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Business communication
Cross cultural communication
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Culture
Culture, (derived from the
Latin word cultura,
meaning to cultivate) is
everything that is imbibed,
shared, taught anddiscussed .
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Culture categories
National culture
Social culture
Organizational culture
Religious culture
Language and culture
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Dimensions meaningful to business:
Work related values not universal
National values may persist over MNC efforts
to create culture
Local values used to determine HQ policies MNC may create unnecessary morale
problems if it insists on uniform moral norms
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PATH OF INTERCULTURAL LEARNING
Multiculturation
Selective Adoption
Appreciation/Valuing
Acceptance/Respect
Understanding
AwarenessEthnocentricity
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Explicit and Implicit
Communication
High-context/implicit
communication
cultures
Low-context/explicit
communication
cultures
Germans
Swiss Germans
Scandinavians
North Americans
French
English
Italians
Latin Americans
Arabs
Japanese
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High Context Cultures
Emotional expressions
Touching (or not)
Distance between bodies; Body orientation
Level of voice
Eye contact (or lack thereof)
Saving Face; maintaining harmony
Implicit
Indirect; arguments presented climactically
Emphasis on how something is said
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Low Context Cultures
Distrust what is not clear
Credibility; Intelligence; Expert knowledge
I
Explicit logic, proof, linear organization
Silence = disagreement, rejection, hostility,
weakness, unwillingness to communicate,
shyness
Emphasis on what is said, specificity
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Multi-Cultural Virtual Team
A temporary work group composed of people who
coordinate and execute a work project across
time, space, and cultures through use of
information and communication technology.
VTs form rapidly, reorganize, and dissolve
according to the organizations needs.
Members are usually accountable to different
individuals.
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Implications for Practice
Clarification of Role/Responsibilities
Provision of guidelines
Develop predictable pattern of communication
Ensuring complementary objectives
Recognition and handling of potential conflict
Choose individuals who are responsible, dependable,independent, and self-sufficient
Timely and detailed accounts of contribution and
immediate feedback Alternatives for electronic communication failure
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Some examples
For example, the current CEO of Time Warner, Richard
Parsons, is not known as a great dealmaker. But he is an
exceptionally good mediator between people and can get
cooperation from even the most stubborn enemies.RichardBranson, meanwhile, is a wild card negotiator. People do dealswith him just for the fun of being affiliated with his energy andbrand. Donald Trump is a great competitive negotiator.Russia's Vladimir Putin is someone who always manages thesituation so he negotiates from a position of overwhelmingauthority and strength.
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JAPANTo help her American Company establish a
presence in Japan, Mrs. Torres wants to hire alocal interpreter who can advise her on business
customs. Ms. Tomari has superb qualifications
on paper, but when Mrs. Torres tries to probe
about her experience, Ms. Tomari just says, I
will do my best. I will try very hard. She
never gives details about any of the previous
positions she has held. Mrs. Torres begins to
wonder if Ms. Tamari's rsum is inflated.
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CHINAStan Williams wants to negotiate a joint venture
between his American firm and a Beijing-basedcompany. He asks Tung-Sen Lee if the Chinese
people have enough discretionary income to afford
his product. Mr. Lee is silent for a time, and thensays, Your product is good. People in the West
must like it. Stan smiles, pleased that Mr. Lee
recognizes the quality of his product, and he leaves
a contract for Mr. Lee to sign. Weeks later, Stan
still hasnt heard anything. If China is going to be
so inefficient, he wonders if his company should try
to do business there.
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INDIAGloria Johnson is proud of her participatory
management style. Assigned in Bombay onbehalf of her U.S.-based company, she is careful
not to give orders but to ask for suggestions.
But the employees rarely suggest anything.Even a formal suggestion system he established
does not work. Worse still, she doesnt sense the
respect and camaraderie that she felt at the plantshe managed in Texas. Perhaps the people in
India just are not ready for a woman boss.
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MEXICOAlan Caldwell is a U.S. sales representative in
Mexico City. He makes appointments with SenrLopez and is careful to be on time, but his host is
frequently late. To save time, Alan tries to get right
to business, his host wants to talk about sightseeingand about Alans family. Even worse, the meetings
are interrupted constantly with phone calls, long
conversations with other people, and even customerschildren who come into the office. Alans first report
to his home office is very negative. He hasnt yet
made a sale. Perhaps Mexico just isnt the right
place to do business.
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Mc Donald in India
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In Japan
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Multiculturalism Vs Ethnocentrism
Adaptation
Structural intervention-change structureof reporting for example
Managerial intervention-involve mediator
Exit
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The way out
Try to bring together all members of the multicultural team physically, at leastonce in a while. If this is not possible, try to arrange a videoconferencing sessionwhere members see and interact with one another.
Formulate clear ground rules for the following engagements: Rules for written communication
Rules for processing responses
Rules for conflict resolution
Rules for personal conduct during meetings Guidelines for decision making
Set clear cut team objectives and share them with everybody else.
Ask everybody to write something about their own culture, in particular their styleof working, customs, beliefs, and ways in which they deal with conflict. Have aninformal sharing session.
Celebrate important festive occasions of each culture in a small way.
Follow-up with written communication so that everyone is on the same footing.
Create a zero-tolerance policy for any form of racism and discrimination.