Introduction to Intercultural Communications
Today’s global workplace involves many people of various cultural backgrounds to be communicating on a daily and work related basis. Hence, intercultural communications is rooted on the understanding of national cultures as its basic principle (Baldwin & Lindsley, 1994). Each nation has its own culture and the concept of intercultural communications is founded on the national culture ((Baldwin & Lindsley, 1994). According to Mitchell (2000), intercultural communication was first used by Edward T. Hall in 1959 and it basically means “interpersonal communication between members of different cultures.” De Vito (2010) suggested that it is best understood as a subset of interpersonal communications. Intercultural communication consists of international, interethnic, Interracial, and interregional communications. He also considered it as both a discipline and a phenomenon.
As a phenomenon, intercultural communication is universal. This type of communication has been going on for thousands of years. It dates back to the primary mingling of the nomadic tribes (Mitchell, 2000). It became necessary when sailors visited foreign lands and when the Gold Rush ensued. During the great Tang Dynasty in China, the famous Silk Road lent itself as an avenue for intercultural communications (Mitchell, 2000).
Intercultural work communication, just like the other academic and business fields, is a combination of many disicplines. It includes , , and communication. These field also go beyond both the study of communication strategies used by the mainstream populations and the approach to inter-ethnic relations (DeVito, 2010). Specifically, it involves the study of languages other than one’s own. This provides further understanding of the commonalities of human beings. It also assists in the better understanding of the diversity which is fundamental not only in languages but in the way it constructs and organizes knowledge and the many different realities in which people all over the world live and interact. Such understanding will have an extensive implications with respect to the development of a critical awareness of social relationships (Mitchell, 2000). The understanding of social relationships and the cultural dynamics especially int he work context is the groundwork of successful globalization business endeavors (Mitchel, 2000).
The main theories for intercultural work communication rely on the researches differentiating the distinct value differences between many cultures. This particularly includes the research works of , , , and (Baldwin & Lindsley, 1994). It also includes the work of and 's model on international cultural crossing which operates in organizations (Mitchell, 2000). These theories have been used in several different communication theories and contexts.
In the work contexts, intercultural communications is a common daily occurrence. This is especially extensivein the light of the global work environment. The communication between cultures happens virtually every day as global companies and work settings continuously communicate to one another. It is prevalent more than ever (Love & Powers, 2003). According to Oetzel, et. al. (2001), there were various developments that are critical to the rapid increase of intercultural work communications:
1. Improvements in transportation technology – this reduced the global village by enabling more people to travel almost anywhere in the world in dramatically less period of travel time. It will further be reduced in the future. A shortened travel time means more people will visit many places and thus make intercultural communications more prevalent.
2. Advancements in communication technology – similar to travel time, this prompted instant communications in any parts of the world. It enables instantaneous vocal, graphic, textual and even video communication globally. The emergence of the Internet and the World Wide Web has also served as an easy platform for people around the world to interact and communicate with one another.
3. Changes in mass migration patterns – this has contributed to the development of the global village. As people move across borders for work related reasons, cultural contacts ever intensified.
4. Globalization of the world economy – the conduct of global business was expanded by international business and international communication. In both developed and developing economies, business transactions across international boundaries encouraged more intercultural communications. Multinational companies communicate intensively as they deal with foreign suppliers, customers, and co-workers.
Promoting Intercultural Work Communications
As culture defines all aspect of the verbal and non verbal communications, this is crucial in the work setting. It can create either a positive or negative effect in the smooth flow of work processes. Hence, intercultural work communication is crucial in today's diverse and gobal workplace. Common miscommunication gaps occur when global employees are not conscious of each other's culture. This can stir conflict and hard feelings among employees and managers.
According to Ting-Toomey (2005), the major step in ensuring effective intercultural work communication is to help employees and managers to understand the link between their core cultural values and their intercultural communication style. They must also overcome the cultural barriers and adapt to their foreign counterparts’ cultural attitudes and special needs to promote a more productive and effective work environment. These include the following strategies:
- Developing Intercultural Sensitivity – this is promoted by discouraging behavior that makes others feel excluded. Work organizations address this by preventing cultural stereotypes and establishing effective rules for appropriate behavior. A safe and conducive work environment also promtoes this. This entails respects for all cultures and their specific norms. Employees are encouraged to reduce their differences and focus on attainig the company's strategic goals. By uniting diverse groups and allowing employees to ignore cultural differences, managers provide a more cohesive work force. Employees must also be encouraged to accept their differences and adapt their behavior to conform with other cultures. By doing so, they enrich their cultural identity and ability to succeed in the work setting.
- Focusing on Individual Behavior – this is done by focusing on concrete behavior geared towards maintaining a productive work environment. It disregards attitudes, prejudices, assumption, etc. Employees are also encouraged to evaluate their communications skills so as to identify their strengths and weaknesses in intercultural work communications. Conducting workshops and simulation games will also be helpful for a more successful work cooperation.
- Corporate adherence to multidiversity and cross cultural work setting – a work organization’s strong foundation is set up internally and it is seen by its solid code of ethics and conduct which establishes smooth cultural communication and diversity in its members. This allows employees to emulate and draw on these policies in times of communication gap, conflict or confusion.
It is crucial to understand the cultural norms of work members and employers to avoid intercultural communication gaps and work conflicts. Knowledge and training are very important to resolve these problems and avoid unnecessary communciations conflicts in the future.
References:
Baldwin, J.R., & Lindsley, S.L. (1994). Conceptualizations of culture. Tempe: Urban Studies Center, Arizona State University.
DeVito, J. (2010). Essentials of Human Communication. New York: Pearson.
Love, D. E., & Powers, W. G. (2003). Communicating under uncertainty: Interaction between Arab students and Western instructors. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 31, 217-231.
Mitchell, Charles. (2000). International Business Culture. Shanghai : Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, p.2-4.
Oetzel, J., Ting-Toomey, S., Masumoto, T., Yokochi, Y, Pan, X., Takai, J., & Wilcox, R. (2001). Face and facework in conflict: A cross-cultural comparison of China, Germany, Japan, and the United States. Communication Monographs, 68, 235-358.
Ting-Toomey, S. (2005). Identity negotiation theory: Crossing national boundaries. In W. B. Gudykunst (Ed.), Theorizing intercultural communication (pp. 211-233). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
