Challenges on International Business

Communication
Understanding Cultural Awareness and Cross-Cultural Communication Skills (Culturewise, 2015)
Saving Face in a  Business. Managing Cross-Cultural Interactions (Merkin, Rebecca S., 2018)

Prepared by: Erilia Kesumahati

 Cultural
CulturalDimensions
Dimensions

• Cultural dimensions are frameworks used to describe the shared assumptions that vary from culture
to culture, meaning that they are shared by members of the same society, not by individuals.

• Another term used to describe a cultural dimension is referred to as national culture -> described as
as a set of shared values, beliefs, and assumptions that have developed over time in a particular country.

• Despite the existence of in-country regional differences, national culture is a meaningful concept that is
commonly measured at the country level. However, it may also be shared by members of the same nation
who live outside their home country because formative experiences of culture shape patterns of thinking,
feeling, and acting in response to circumstances encountered in life.

Saving Face in a  Business. Managing Cross-Cultural Interactions (Merkin, Rebecca S., 2018)
 Hofstede’s
Hofstede’sCultural
CulturalDimensions
Dimensions

Saving Face in a  Business. Managing Cross-Cultural Interactions (Merkin, Rebecca S., 2018)
 Hofstede’s
Hofstede’sCultural
CulturalDimensions
Dimensions(Cont.)
(Cont.)

Power Distance

• Power distance is a measure of the amount and strength o interpersonal influence between two parties as perceived by the
least powerful of the two.
• Members of different cultures sometimes do not share the same views about how to treat superiors. Some see superiors more
as equals, whereas others view superiors as a supreme authority. Thus, cultural members’ perceptions of or reactions to power
distinctions are a consideration in cross-cultural interactions.
• If an employee addresses a superior by his or her first name when the superior has the latter cultural perception there would be
face concerns to address.
• Power distance is usually communicated as a reaction to reinforce hierarchical norms in a culture.

Saving Face in a  Business. Managing Cross-Cultural Interactions (Merkin, Rebecca S., 2018)
 Hofstede’s
Hofstede’sCultural
CulturalDimensions
Dimensions(Cont.)
(Cont.)

Individualism-
Collectivism
• Individualism is the relationship between individuals and the collectivity that prevails in their society. Individualists base their
identity on themselves alone. For example, individualists socially encourage originality and extroverted self-expression, which is
frowned upon in collectivistic cultures. their social group.

• Collectivism is “a tendency for a person to act in accordance with external expectations or social norms, rather than internal
wishes or personal integrity”. Collectivistic cultures emphasize conformity, empathy, and dependence. The conflicting values of
individualistic versus collectivistic needs tend to be reflected in interactions between cultures varying on this dimension.

Saving Face in a  Business. Managing Cross-Cultural Interactions (Merkin, Rebecca S., 2018)
 Hofstede’s
Hofstede’sCultural
CulturalDimensions
Dimensions(Cont.)
(Cont.)

Masculinity - Femininity

• The dimension of masculinity-femininity also refers to the dominant sex-role patterns in societies in that masculine cultures
place a greater emphasis on men being rigidly committed to culturally accepted models of masculinity than more feminine
societies do. Just as male communication is oriented towards status and power, masculine cultures emphasize success,
achievement, competition, and strength.

• In highly masculine cultures, masculinity is related to power, assertiveness, and the use of aggressive language, while
femininity is associated with passivity, empathy, and the use of more submissive and uncertain language. In contrast, those
from feminine cultures are less likely to differentiate between male and female roles in the workplace.

Saving Face in a  Business. Managing Cross-Cultural Interactions (Merkin, Rebecca S., 2018)
 Hofstede’s
Hofstede’sCultural
CulturalDimensions
Dimensions(Cont.)
(Cont.)

Uncertainty Avoidance

• Uncertainty avoidance refers to the extent to which people are made nervous (a reaction, as depicted in the model that
follows) by situations they consider to be unstructured, unclear, or unpredictable, and the extent to which they try to avoid
such situations by adopting strict codes of behavior and beliefs in absolute truths.

• Depending on the level of uncertainty avoidance, those from a particular culture tend to differ in how much ambiguity they
tolerate while perceiving others. The level of ambiguity tolerated by cultural variations in uncertainty avoidance tends to dictate
the likelihood that ritualistic responses to face-threatening situations will be used.

