Cross Cultural Communication

Module III: Cross cultural communication 1.Characteristics of culture 2.Social differences 3.Contextual differences 4.Nonverbal differences 5.Ethnocentrism Presented By: Roll no- 21 to 30 MBA G- IV Batch 2007-09 Amity Business School Amity University Lucknow Campus

Culture Values and perspectives shared by people who are "conditioned by similar education and life experience" . Regional: country, area, community Religious: sects, variations, etc.. . Corporate: industry, company, department Other groups: schools, clubs, etc

Dimensions of Culture 1. Relationships – importance of building relationships versus completing a job 2. Time – importance of personal relationships versus adherence to schedules 3. Communication – ways the society communicates, including gestures 4. Hierarchy – perception of rank in relationship to others and ways of interacting 5. Status Attainment – importance of personal achievement and sense of wellbeing 6. Space/Proxemics – the amount of space needed for comfort in business and personal environments 7. Group Dependence – importance of the individual versus the group in social and business situations 8. Diversity Receptivity – how roles, power, and authority are associated with gender, race, religion, and country of origin 9. Change Tolerance – responses to change, the need for

Characteristics of Culture  Culture is learned  Culture is unconscious  Culture is shared  Culture is integrated  Culture is Symbolic  Culture is a way of life  Culture is Dynamic  Culture is Relative

Culture is learned How do we learn our culture?

Culture is unconscious

Culture is shared

Culture is Relative

Should everyone use a deodorant? USA

89%

French Canada

81%

English Canada

77%

United Kingdom

71%

Italy

69%

France Australia

59% 25%

Such findings signal that Canadian values, ideas, and attitudes should not be relied upon when planning marketing forays into foreign consumer markets

Culture is Symbolic

Cross-Cultural Communication

Communication and Culture All communication is cultural -- it draws on ways we have learned to speak and give nonverbal messages Communication is the process of transmitting information and between two or more people. Technically speaking, communication is successful only when mutual understanding results, that is, when one transmits information and makes oneself clear by others.

What do you see?

Possible Interpretations: • Prayer before a meal. • People thinking hard to solve a problem. • Difficult conversation. • A meeting about to begin. • A family that has just received a sad letter. • A meeting. Two women on the left are talking on the side about a mobile phone. • The person on the left just bought some bread and is offering a piece to everybody. • People looking for a solution to some problem. The guy on the left is hiding the important evidence and showing something unimportant to the others. • The man in the middle presides over the debate. One guy is not involved. • A religious ritual.

THE COMMUNUICATION PROCESS

Idea: The message to be communicated by the sender is identified. Encoding: The appropriate words and symbols required to effectively communicate the message are identified Channel: The appropriate channel(s) of communication transmissionwritten, verbal, or nonverbal-is(are) identified. Receiving: The receiver reads, hears, or sees the message. Decoding: The receiver tries to understand the message. Action: Receiver acts on the message (either on the basis of an understanding of the message as intended, or a misunderstanding).

Common Cultural Differences

• Perception of Time and Space • Fate and Personal Responsibility • Importance of Face • Nonverbal Communication

Perception of Time and Space Time • Monochromic(west) • Polychromic(East) Space -- differences in comfortable distance between people

Fate and Personal Responsibility

Extent to which we feel ourselves to be the masters of our lives

Extent to which we see ourselves as subject to things outside our control

Face and Face-Saving Face is the standing a person has in the eyes of others The importance of “face” and face-saving varies across cultures • Some cultures value “face” more than their own well-being • Other cultures do not care about face all that much

Nonverbal Communication Low-context cultures -- place relatively less emphasis on nonverbal cues. Meaning is encoded in the verbal code, words are trusted High-context cultures -place relatively more emphasis on nonverbal cues, meaning is gleaned from the physical, social, and psychological contexts.

Ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism is the tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one's own culture. Ethnocentrism often entails the belief that one's own race or ethnic group is the most important and/or that some or all aspects of its culture are superior to those of other groups. Ex- Afrocentrism Americentrism Eurocentrism Indocentrism

Stereotyping “Pictures in our heads” A cognitive representation of a group of people that does not allow for individual difference and influence one’s feeling about that group. For example if we believe that most Asian people cannot speak English and that they cannot understand you; you might adjust your communication when communicating with them or avoid them altogether.

