Communication and Globalization

Globalization – it is the process of bringing people

together and making them interact and exchange
ideas across traditional borders. (Nowaczyk, 2017)

Globalization is the increasing economic, political,

and cultural integration and interdependence of
diverse cultures. (Gamble and Gamble 2013)
Definition of Culture
Culture is the learned and shared behavior of
a community of interacting human beings.

Culture is a learned set of shared

interpretations about beliefs, values, and
norms that affect the behaviors of a relatively
large people.
The preceding definitions mean that we are
all part of various “groups” and “subgroups”
that can be characterized by:
a. nationality g. social class
b. language h. region
c. gender i. profession
d. age or generation
e. ethnicity
f. religion
Characteristics of Culture
1. Cultures are learned, not innate. We think
and act as Filipinos because our parents
brought us up this way. We acquired
knowledge and understanding of our cultural
norms from our parents, teachers, relatives
and friends.
2. Cultures are shared. We act as members
of our own cultural group, not as individuals,
because belong to a culture means following
the norms of the group. Fitting into a group
means acceptance and fellowship, and it
provides us members with feelings of
security and love.
3. Cultures are multifaceted. We are
surrounded by cultural norms that affect
language, religion, basic world view, education,
technology, social organization, politics and law,
all interacting with one another. Behaviors and
things common to people who live together in
social groups are considered cultural universals,
but the performance of these activities and
things differs dramatically from culture to
culture.
4. Cultures are dynamic. Cultures constantly
change as cultural contact increases, new
technologies emerge, and economic conditions
vary. Globalization has greatly changed
relationships of nations and governments. Cell
phones have drastically changed interpersonal
communication, and the availability of the
Internet has affected how people of varied
cultures recognize and respect their
differences.
5. Cultural identities are overlapping. We
belong to multiple, overlapping cultures as
we interact with one another. Some of these
cultures work together while others clash.
We all belong to national, regional, social
class, ethnic, professional, religious, and
gender cultures.
 Adaptation to New Cultures
1. Cultural integration is a form of cultural
exchange in which one group assumes the
beliefs, practices of another group without
sacrificing the characteristics of its own
culture.
2. Cultural assimilation occurs when
members of one cultural group adopt the
language, practices, and beliefs of another
group, often losing aspects of their
traditional culture in the process.
Ex:
Immigrants voluntarily adopt their new
country’s language.
The counterpart of cultural assimilation is
multiculturalism, in which cultural diversity is
encouraged and valued as beneficial to the society.

Multiculturalism is the belief that cultures, races,

and ethnicities, particularly those of minority
groups, should be accorded special
acknowledgment of their differences within a
dominant political culture.
3. Cultural accommodation refers to the process
by which individuals may take on values and
beliefs of the host culture and accommodate
them in the public sphere while maintaining the
parent culture in the private sphere.
Ex:
Filipinos who migrate to another country speak
their native language at home but outside, they
use the language of the receiving country.
 The Nature of Common Cultural Differences
1. Leadership. The key characteristic of leadership is
power or influence – the right to manipulate the
outcome of health, welfare, and critical decisions of
protection.
In a high power group leadership, the few in power
formulate policy and activity of the many.
Ex: Dictator
Chief
Minister
2. Work Productivity. A bipolar characteristic of being
masculine or feminine exists in the work force or a
family organization.
Masculine culture = aggressive, competitive, assertive
• winning is rewarder with honor

Feminine culture = gives importance to modesty, quality

of life, tenderness
• rewards are given for work satisfaction
• salaries are determined based on needs, not on
production
3. Group allegiance. A bipolar characteristic of individual
and group orientation exists. In an individual orientation
(individualism), an individual can change the standards of
culture.
Ex: Mohandas Gandhi
Martin Luther King
Adolf Hitler
Lee Kuan Yew
Ferdinand Marcos
Benigno Aquino
Group orientation (collectivism) puts emphasis
on the group, and sacrificing everything for the
sake of the group can change the future.
Example: Suicide terrorists.

Individualistic culture focuses on the “I.”

Collectivist culture focuses on “we.”

4. Task commitment. The focus is on
elements controlling the group, such as
tradition and commitment to the group (high
context culture) versus the individual (low-
context culture).

High context culture resists change.

Low context culture work for the good of the
cause, not the welfare of the group.
COMMUNICATION
ACROSS CULTURES
Communication within and across
Cultures
Kinds of Responses
1. Avoiding. We refuse to comply or do
business in cultures that operate according
to ethical principles that differ from ours.
2. Accomodating. We can accept the
different ethical system and conform to
practices different from ours.

