Understanding Culture and Communication

What is culture?
Culture is defined as the complex system of values, traits, morals, customs shared by a society.
UNDERSTANDING CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION
Key elements of culture

Context

Communication
Individualism
style

Power distance Time orientation

What is context?
Context is defined as the stimuli, environment, or ambience surrounding an event (1976,
Edward. T. Hall)
Hall arranged cultures on a continuum from low to high in relation to context.

Low- context cultures

 - Communicators depend little on the context and shared experience to convey their
meaning.
- Messages are explicit, and listeners rely solely on written and spoken words.
- Messages should be objective, professional and efficient.
- Words are taken literally.
- Some low-context cultures include: The United States, Canada, Australia, The
Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland
High- context cultures
- Communicators assume that listeners do not need background information.
- Communicators emphasize interpersonal relationship, non-verbal expressions, physical
setting, and social context.
- Communication cues tend to be transmitted by posture, voice inflection, gestures and
facial expression.
- Some low-context cultures include: Japan, India, Indonesia, Korea, Kenya and Russia
Examples of High- and Low-Context Scenarios

INDIVIDUALISM VS COLLECTIVISM
Individualism
- Low-context cultures tend to value individualism.
- They believe that initiative and self-assertion result in personal achievement.
- They uphold individual action and personal responsibility.
- They expect much freedom in their personal lives.
Collectivism
- High-context cultures are more collectivist.
- They emphasize membership in an organizations, groups and teams.
- They embrace group values, duties and decisions.
- They resist independence since it fosters competition and confrontation.
- Business decisions are made collectively.

POWER DISTANCE
- Power distance index measures how people in different societies cope with inequality
(the way they relate to more powerful individuals)
 -In high-power distance countries, subordinates expect formal hierarchies and embrace
relatively authoritarian, paternalistic power relationships.
- In low-power distance countries, subordinates consider themselves as equals of their
supervisors. They voice opinions and participate in decision making.
COMMUNICATION STYLES

ENSURING CULTURAL EFFECTIVENESS

Avoiding Ethnocentrism and Stereotyping
Ethnocentrism is the belief in the superiority of one’s own ethnic group. Ethnocentrism causes
people to judge others by their own values.
Stereotype is an oversimplified, rigid perception of a behavioral pattern or characteristic
applied uncritically to groups. Stereotypes may be hurtful and cause misunderstanding.

Tolerance and Open-mindedness

- Tolerance means learning about those who are not like us.
- Be receptive to new experiences.
- Tolerance leads to understanding and acceptance.
- Be empathetic, trying to see the world through another’s eyes.
- Be less judgmental and eager to seek common ground.
Successful Oral Communication with Intercultural Audiences

Successful Written Communication with Intercultural Awareness

Communicating in Diverse Workplace
How to improve communication and interaction in a diverse workplace?
§ Seek training
Intercultural communication, team building, and conflict resolution are skills that can be
learned.
§ Understanding the value of difference.
Diversity makes an organization innovative and creative. Sameness hinders critical thinking.
§ Learn about your cultural self.
Travelling makes you learn not only about other cultures but about your own.
Be ready to adapt to change.
§ Make fewer assumptions.
Do not assume that everyone shares the same beliefs, perceptions, sexual orientations, and
attitudes toward marriages.
§ Build on similarities.
Look for common ground in shared experience, mutual goals, and similar values.