Intercultural and International Business Communication
The awareness of varying perspectives that stem from cultural differences is key to effective communication in global commerce. Read these sections. After you read, try the exercises at the end of the section.
Intercultural Communication
Learning Objectives
- Define and discuss how to facilitate intercultural communication.
- Define and discuss the effects of ethnocentrism.
Communication
is the sharing of understanding and meaning, but what is intercultural
communication? If you answered, "The sharing of understanding and
meaning across cultures," you'd be close, but the definition requires
more attention. What is a culture? Where does one culture stop and
another start? How are cultures created, maintained, and dissolved?
Donald Klopf described culture as "that part of the environment made by
humans". From the building we erect that represents design values to the
fences we install that delineate borders, our environment is a
representation of culture, but it is not all that is culture.
Culture
involves beliefs, attitudes, values, and traditions that are shared by a
group of people. Thus, we must consider more than the clothes we wear,
the movies we watch, or the video games we play, all representations of
environment, as culture. Culture also involves the psychological aspects
of our expectations of the communication context. For example, if we
are raised in a culture where males speak while females are expected to
remain silent, the context of the communication interaction governs
behavior, which in itself is a representation of culture. From the
choice of words (message), to how we communicate (in person, or by
e-mail), to how we acknowledge understanding with a nod or a glance
(nonverbal feedback), to the internal and external interference, all
aspects of communication are influenced by culture.
In
defining intercultural communication, we only have eight components of
communication to work with and yet we must bridge divergent cultures
with distinct values across languages and time zones to exchange value, a
representation of meaning. It may be tempting to consider only the
source and receiver within a transaction as a representation of
intercultural communication, but if we do that, we miss the other six
components - the message, channel, feedback, context, environment, and
interference - in every communicative act. Each component influences and
is influenced by culture. Is culture context? Environment? Message?
Culture is represented in all eight components every time we
communicate. All communication is intercultural.
We
may be tempted to think of intercultural communication as interaction
between two people from different countries. While two distinct national
passports may be artifacts, or nonverbal representations of
communication, what happens when two people from two different parts of
the same country communicate? From high and low Germanic dialects, to
the perspective of a Southerner versus a Northerner in the United
States, to the rural versus urban dynamic, our geographic, linguistic,
educational, sociological, and psychological traits influence our
communication.
It
is not enough to say that someone from rural Southern Chile and the
capital, Santiago, both speak Castellano (the Chilean word for the
Spanish language), so that communication between them must be
intracultural communication, or communication within the same culture.
What is life like for the rural Southerner? For the city dweller? Were
their educational experiences the same? Do they share the same
vocabulary? Do they value the same things? To a city dweller, all the
sheep look the same. To the rural Southerner, the sheep are distinct,
with unique markings; they have value as a food source, a source of wool
with which to create sweaters and socks that keep the cold winters at
bay, and in their numbers they represent wealth. Even if both Chileans
speak the same language, their socialization will influence how they
communicate and what they value, and their vocabulary will reflect these
differences.
Let's
take this intranational comparison a step further. Within the same
family, can there be intercultural communication? If all communication
is intercultural, then the answer would be yes, but we still have to
prove our case. Imagine a three-generation family living in one house.
The grandparents may represent another time and different values from
the grandchildren. The parents may have a different level of education
and pursue different careers from the grandparents; the schooling the
children are receiving may prepare them for yet another career. From
music, to food preferences, to how work is done may vary across time;
Elvis Presley may seem like ancient history to the children. The
communication across generations represents intercultural communication,
even if only to a limited degree.
But
suppose we have a group of students who are all similar in age and
educational level. Do gender and the societal expectations of roles
influence interaction? Of course. And so we see that among these
students not only do the boys and girls communicate in distinct ways but
also not all boys and girls are the same. With a group of sisters,
there may be common characteristics, but they will still have
differences, and these differences contribute to intercultural
communication. We are each shaped by our upbringing and it influences
our worldview, what we value, and how we interact with each other. We
create culture, and it creates us.
Everett
Rogers and Thomas Steinfatt define intercultural communication as the
exchange of information between individuals who are "unalike
culturally". If you follow our
discussion and its implications, you may arrive at the idea that
ultimately we are each a "culture of one" - we are simultaneously a part
of a community and its culture(s) and separate from it in the unique
combination that represents us as an individual. All of us are separated
by a matter of degrees from each other even if we were raised on the
same street or by parents of similar educational background and
profession, and yet, we have many other things in common.
Communication
with yourself is called intrapersonal communication, which may also be
intracultural, as you may only represent one culture. But most people
belong to many groups, each with their own culture. Within our imaginary
intergenerational home, how many cultures do you think we might find?
If we only consider the parents and consider work one culture, and
family another, we now have two. If we were to examine the options more
closely, we would find many more groups, and the complexity would grow
exponentially. Does a conversation with yourself ever involve competing
goals, objectives, needs, wants, or values? How did you learn of those
goals, or values? Through communication within and between individuals,
they themselves representatives of many cultures. We struggle with the
demands of each group and their expectations and could consider this
internal struggle intercultural conflict or simply intercultural
communication.
Culture
is part of the very fabric of our thought, and we cannot separate
ourselves from it, even as we leave home, defining ourselves anew in
work and achievements. Every business or organization has a culture, and
within what may be considered a global culture, there are many
subcultures or co-cultures. For example, consider the difference between
the sales and accounting departments in a corporation. We can quickly
see two distinct groups with their own symbols, vocabulary, and values.
Within each group, there may also be smaller groups, and each member of
each department comes from a distinct background that in itself
influences behavior and interaction.
Intercultural
communication is a fascinating area of study within business
communication, and it is essential to your success. One idea to keep in
mind as we examine this topic is the importance of considering multiple
points of view. If you tend to dismiss ideas or views that are "unalike
culturally," you will find it challenging to learn about diverse
cultures. If you cannot learn, how can you grow and be successful?
Ethnocentrism
is the tendency to view other cultures as inferior to one's own. Having
pride in your culture can be healthy, but history has taught us that
having a predisposition to discount other cultures simply because they
are different can be hurtful, damaging, and dangerous. Ethnocentrism
makes us far less likely to be able to bridge the gap with others and
often increases intolerance of difference. Business and industry are no
longer regional, and in your career, you will necessarily cross borders,
languages, and cultures. You will need tolerance, understanding,
patience, and openness to difference. A skilled business communicator
knows that the process of learning is never complete, and being open to
new ideas is a key strategy for success.
Key Takeaway
Intercultural communication is an aspect of all communicative interactions, and attention to your perspective is key to your effectiveness. Ethnocentrism is a major obstacle to intercultural communication.
Exercises
- Please list five words to describe your dominant culture. Please list five words to describe a culture with which you are not a member, have little or no contact, or have limited knowledge. Now, compare and contrast the terms noting their inherent value statements.
- Identify a country you would like to visit. Research the country and find one interesting business fact and share it with the class.
- Write a brief summary about a city, region, state, or country you have visited that is not like where you live. Share and compare with classmates.