3. Forcing. We can insist on doing business in

a way we believe is ethically proper.
4. Educating-Persuading. We can try to
convince the people with whom we want
to do business why our ethical principle is
more appropriate.
5. Negotiating – Compromising. We and
the other party can each give up
something to negotiate a settlement.
6. Collaboration – Problem Solving. We
can work with the other party to face the
problem directly and reach a mutually
satisfying solution.
Guidelines on Developing Intercultural Competence

1. Widen your field of experience by

making new contacts. Getting to know
people coming from your targeted group
whose culture differs from yours make
you understand the group and their
culture better.
2. Learn about the history and the
experiences and aspirations of people from
different cultures. Taking a course or reading
books about people of diverse cultures
makes you experience their cultures
vicariously, allowing you to understand and
appreciate them more.
3. Examine yourself for possible stereotypes.
Stereotypes and biases result from ignorance
about the targeted group. Being fair-minded
and unprejudiced makes you realize the
possibility that some of your judgments are
unfair and wrong.
4. Look at the world from someone else’s
way of looking at and thinking about
something, not just yours. Be emphatic; try
to understand other’s perspective-how they
make sense of their world-and try to
experience what and how they feel.
5. Work on becoming more self-confident.
The better we feel about ourselves, the more
likely we are to feel good about others, too,
and the more able we are not only to
understand them but also to learn from
them.
6. Appreciate cultural similarities and
differences. Use cultural resources to do this.
It allows you to understand the members of
different cultural groups and helps you
establish better intercultural relationships
and interactions.
7. Acknowledge the essential equality and
value of all cultures. Never feel superior to
people belonging to any other cultural group,
even a minority one.
8. Be sensitive and interpret cultural styles of
communication. Develop the ability to
understand the communication symbols of
the target culture-its verbal language, signs,
gestures, body language, and customs.
BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION
1. Ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism refers to the belief
that a person’s culture (his “in-group” culture), is
much better than any other group’s culture (“out-
group” culture), and the tendency is for that person
to judge any “out-group culture by using the norms
of his “in-group” culture.
If our ethnocentricity is high, the effect is negative.
If it is low, the effect is positive. You are interested to
interact with those belonging to the “out-group.”
2. Stereotypes and prejudices. Stereotyping and
being prejudiced against cultural groups are the
main barriers to intercultural communication. The
negative characteristics attributed to one group
can cause beliefs and feelings that lead to biases
and discrimination against that group. The
discriminated group often suffers from being
rejected and avoided in cross-cultural
interactions.
3. Stereotypes are often generalized negative traits
assigned to a group of people(e.g. race, nationality, social
class, sexual orientation, age, gender) even if these traits
may only reflect a selected few of the group. Simply said,
a stereotype is a generalization of a group o people
based on a small sample of these people. Stereotyping or
classifying an entire group of people or culture with
defining characteristics, which are usually unfair and
untrue, is much easier than explaining the complexities
of the uniqueness of specific situations and the individual
differences essential in each event.
4. Prejudice, an offshoot of stereotypes, is an unfair
thought, belief, or feeling of dislike for a person or
group because of race, nationality, gender, sexual
orientation, age, religion, and so on. It is a negative
preconceived opinion held by one group toward
members of another group that biases perception and
provides a reason for discrimination.
5. Assumed similarities. An assumption of
similarity is a baseless, unreasonable refusal
to see cultural differences where they exist.
This happens when members of one group
assume that all groups behave the same way
that what is true to their culture is also true
to all other cultures. This results in
insensitivity to cultural differences.
6. Anxiety. Intercultural communication anxiety is the
fear or apprehension associated with either real or
anticipated communication with people from another
cultural group. The fear is often caused by differences
in language ability, verbal and nonverbal
communication styles, and expression of emotions.
Both “in-group” and “out-group” cultures may
experience feelings of impatience, frustration, and
suspicion, while communicating or even in anticipation
of the interaction, which can then increase anxiety in
both parties.
Impact of Technology on Communication
1. Technology provides us with
unlimited information. Internet
provides convenient and fast
means of getting information.
2. It creates opportunities for
meeting new people. Many online
applications enable us to meet new
people anytime anywhere in the
world.
3. It helps us keep in touch with
family and friends anywhere in the
world. Computers, smartphones,
iPads, and email allow us to
communicate quickly and easily.
4. It brings new diversity to our culture
and our lives. The pace of change
caused by technology is simply
amazing. Google recipes, and you can
put sumptuous meals on the dining
table. Your cellphone, with its digital
camera, has replaced the film camera.
5. It fosters better cooperation among
different cultural groups. New technologies
help companies extend participation on a
project to an ever greater number of people,
allowing firms to tap into a wide body of
knowledge and expertise.
6. It isolates us. Cellphones take
us away from the people we
love.
7. It can make us create second lives.
Millions of people find solace in virtual
communities where they have found a
second life. You might have heard of Sim
City, Farmville, and Cities Skylines. In
these social networking sites, users
create or choose avatars to interact with
other users in anywhere in the world.