Individualism vs Collectivism • Individuals are concerned about consequences of action for themselves, not others • Collectivists primarily view themselves as members of groups. • Individualist organizations tend to specify individual positions, have detailed job descriptions, listing duties and responsibilities, whereas collectivist specify people by the group, describe tasks, responsibilities and reporting relationships in collective terms.

Uncertainty Avoidance •The degree to which members of a culture feel threatened by unpredictable, uncertain or unknown situations . •High uncertainty leaders will structure the work of their subordinates, possibly through bureaucracy, and will make decisions to enhance stability. •People from high uncertainty cultures expect all procedures to be clearly defined and their roles and tasks clearly defined and would, for the most, expect one way communication (downward). •Low uncertainty cultures see uncertainty as a normal part of life and each day is accepted as it comes. People are comfortable with ambiguity and guided by the belief that what is different is curious.

Power Distance

•Power distance refers to how a society feels about hierarchy and inequality of status. •The extent to which members of a culture except and accept that power is unequally distributed. •High power distance employees tend to look to their superiors for guidance. High power distance depends on hierarchy and distinct levels of power •In low power distance cultures there is limited dependence of employees on managers and there is a preference for consultation.

Reason for cultural differences

Reason For Common Cultural Differences

Geographic Region Physical Differences

Age

THE INDIVIDUAL

Race/Ethnic Group

Nationality

Sexual Orientation

Primary & Secondary Dimensions of Diversity  Primary dimensions are aspects of ourselves that we

cannot change. They are things people know about us before we even open our mouths, because they are physically visible (except sexual orientation). When people feel they are being stereotyped based on primary dimension, they can be very sensitive about it.

 Secondary dimensions are elements we have some

power to change. People are less sensitive about secondary dimensions. We also have the choice of whether to disclose this information or not; we can conceal these characteristics.

Primary & Secondary Dimensions of Diversity Work Background Income

Parental Status

Geographic Location

Sexual Orientation Race

Ethnicity

Gender

Education

Age Physical Qualities

Religious Beliefs

Marital Status Military Experience

PATH OF INTERCULTURAL LEARNING

Multiculturation Selective Adoption Appreciation/Valuing Acceptance/Respect Understanding Awareness Ethnocentricity Hoopes

Individual’s Path to Cultural Competency Ethnocentricity – This is a state of relying on our own, and only our own, paradigms based on our cultural heritage. We view the world through narrow filters, and we will only accept information that fits our paradigms. We resist and/or discard others. Awareness – This is the point at which we begin to realize that there are things that exist which fall outside the realm of our cultural paradigms. Understanding- This is the point at which we are not only aware that there are things that fall outside our cultural paradigms, but we see the reason for their existence.

Individual’s Path to Cultural Competency Acceptance/Respect - This is when we begin allowing those from other cultures to just be who they are, and that it is OKAY for things to not always fit into our paradigms. Appreciation/Value- This is the point where we begin seeing the worth in the things that fall outside our own cultural paradigms. Selective Adoption - This is the point at which, we begin using things that were initially outside our own cultural paradigms. Multiculturation- This is when we have begun integrating our lives with our experiences from a variety of cultural experiences.

How to gain Cultural Competency Cultural PreCompetence Cultural Blindness Cultural Incapacity Cultural Destructiveness

holding culture in high esteem

Cultural Proficiency Cultural Competence

is characterized by acceptance of and respect for differences

implies movement towards reaching out to other cultures and attempts to improve that relationship with a specific population.

This system suffers from a deficit of information and often lack the avenues through which they can obtain needed information.

occurs when agencies do not intentionally seek to be culturally destructive, but rather have no capacity to help people from other cultures. This system remains extremely biased, and believes in the superiority of the dominant group. It assumes a paternal posture towards “lesser” groups.

is the most negative. It is the attitudes, policies, and practices that are destructive to cultures and the individuals within these cultures. A system that adheres to a destructive extreme assumes that one race or culture is superior.

