04/04/2024

CROSS-CULTURAL
COMMUNICATION GFMA5033 International
Management

CULTURE The culture of a society comprises the shared values,

understandings, assumptions, and goals that are
learned from earlier generations, imposed by present
members of a society, and passed on to succeeding
generations.
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CULTURAL VARIABLES AND DIMENSIONS VALUE DIMENSIONS

Contingency management requires Many countries are comprised of

managers to adapt to the local
environment and people and to
manage accordingly.
diverse subcultures, whose constituents
conform in varying degrees to the
national character.
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Cultural variables result Values are a society’s Values determine how
However, a cultural profile is a good from unique sets of ideas about what is individuals will
Good managers treat people as
starting point to help managers develop shared values among good or bad, right or probably respond in
individuals, and they consciously avoid
some tentative expectations¾ some different groups of wrong. any given circumstance.
cultural context¾ as a backdrop to
any form of stereotyping.
managing in a specific international people.
setting.

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INDIVIDUALISM AND MASCULINITY

High Individualism Low
Individualism Collectivism

AUL US UK CAN FRA GER SPA JPN MEX ITK KOR SIN

HOFSTEDE’S 01 02 03 04 High Masculinity Low

VALUE Power
distance
Uncertainty
avoidance
Individualism Masculinity Assertive/Materialistic Relational

DIMENSIONS JPN MEX GER UK US ARA FRA KOR POR CHC DEN SWE

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POWER DISTANCE AND UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE JAPANESE AND MEXICAN CULTURE

Dimension Japanese Culture Mexican Culture
Power Distance
High Orientation Toward Authority Low Hierarchical nature Rigid in rank and most communication; Rigid in rank and most communication;
blurred in authority and responsibility blurred in authority and responsibility
MAL ARA MEX IND FRA ITA JPN SPA ARG US GER UK DEN ISR AUT Individualism versus Highly collective culture; loyalty to work Collective relative to family group; don’t
collectivism group dominates; group harmony very transfer loyalty to work group;
important individualistic outside family
Attitudes toward work Work is sacred duty; acquiring skills, Work is means to support self and family;
working hard, thriftiness, patience and leisure more important than work
perseverance are virtues

Uncertainty Avoidance Time orientation Balanced perspective; future oriented; Present oriented; time is imprecise; time
monochronic in dealings with outside world commitments become desirable objectives
High Desire for Stability Low Approach to problem Holistic, reliance on intuition, pragmatic; Reliance on intuition and emotion;
solving consensus important individual approach

GRE JPN FRA KOR ARA GER AUL CAN US UK IND DEN SIN Fatalism Fatalism leads to preparation Fatalism makes planning, disciplined
routine unnatural
View of human nature Intrinsically good Mixture of good and evil

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COMMUNICATION THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

Sender Medium Receiver
The term communication describes Meaning Encode Message Decode Meaning
the process of sharing meaning by
transmitting messages through
media such as words, behavior, or
material artifacts. Noise

Culture
Feedback

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CULTURAL NOISE IN THE CULTURE–

THE COMMUNICATION
PROCESS COMMUNICATION LINK
• Trust in Communication
When a member of one culture sends
a message to a member of another  Effective communication between entities depends on trust.
culture, intercultural communication  The meaning of trust, and how it is developed and
takes place. communicated, varies across societies.
When the message reaches the  Cultivating trust:
receiver, it undergoes a transformation  Create a clear and calculated basis for mutual benefit. There
in which the influence of the decoder’s must be realistic commitments and good intentions to honor
culture becomes part of the meaning. them.
 Improve predictability: Strive to resolve conflicts and keep
Attribution is the process in which communication open.
people look for the explanation of  Develop mutual bonding through regular socializing and
another person’s behavior. friendly contact.

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THE CULTURE– THE CULTURE–

COMMUNICATION LINK COMMUNICATION LINK
• The GLOBE Project
• Trust in the Digital Age
An insight into culturally appropriate
The confidence placed in an organization to communication styles and expectations for the
collect, store, and use the digital information of manager to use abroad.
others in a manner that benefits and protects
those to whom the information pertains. • Cultural Variables in the Communication Process
Attitudes
Four pillars of digital trust in order to develop
Social organization
trust with consumers regarding a brand: Thought patterns
 Security Roles
 Accountability Language
Nonverbal communication
 Privacy
Time
 Value/ Benefits
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THE CULTURE– THE CULTURE–

COMMUNICATION LINK COMMUNICATION LINK
• Pronounce words clearly
Second Language •
•
Avoid slang
Use shorter sentences
Use
Some best
• Distribute written summaries of a
practices
presentation
for
speaking • Use more pauses and take more
Business professional who with a non- breaks
is less skilled at speaking a native • Repeat important information—
MNC managers usually even with different words to
speak more than one
second (or third) language, speaker
languages
the native language speaker include: explain the same point
needs to communicate • Encourage nonnative speakers to
without complex terms. repeat concepts to ensure
comprehension

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NON-VERBAL KINESIC BEHAVIOR

COMMUNICATION
Behavior that communicates
without words (although it
The term kinesic behavior refers
often is accompanied by to body movements - posture,
words). gestures, facial expressions, and
eye contact.

