Cross-Cultural Miscommunication in Business - Essay Example

MEMO Executive Management Re: Avoiding Cross-Cultural Miscommunication As you may know it is very important to make sure that as we embarkupon a more global business that we understand that communication across cultures is different than communicating directly with each other. We must understand this difference so that we can be more mindful of how to work more effectively with our constituents. According to Daniels, Radebaugh and Sullivan we must first accept that culture is based on several things. Primarily the key elements of any culture will include the learned norms that each culture has obtained through the attitudes, values and beliefs of the group of people. What is important for Americans may not be as important for someone in another culture. On a business level each culture will have its taboos that we must be mindful to stay away from if at all possible. We must understand that cultures are based on nationality, ethnically, religion, gender and political party on one level. It is based on the work organization, profession and income level on another. We cannot expect that as Americans we can be all things to all people in business, and we cannot expect that we will not make mistakes. As a company we have to be careful not to overstep our boundaries when we are attempting to get the work done. We also have to be sure that ethnocentricity does not enter into play. Ethnocentricity is defined as the tendency of one culture to feel that their culture is superior to all others (Wikipedia). As Americans we have to guard against showing our arrogance in the workplace because it does turn other cultures off. Once they are turned off it is difficult to get them to listen to what we have to say. According to Basirico and Bolin, (1995) in order to overcome ethnocentricity we must have an attitude of cultural relativism. This means that we must have openness to other cultures and this means that you have to let go of some of the ways that your own culture has affected you (p. 6). In other words, we have to have a nonjudgmental approach as we enter into another persons culture. We have to do this in business if we want to move forward. There will be attitudes, values and customs that come from each side. As an example, when our business goes into a Muslim culture it is important to note that they believe that women are inferior. They may not want to do business with American women as CEOs and therefore we may need to send a male. They will also expect that in their country the women follow the protocol; we will need to know what this protocol is and how we should work within its parameters. When we are in China, we will need to understand that certain colors like red are taboo. We should not wear them or use them in our meetings when at all possible. The fact is that values, customs and attitudes play a bigger role in other countries than it does in the United States. For the savvy CEO in business this will mean understanding that a multicultural business environment may need to be negotiated with all parties concerned. Here are some issues we need to negotiate: Decide whose laws contract negotiations will be under and how this will be executed. Make sure that any technical, safety or other types of professional standards that are necessary are amenable to both parties. Make sure that when in other countries we have constant communication with our facilities here and that we are actively involved with both sides of the process. ("Negotiating" no date). Another area that our company will need to understand is how to live within specific cultures if we need to stay for any period of time. When in a different culture we will need to understand their customs, values and attitudes about specific situations. Here are some of the elements of other cultures that we must be aware of if we want to communicate successfully: How people should be introduced and whether there is bowing that needs to be done. Whether the individuals shake hands or not and whether women are in the meeting. If women are in the meeting we must know whether they are expected to shake hands. Identification of certain signs and symbols may be taboo in another country. As an example, giving the "ok" sign or the thumbs up sign in America is good but in other countries it can be offensive. This also speaks to body language and how we need to understand each countries ways of dealing with specific situations. What will our body language mean to them if we stand with our hands on our hips? This could mean anger in some countries. We must know whether gift giving is expected in a culture for business purposes and if so what types of gifts are acceptable. ("Negotiating") We must also be aware of our body There are many other things we should know but within the scope of this memo I wanted to point out some of the issues to consider. We should also be mindful that what we see in the media is not an accurate depiction of a culture. They are presenting news and they are not always mindful of what the culture really looks like or how it operates. The media helps us create more difference which will be difficult with our multi-cultural communications. In some cultures we will need to be more laid back and not so pushy as Americans and in others we will need to be always alert and active. These are ways that cultures move forward and we have to be on our toes to understand. Cultural awareness is important for international companies because we cannot expect that we can go into a culture and they will do what we expect. We have to meet on a similar ground. As Schuler (2003) suggests there are several hot spots that can get us into trouble. Some of these include: 1. The way we communicate with each other during a business meeting will be different in certain cultures. We will need to watch the etiquette of the culture in order to make sure we are on the right track. 2. In some cultures we will have to be mindful of expression ourselves verbally, of interrupting and of showing emotion. These things can be taboo. 3. As Americans we sometimes have a problem with silence and in other cultures silence is a very important part of the negotiating process. Multicultural communication is a delicate balance between what we know of our culture and what we know of someone elses culture. Everyone has a right to develop their own understanding but in business negotiations we must come together as a unit in order to succeed in moving forward. References Basirico, L.A. and Bolin, A. (1995). The Joy of Culture. Chapter 4. Retrieved December 1, 2008 from http://idd.elon.edu/theglobalexperience/print/basibolin.doc. Ethnocentrism. (2008, December 1). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. December 1, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ethnocentrism &oldid=255229861 (Please note: This reference was only used for a definition). Negotiating in a Multicultural Business Environment.(n.d.) BNET Editorial. Retrieved December 1, 2008 from http://www.bnet.com/2410-13056_23-59941.html. Daniels, Radebaugh, and Sullivan. International Business. Chapter 2. Schuler, J. (2003). Tips for successful cross cultural communication. Retrieved December 2, 2008 from http://www.schulersolutions.com/cross_cultural_ communication.html. Read More