Cross-Cultural

Communications
in Business
MGT 3003: Business Communication
& Professional Development
Dr. Bennie Wilson
University of Texas at San Antonio
We’re Going To Talk
About….
 A Communications
Model
 What is “Culture”?
 Good Cross-Cultural
Communicators
 High-ContextCultures
 Low-Context Cultures
A Communications Model
Channel

Sender Message Audience

Feedback
A Better Communications
Model
Context
Channel

Sender Message Audience

Feedback
 What is Culture???
 Provides patterns of
acceptable behavior &
beliefs.
 May be based on….
 Nationality

 Race and Religion

 Historical Roots

 …All of the Above

Good Intercultural
Communicators Are….

 Awarevalues &
behaviors not
always “right.”

 Flexible & open to

change.
And…..
 Sensitive to verbal
& nonverbal
behavior.
 Aware of values,
beliefs, practices of
other cultures.
 Sensitive to
differences within
cultures.
 High-Context Cultures
 Infer information from
message context, rather than
from content.
 Prefer indirectness,  Asian
politeness & ambiguity.  Latin American
 Convey little information  Middle Eastern
explicitly.
 Rely heavily on nonverbal
signs.
 Low-Context Cultures
 Rely more on content
rather than on context.
 Explicitly spell out  European
information.  Scandinavian
 Value directness.  North American
 See indirectness as
manipulative.
 Value written word more
than oral statements.
Some Cultural Scenarios

Japan China

India Mexico
 JAPAN
To help her American Company establish a
presence in Japan, Mrs. Torres wants to hire a
local 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. Tomari's résumé is inflated.
 CHINA
Stan Williams wants to negotiate a joint venture
between his American firm and a Beijing-based
company. 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 then
says, “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 hasn’t heard anything. If China is going to be
so inefficient, he wonders if his company should try
to do business there.
 INDIA
Gloria Johnson is proud of her participatory
management style. Assigned in Bombay on
behalf 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 she established
does not work. Worse still, she doesn’t sense the
respect and camaraderie that she felt at the plant
she managed in Texas. Perhaps the people in
India just are not ready for a woman boss.
 MEXICO
Alan Caldwell is a U.S. sales representative in
Mexico City. He makes appointments with Senõr
Lopez 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 sightseeing
and about Alan’s family. Even worse, the meetings
are interrupted constantly with phone calls, long
conversations with other people, and even customers’
children who come into the office. Alan’s first report
to his home office is very negative. He hasn’t yet
made a sale. Perhaps Mexico just isn’t the right
place to do business.
 Cross-Cultural
Communications
in Business
MGT 3003, Business Communications

Dr. Bennie Wilson

University of Texas at San Antonio