Four types: While such actions may be

universal, their meaning often
kinesic
behavior
proxemics paralanguage
object
language is not.

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PROXEMICS PARALANGUAGE

Proxemics deals with the influence of The term paralanguage refers to

proximity and space on communication - how something is said rather
both personal space and office space or than the content - the rate of
layout. speech, the tone and inflection
of voice, other noises, laughing,
or yawning.

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OBJECT LANGUAGE/ FORMS OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

MATERIAL CULTURE
 Facial expressions  Eye contact
The term object language refers communicate through
 Body posture  Clothing, cosmetics, hairstyles, jewelry
material artifacts, whether architecture, office design and
 Paralanguage
furniture, clothing, cars, or cosmetics.  Gestures with hands, arms, head, etc.
 Color symbolism
 Interpersonal distance (proxemics)
 Attitudes toward time
 Touching, body contact
 Food symbolism and social use of meals

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CULTURAL CONTEXT AND ITS EFFECT ON

COMMUNICATION
CONTEXT AND INFORMATION FLOW
(high context/implicit)
Japan
High

Middle East
Latin America
Africa In high-context cultures (such as the Middle East), information
Mediterranean spreads rapidly and freely because of the constant close contact
Context

England and the implicit ties among people and organizations.

France
North America
Scandinavia In low-context cultures (such as the United States), information
Germany is controlled and focused, and thus it does not flow as freely.
Low

(low context/explicit) Switzerland

Low Explicitness of communication High

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
MANAGING Development of
cultural sensitivity

GOING GLOBAL AND ACTING LOCAL CROSS-CULTURAL

COMMUNICATION Careful encoding
• Using the Internet as a global medium for
communication has enabled companies of all sizes Steps toward
to quickly develop a presence in many markets effective intercultural Selective
communication transmission
around the world. include:
• While communication over the Internet is clearly not
as personal as face-to-face cross-cultural Careful decoding
communication, those transactions must still be
regionalized and personalized.
Appropriate follow-
• Global online strategy must also be multi-local. up actions

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CAREFUL ENCODING

• Language translation is only part of the encoding

process; the message is also expressed in nonverbal
language.
• In encoding a message, it is useful to be as objective as
possible.
DEVELOPING • A manager must make it a point to know the receiver, and to
encode the message in a form that will most likely be
• Managers may want to hand out written summaries of
verbal presentations and use visual aids¾ graphs or
CULTURAL understood as intended.
pictures.
The way to anticipate the most likely meaning that the
SENSITIVITY
•

receiver will attach to the message is to internalize honest • It is important to move slowly, wait, and take cues from
cultural empathy with that person. the receivers.

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SELECTIVE TRANSMISSION CAREFUL DECODING OF

FEEDBACK
Decoding is the process of translating the received symbols into
• The type of medium chosen for the message depends on the interpreted message. The main causes of incongruence are:
many factors: The receiver The receiver encodes The sender
misinterprets the his or her return misinterprets the
Importance of the message message message incorrectly feedback

High or low-context receiver

The timing involved, etc.
• It is best to use face-to-face interaction for relationship Improving one’s listening and observation skills can greatly
building or for other important transactions. reduce miscommunication.

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FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS BEHAVIORS MOST IMPORTANT TO INTERCULTURAL

COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVENESS (ICE) – FOLLOW-UP
Managers communicate through both action and
ACTION
inaction.

Interaction Orientation
Respect Empathy
Therefore, to keep open the lines of communication, posture to knowledge
feedback, and trust, managers must follow through
with action on what has been discussed and then
agreed upon-typically a contract.

Other-
Interaction Tolerance for
Unfortunately, the issue of contract follow-through is a
oriented role
particularly sensitive one across cultures because of the
management ambiguity
different interpretations regarding what constitutes a
contract (perhaps a handshake, perhaps a full legal behavior
document) and what actions should result.

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