Ways to Facilitate Communication Across Cultural Boundaries

1. Recognize differences

2. Build Your Self-Awareness 3. Describe and Identify, then Interpret 4. Don’t assume your interpretation is

correct 5. Verbalize your own non-verbal signs 6. Share your experience honestly 7. Acknowledge any discomfort, hesitation, or concern

8. Practice politically correct communication 9.Give your time and attention when communicating 10.Don’t evaluate or judge 11.Avoid ethnocentrism 12.Look beyond stereotypes 13.Seek common ground

Finally……..3 R’s of culture-

Some definitions…… …

Prejudice Ethnocentrism Stereotype Sexism Multiculturalism Cultural Sensitivity Ethnicity Racism Race Internalized Oppression Discrimination Heterosexism Culture

The ability to be open to learning about and accepting of different cultural groups. Cultural Sensitivity

Prejudice Ethnocentrism Stereotype Sexism Multiculturalism Cultural Sensitivity Ethnicity Racism Race Internalized Oppression Discrimination Heterosexism Culture

A belief that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.

Racism

Prejudice Ethnocentrism Stereotype Sexism Multiculturalism Cultural Sensitivity Ethnicity Racism Race Internalized Oppression Discrimination Heterosexism Culture

A generalization of characteristics that is applied to all members of a cultural group.

Stereotype

Prejudice Ethnocentrism Stereotype Sexism Multiculturalism Cultural Sensitivity Ethnicity Racism Race Internalized Oppression Discrimination Heterosexism Culture

A subconscious belief in negative stereotypes about one’s group that results in an attempt to fulfill those stereotypes and a projection of those stereotypes onto other members of that group. Internalized oppression

Prejudice Ethnocentrism Stereotype Sexism Multiculturalism Cultural Sensitivity Ethnicity Racism Race Internalized Oppression Discrimination Heterosexism Culture

A belief in the inherent superiority of one pattern of loving over all and thereby the right to dominance. Heterosexism

Prejudice Ethnocentrism Stereotype Sexism Multiculturalism Cultural Sensitivity Ethnicity Racism Race Internalized Oppression Discrimination Heterosexism Culture

To make a difference in treatment on a basis other than individual character. Discrimination

Prejudice Ethnocentrism Stereotype Sexism Multiculturalism Cultural Sensitivity Ethnicity Racism Race Internalized Oppression Discrimination Heterosexism Culture

The recognition and acknowledgement that society is pluralistic. In addition to the dominant cultural, there exists many other cultures based around ethnicity, sexual orientation, geography, religion, gender, and class. Multiculturalism

Prejudice Ethnocentrism Stereotype Sexism Multiculturalism Cultural Sensitivity Ethnicity Racism Race Internalized Oppression Discrimination Heterosexism Culture

An attitude, opinion, or feeling formed without adequate prior knowledge, thought, or reason. Prejudice

Prejudice Ethnocentrism Stereotype Sexism Multiculturalism Cultural Sensitivity Ethnicity Racism Race Internalized Oppression Discrimination Heterosexism Culture

The belief in the inherent superiority of one sex (gender) over the other and thereby the right to dominance. Sexism

Prejudice Ethnocentrism Stereotype Sexism Multiculturalism Cultural Sensitivity Ethnicity Racism Race Internalized Oppression Discrimination Heterosexism Culture

A body of learned beliefs, traditions, principles, and guides for behavior that are shared among members of a particular group. Culture

Prejudice Ethnocentrism Stereotype Sexism Multiculturalism Cultural Sensitivity Ethnicity Racism Race Internalized Oppression Discrimination Heterosexism Culture

To judge other cultures by the standards of one’s own, and beyond that, to see one’s own standards as the true universal and the other culture in a negative way. Ethnocentrism

Prejudice Ethnocentrism Stereotype Sexism Multiculturalism Cultural Sensitivity Ethnicity Racism Race Internalized Oppression Discrimination Heterosexism Culture

As a biological concept, it defines groups of people based on a set of genetically transmitted characteristics. race

Prejudice Ethnocentrism Stereotype Sexism Multiculturalism Cultural Sensitivity Ethnicity Racism Race Internalized Oppression Discrimination Heterosexism Culture

Sharing a strong sense of identity with a particular religious, racial, or national group. Ethnicity