Chapter 4

Communicating Across
Cultures

PowerPoint by
Kristopher Blanchard
North Central University

© 2006 Prentice Hall 4-1

 The Communication Process
Cultural communications are deeper and
more complex than spoken or written
messages. The essence of effective cross-
cultural communication has more to do with
releasing the right responses than with
sending the “right” messages.
—Hall and Hall

© 2006 Prentice Hall 4-2

 The Communication Process
Managers spend between 50% and 90% of
their time talking to people
Managers communicate to:
– Coordinate activities
– Disseminate information
– Motivate people
– Negotiate future plans

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 The Communication Process

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 Cultural Noise
Cultural Noise – cultural variables that undermine
the communication of intended meaning
Intercultural communication – when the member
of one culture sends a message to a member of
another culture
Attribution – the process in which people look for
an explanation of another person’s behavior

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 Cultural Noise

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 Trust in Communication
Trust: willingness to be vulnerable to
another in situations involving risk
Effective communication depends on
informal understandings among individuals
that are based upon trust
When there is trust between individuals an
implicit understanding in communication is
present

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 Trust in Communication
Guidelines for developing trust
– Create a clear and calculated basis for mutual
benefit
– Have realistic commitments and good
intentions to honor them
– Improve predictability: resolve conflicts and
keep communication open
– Develop mutual bonding through socializing
and friendly contact

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 Cultural Variables
Attitudes – ethnocentric and stereotypical
attitudes are a particular source of noise in
cross-cultural communication
Social Organization – nations, tribes,
religious sects, or professions can influence
our priorities and values
Thought Patterns – the logical progression
of reasoning varies by culture

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 Cultural Variables
Roles – the perception of the manager’s role
differs considerable around the world, consider the
conversation between the American and Greek
Nonverbal Communication – behavior
communicated without words; even minor
variations in body language, speech rhythms, and
punctuality can cause mistrust
– 65-93% of interpreted communication

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 Cultural Variables
Language – an inability to speak the local
language, and a poor or too literal
translation are often causes for mistrust
– Pepsi’s slogan “Come Alive with Pepsi”
translated into German as “Come out of the
grave.”
– Rendezvous lounges on 747’s were not used on
airlines because in Portuguese ‘rendezvous’
refers to prostitution
Lost in translation

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 Cultural Variables - Language

Britain and America are two

nations separated by a common
language.
- George Bernard Shaw

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 Cultural Variables -Time
Mono-chronic Cultures – Time is
experienced in a linear manner; generally
mono-chronic people concentrate on one
thing at a time and adhere to time
commitments
Poly-chronic Cultures – Many things occur
simultaneously and emphasize involvement
with people

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 Context
Context in which the communication takes
place affects the meaning and interpretation
of the interaction
Cultures are either high- or low- context
– High: feelings and thoughts are NOT explicitly
expressed, one has to read between the lines
– Low: feelings and thoughts are expressed in
words and information is more readily
available.

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 Context

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 Comparative Management Focus:
Communicating with Arabs
Arabs are warm, emotional, and quick to explode
The language aptly communicates the Arabic
culture – one of emotional extremes
– Contains means for over expression
– Words that allow for exaggeration
– Metaphors that emphasize a position
– Many adjectives
– What is said is not as important as how it is said

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 Comparative Management Focus:
Communicating with Arabs
The core of the culture is friendship, honor,
religion, and traditional hospitality
Family and friends take precedence over
business transactions
Hospitality is a way of life and is highly
symbolic
Women play little or no role in business or
entertainment – it is a male-dominated
society
© 2006 Prentice Hall 4-17
 Comparative Management Focus:
Communicating with Arabs
Society values honor – which is brought
about when conformity is achieved
Shame results not just from doing
something wrong but from having others
find out about it
High contact and High context

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 Comparative Management Focus:
Communicating with Arabs

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 Comparative Management Focus:
Communicating with Arabs
Be patient. Recognize the Arab attitude
toward time and hospitality—take time to
develop friendship and trust, for these are
prerequisites for any social or business
transactions.
Recognize that people and relationships
matter more to Arabs than the job,
company, or contract—conduct business
personally, not by correspondence or
telephone.

