other cultures.
This means that you view other cultures as holding legitimate and valid views of and approaches to managing business and workplace relationships.
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Be Curious about Other Cultures
Study abroadLearn a languageDevelop friendships with international
students on your campusTake an interest in culture and routinely learn
about it
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Take an Interest in a Culture and Routinely Learn About It
Watch films, television, documentaries, news, and other video of the culture
Follow the business culture of a country Take courses and attend events related to
particular cultures Make friends with people who live in other
cultures and communicate online
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Avoid Inappropriate Stereotypes
Projected cognitive similarity
the tendency to assume others have the same norms and values as your own cultural group.
Outgroup homogeneity effect
the tendency to think members of other groups are all the same.
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PracticeToleranceOpen-mindednessEmpathy
See the world through another’s eyes
Bridging the Gap Between Cultures
© 2016 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Adjust Your Conceptions of Time
People high in CQ show patience They understand that most tasks take longer
when working across cultures because more time is needed to understand one another and cooperate effectively
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Manage Language Differences
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Avoid quickly judging that others have limited communication proficiency
Articulate clearly and slow down
Avoid slang and jargon
Give others time to express themselves
Use interpreters as necessary
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Learn foreign phrases.Use simple English.Speak slowly and
enunciate clearly.Observe eye messages.Encourage accurate
feedback.
Improving Intercultural Communication
Check frequently for comprehension.
Accept blame.Listen without interrupting.Smile when appropriate.Follow up in writing.
Oral Messages
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In high-context cultures opt for indirectness to help preserve harmony.
Respect the image a person holds in his or her social network.
Bridging the Gap: Saving Face
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Be patientWait and listenEmbrace silence
Recognize the effort non-native speakers are making
Bridging the Gap: Patience
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Consider local formats.Observe titles and rank.Use short sentences and
short paragraphs.Avoid ambiguous
expressions.
Improving Intercultural Communication
Strive for clarity. Use correct grammar.Cite numbers carefully.Accommodate reader in
organization, tone, and style.
Written Messages
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Cultural Contrasts in Written Business Communication
ArabAmerican Japanese
Cultural Objectives
Provide information
Seek information, offer proposal
Exchange information
Opening State objective directly
Offer thanks, apologize
Issue personal greeting
Body Present facts and plans of action, direct approach
Pose questions, solicit information
Provide back-ground data, use indirect approach
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Cultural Contrasts in Written Business Communication
ArabAmerican JapanesePersuasion tools
Immediate gain or loss of opportunity
Waiting Personal connection, future opportunity
Style Urgency, short sentences
Modesty, minimize position
Elaborate expression
Closing Affirmative, specific requests
Maintain harmony, future relationship
Future relationship, personal greeting
Cultural values
Efficiency, directness, action
Politeness, indirectness, relationship
Status, continuation, recognition
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Broaden your view of other cultures.
Avoid reflex judgments.Find alternatives.Refuse business if options
violate your basic values.Conduct all business openly. Don’t rationalize shady decisions.
Making Ethical Decisions Across Borders
Resist lawful but unethical strategies.
Individualism and Collectivism
Individualism a mind-set that prioritizes independence more highly than interdependence, emphasizing individual goals over group goals, and valuing choice more than obligation
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Figure 4.2
Individualism and Collectivism
Collectivism a mind-set that prioritizes interdependence more highly than independence, emphasizing group goals over individual goals, and valuing obligation more than choice
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Figure 4.3
Egalitarianism and Hierarchy
EgalitarianismBelieving in the principle that all people are
equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.
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Egalitarianism and Hierarchy
Egalitarian culturesPeople tend to distribute and share power evenly, minimize status differences, and minimize special privileges and opportunities for people just because they have higher authority
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Gender Egalitarianism
Gender egalitarianism deals with the division of roles between men and women in society
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Egalitarianism and Hierarchy
Hierarchical culturespeople expect power differences, follow leaders without questioning them, and feel comfortable with leaders receiving special privileges and opportunities
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Figure 4.5
Building and Maintaining Cross-Cultural Work Relationships
Establish Trust and Show EmpathyAdopt a Learner Mind-setBuild a Co-Culture of Cooperation and
Innovation
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Seek training.Understand the value of
differences.Don’t expect conformity.Learn about your cultural self.Make fewer assumptions. Build on similarities.
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Capitalize on Workplace Diversity
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U.S. Proverbs• He who holds the gold makes
the rules.• Waste not, want not.• The early bird gets the worm.• If at first you don’t succeed,
try, try again.
Proverbs Reflect Culture
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Chinese Proverbs• A man who waits for a roast
duck to fly into his mouth must wait a very, very long time.
• A man who says it cannot be done should not interrupt a man doing it.
• Give a man a fish, and he will live a day; give him a net, and he will live a lifetime.
Proverbs Reflect Culture
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