Abstract
Current developments in technology have transformed the way businesses are transacted. The high technological advancements have made it easy to outsource labor from other countries and even continents. As a result, business people come across varying cultural settings. This is a concern for the investors as they have to maintain the high competitive levels. This paper looks at some of the methods to overcome the multicultural barriers through the eyes of a well established business personnel.
Intercultural Business Interview
Mr. Bob Coyle is an established businessman in my neighborhood, owning and operating a chain of distribution stores in the township. He deals with merchandise such as designer clothes and other attires. The information presented in this paper was gained from an interactive interview with him in his office at around 1PM. The aim of this interview was to establish how successful business individuals overcome the challenges of an intercultural business setting. Some of the resources recommended by Mr. Coyle have been highlighted in this essay.
First, he cited that it is important to understand the culture of the people you are working with. This is because effective communication is the bridge between the major activities of a business setting. As such, ineffective communication can be quite expensive for the business. A further complication in business is the global nature of the economy. The global nature puts more complexity in the business setting, calling for a multicultural approach to business. With a multicultural setting comes the issue of communication that has to be streamlined in order to accommodate all and avoid misunderstandings.
In order to understand the cultural setting, Coyle noted the importance of understanding different facets of interculture. To be effective in this, he recommended the Kwintessential (2011) site, which gives different aspects that an individual in a multicultural setting need to understand. According to Coyle, public relations are a major concept leading to the success of a business. He notes that this needs the use of language. In a multicultural setting, there is the likelihood of language clash. For instance, language and culture can be a real challenge. Therefore, an individual needs to be careful in the words and phrases used in PR. The slogan in one language cannot fit in another. For instance, when Ford tried to market the ‘Pinto’ in Brazil, it failed since the word in Brazil means ‘small male genitals’ and no one could drive such a car.
The spoken word should also be well structured in order to avoid confusion. For instance, some metaphors, aphorisms, humor and anecdotes are taken differently by different cultures. Therefore, what may be amusing and meaningful to one community might be offensive and meaningless to another. Therefore a speaker must consider the distinctions between the cultures for effective communication. The same should be considered when undertaking communication through print. Lastly, the communication channels and the PR materials should be carefully chosen. The methods used may have no effect in one country but may have adverse effects in another. For instance, a live TV interruption could pass unnoticed in the UK while the same would be received with contempt in other countries. This shows the need to carefully consider the marketing strategies for each setting (Kwintessential, 2011).
This source, according to Coyle, can be real helpful in assisting an international businessman to smoothly go on with his activities. It offers a wide range of helpful information such as cross cultural courses, intercultural training and intercultural management training. These, combined with cultural awareness training and articles can really equip an individual to be effective in a multicultural setting. It gives three major forms of services, namely intercultural communication, translation and interpreting and tools and resources.
Even if well equipped with information, there are still challenges associated with cross cultural communication. To this effect, Coyle recommends the tips by Schuler (2003). He notes that being difference can feel like a threat at first, but an individual should not be worried as this is a normal occurrence. Therefore, an individual should not fear interacting with others as this is the best way to learn. This helps to eventually overcome stereotyping and also appreciate the differences between one’s culture and other cultures. This ultimately leads to a peaceful co-existence, thereby promoting business.
Non-verbal communication is largely used in any business setting. It is therefore important that an investor is well versed with the non-verbal communication by the different cultures. To this effect, Coyle recommends the reading by Krizan et al (2010). According to Krizan, in a multicultural setting, non-verbal communication varies as much as written and spoken languages. For instance, greetings can be through varying non-verbal means such as a handshake, a bow, an upward flick of the eye or a hug. It is important to understand which method is preferred at any given setting. These varying characteristics should be carefully considered.
Failure to understand the varying non-verbal communication strategies can be the precursor to serious business conflicts which can result to eventual loss of prospective business partners. For instance, thumbs up sign may be appreciated in America but it is vulgar in Ghana. Similarly, crossing legs and placing the ankle on the knee of the other leg is seen as impolite by the Japanese, rather, both feet should be on the ground with the knees placed together.
In conclusion, Coyle observed that mastering the modes in the different cultures and choosing the best method is the trick in multicultural business communication.
References
Kirzan, A.C., Merrier, P., Logan, J.P. & Williams, K.S. (2010). Business Communication (8th ed). Cengage Learning. Pp. 35. Retrieved on 27th Nov. 2011 from http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=c5ZB0uDhISoC&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&dq=necessity+of+non-verbal+communication+in+multicultural+business+setting&source=bl&ots=FV33YH5yOl&sig=rPXZLhmmvdJeg4th9bRfBImAEqI&hl=en&ei=LWzSTqX8Oc7LsgbDjfm1DA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFwQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=necessity%20of%20non-verbal%20communication%20in%20multicultural%20business%20setting&f=false
Kwintessential. (2011). Cross Cultural Solutions for International Business. Retrieved on 27th Nov. 2011 from http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cultural-services/articles/cross-cultural-solutions-international-business.html
Schuler, A.J. (2003). Cross Cultural Communication. Retrieved on 27th Nov. 2011 from http://www.schulersolutions.com/cross_cultural_communication.html