Saving Face in a  Business. Managing Cross-Cultural Interactions (Merkin, Rebecca S., 2018)
 Hofstede’s
Hofstede’sCultural
CulturalDimensions
Dimensions(Cont.)
(Cont.)
Long Term - Short Term
Orientation
• Long-term orientation refers to a society fostering virtues oriented towards future rewards, such as the promotion of cooperation
and harmony for the good of all. Other long-term-oriented values include thrift, hard work, and persistence.
• Long-term-oriented values vary and are situated along a continuum of countries’ scores between the poles of long-term and
short-term orientations. In general, those from ong-term-oriented cultures are more willing to delay short-term gratification to
achieve future success.
• Short-term orientation stands for societal values related more to the present than to the past. Examples of such values include
respect for tradition, preservation of face, and fulfilling social obligations.

Saving Face in a  Business. Managing Cross-Cultural Interactions (Merkin, Rebecca S., 2018)
 Hofstede’s
Hofstede’sCultural
CulturalDimensions
Dimensions(Cont.)
(Cont.)

Indulgence - Restraint

• Indulgence refers to a society that allows relatively unrestricted gratification of basic and natural human drives related to
enjoying life. The other pole of indulgence versus restraint refers to a society that either indulges in desires or subdues
gratification of desires and controls it through strict social norms.

• The concept of indulgence versus restraint as more or less complementary to long versus short-term orientation and
unexpectedly found them to weakly correlate negatively.

Saving Face in a  Business. Managing Cross-Cultural Interactions (Merkin, Rebecca S., 2018)
 Understanding
UnderstandingCulture
CultureShock
Shock

The term 'culture shock' is used to describe some of the more pronounced reactions to spending an extended period of
time in a culture very different from your own. Many of the elements of culture shock (that is, stress, anxiety and
discomfort) can be experienced at home, or even during the briefest of cross-cultural encounters. Culture shock can also
explain the longer-term process of cultural adaptation experienced by people undertaking overseas assignments.

Understanding Cultural Awareness and Cross-Cultural Communication Skills (Culturewise, 2015)

 The Cause of Culture Shock
The Cause of Culture Shock
What we loose:
1. Contact with family, friends, and possessions.
2. Control and predictability in our environment.

What we have to deal with:

1. Different environmental conditions.
2. Unpredictable life.
3. Inappropriate expectations.
4. Lack of social skills.
5. Different value systems.
6. Difficulties in communicating, changes in status
7. Difficulties in making friends or establishing relationship

Understanding Cultural Awareness and Cross-Cultural Communication Skills (Culturewise, 2015)

 Symptoms of Culture Shock
Symptoms of Culture Shock

Physcological: Disorientation, uneasiness, phycological instability, a sense of lose, surprise, anxiety, frustration.

Physical: headache, sickness, unsual drinking/eating/sleeping habit, crying over insignificant problems.

Functional: inability to function effectively.

Understanding Cultural Awareness and Cross-Cultural Communication Skills (Culturewise, 2015)

 The
TheProcess
ProcessofofCulture
CultureShock
ShockAdaptation
Adaptation

Pre-
assignment Honeymoon Disorientation Shock
phase

Adaptation
Re-entry
and Acceptance
shock
Integration

Understanding Cultural Awareness and Cross-Cultural Communication Skills (Culturewise, 2015)

 Coping
CopingWith
WithCulture
CultureShock
Shock

Anticipate Find as much Make physical

Fight stress
culture shock information preparation

Give yourself
Take care of Build support Discuss your
time and space
yourself network experiences
to adapt
Stay positif, be
Set realistic yourself and
goals retain a sense of
humor
Understanding Cultural Awareness and Cross-Cultural Communication Skills (Culturewise, 2015)
 The Challenges on Cross-cultural
The Challenges on Cross-cultural
Communication
Communication

Languange Non verbal Cultural Challenges on virtual

barriers barriers barriers communication

Absence of nonverbal communication Lack of immediate

channel feedback

Loss of inhibition

Understanding Cultural Awareness and Cross-Cultural Communication Skills (Culturewise, 2015)

 Cross-cultural
Cross-culturalCommunication
CommunicationSkills
Skills
Know yourself to know others

Clarify, clarify, clarify

Listen, listen, listen

Summarize, summarize, summarize

Use questions effectively and often

Spell things out explicitly

Be open and friendly

Understanding Cultural Awareness and Cross-Cultural Communication Skills (Culturewise, 2015)

 Cross-cultural
Cross-culturalCommunication
CommunicationSkills
Skills(Cont.)
(Cont.)

Invite feedback, don’t just expect it

Grade your language to your counterpart

Make sure your verbal and non-verbal

communication agree
Understanding Cultural Awareness and Cross-Cultural Communication Skills (Culturewise, 2015)
 Handling
HandlingCros-cultural
Cros-culturalMisunderstanding
Misunderstanding

Recognize the cultural dimension

Analysed what caused it

Five Steps
Decide what your options are
RADAR Strategy
Act on the best option

Review what happened

Understanding Cultural Awareness and Cross-Cultural Communication Skills (Culturewise, 2015)