Summarize 3 chapters
Faisal07
culturaldivch8CR.ppt
Chapter 8:
Culture and Communication in the Global Workplace
The Cultural Context for the Global Workplace
What is culture?
Culture consists of patterns, explicit or implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional (historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values; culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action, on the other as conditioning elements of further action (Kroeber and Kluckhohn, 1952,p. 181).
Hofstede (1997)
Dimensions of Cultural Difference
The Cultural Context for the Global Workplace
| Definition | Country-specific examples |
| Power Distance The extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally | Larger power distance: Malaysia, Guatemala, Panama, Philippines, Mexico. Small power distance: Australia, Israel, Denmark, New Zealand, Ireland |
Hofstede (1997)
The Cultural Context for the Global Workplace
Dimensions of Cultural Difference
| Definition | Country-specific examples |
| Individualism vs. Collectivism Individualism pertains to societies in which the ties between individuals are loose; Collectivism pertains to societies in which people are integrated into strong cohesive in-groups, which throughout people’s life time continue to protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. | High Individualism: USA, Australia, Great Britain, Canada, Netherlands High Collectivism: Guatemala, Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia |
Hofstede (1997)
The Cultural Context for the Global Workplace
Dimensions of Cultural Difference (cont.)
| Definition | Country-specific examples |
| Masculinity vs. Femininity Masculinity pertains to societies in which gender roles are clearly distinct; Femininity pertains to societies in which social gender roles overlap (both men and women are supposed to be modest, tender and concerned with quality of life.) | High Masculinity: Japan, Austria, Venezuela, Italy, Switzerland High Collectivism: Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Costa Rica |
Hofstede (1997)
The Cultural Context for the Global Workplace
Dimensions of Cultural Difference (cont.)
| Definition | Country-specific examples |
| Avoidance of Uncertainty The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situations – the extent to which they need predictability in the form of written and unwritten rules. | Weak Uncertainty Avoidance: Greece, Portugal, Guatemala, Uruguay, Belgium Strong Uncertainty Avoidance: Singapore, Jamaica, Denmark, Sweden, Hong Kong |
Cross-Cultural Communication
Cross-cultural Communication
Communication - a process by which people use symbols to convey meanings to each other
Barriers to Effective Cross-cultural Communication
Cross-cultural Communication
Examples of Barriers to Effective Cross-cultural Communication
Cross-cultural Communication
| Verbal Communication – (e.g, choosing which language to use - one’s own or the host country’s language) Language Fluency --linguistic skills that allow one to function much like a native speaker of the language Cultural Fluency-- ability to identify, understand, and apply cultural variables that influence the communicative behaviors of members of the other group Non-Verbal Communication – movements, gestures, and postures; the use of artifacts such as personal adornments and the physical setting; and clothing is extension of the body and is closely related to body image |
Cross-Cultural Communication Styles
To what extent would members of a particular cultural group
alter their preferred communication style when interacting
with members from another cultural group?
Cross-cultural Communication Styles
For example, will members of collectivist cultures become more direct and task oriented in their communication with members of individualist cultures?
In cross-cultural encounters that create uncertainty and or conflict, typically people resort to the familiarity of their own cultural norms and even more strongly exhibit their normative communication styles
Case Example –
South African Mining Company
The Issue: Management was unable to appropriately communicate with its workers – by failing to address the workers in a public forum and taking into account the South African concept of ubuntu.
The Result: A labor dispute and prolonged strike that cost the company greatly.
Ubuntu “You are only a human through other humans …through your relations to other humans.”
Desmond Tutu at a lecture at the University of Copenhagen, September 10, 2004
Cross-cultural Communication