© 2006 Prentice Hall 4-20

 Comparative Management Focus:
Communicating with Arabs
Avoid expressing doubts or criticism when
others are present—recognize the
importance of honor and dignity to Arabs.
Adapt to the norms of body language,
flowery speech, and circuitous verbal
patterns in the Middle East, and don’t be
impatient to “get to the point.”
Expect many interruptions in meetings,
delays in schedules, and changes in plans.

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 Information Systems
Communication varies according to
– Where and how it originates
– The channels and the speed which it flows
• Most of the world exchanges information slower than US
– Whether it is formal or informal
The nature of the organization’s information
system are affected by
– Organizational structure
– Staffing policies
– Leadership style

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 Information Technology
The Internet as a global medium for
communication allows companies to
develop a presence in markets globally
Companies must adapt their web
communication to deal with local cultural
variables

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 Managing Cross-Cultural
Communication
Cultural Sensitivity
Careful Encoding
Selective Transmission
Careful Decoding
Appropriate Follow-up Actions

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 Appropriate Follow-Up Actions
Respect (eye contact, posture, tone, etc)
Interaction posture – ability to respond in a
descriptive, non-evaluative, and non-
judgmental way
Orientation to knowledge – understand that
your beliefs and perceptions are only valid
for you and not everyone else
Empathy

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 Appropriate Follow-Up Actions
Interaction management
Tolerance for ambiguity
Other-oriented role behavior – capacity to
be flexible and to adopt different roles for
the sake of the greater group
cohesion/communication

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 Looking Ahead
Chapter 5 – Cross-cultural Negotiation and
Decision making
– Negotiation
– The negotiation process
– Understanding negotiation styles
– Managing negotiation
– Decision making

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 High Context
Feelings and thoughts are not explicitly
expressed
Meaning is found in the general
understanding of the other person and their
surroundings
Most communication takes place within a
context of extensive information networks
resulting from close personal relationships
Return

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 Low Context
Feelings and thoughts are expressed n
words, and information is more readily
available
Normally these cultures compartmentalize
their business and personal relationships

Return

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 Nonverbal Communication
Kinesic Behavior
refers to
communication
through body
movements like
posture, gestures,
facial expressions, and
eye contact

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 Nonverbal Communication
Proxemics deals with how space influences the
communication process
– High contact – preferring to stand close, touch, and experience a
close sensory involvement
– Low-contact – prefer much less sensory involvement, standing
farther apart and touching less

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 Nonverbal Communication
Paralanguage refers to how something is
said rather than the content
– Rate of speech, tone, inflection, other noises,
laughing, yawning, etc.
– Silence is a powerful communicator
Object language refers to communication
through material artifacts
– Office design, furniture, clothing ,cars, etc.
Return

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 Cultural Sensitivity
When sending a message make it a point to
know the recipient
Encode the message in a form that will most
likely be understood as it is intended
This means the manager must
– Be aware of their own culture
– The recipient’s culture
– The expectations surrounding the situation
Return

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 Careful Encoding
The sender must consider the receiver’s frame of
reference to make the best choice regarding
– Words
– Pictures
– Gestures
Remember that language translation is only part of
the process, consider the nonverbal language as
well

Return

© 2006 Prentice Hall 4-34

 Selective Transmission
The channel medium should be chosen after
considering:
– The nature of the message
– Level of importance
– Context and expectations of the receiver
– Timing involved
– Personal interactions

Return

© 2006 Prentice Hall 4-35

 Careful Decoding of Feedback
Best means for obtaining accurate feedback
is face-to-face interactions
Best means for avoiding miscommunication
is to improve your own listening and
observation skills
Three types of miscommunications
– Receiver misinterpreted the message
– Receiver encoded response incorrectly
– Sender misinterprets the feedback
Return
© 2006 Prentice Hall 4-36