Cross-cultural Communication Challenges - Essay Example

Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : xxxxxxxxxxx Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx @2015 The importance of effective cross-cultural communication in business today Literature Review Culture at Work and School: Definition and Scope Introduction In his definition of culture, Ēriks Lingebērziņš (2011) notes that the content of culture have changed significantly in modern times. Rather than the static analysis of the past decades, culture is today analyzed “an active element describing interaction between different societies” (p. 72). It is no longer a moral lens through which individuals and societies view, understand, categorize or judge events and their surroundings. The introduction of globalization ideologies has made the definition of culture a complex and interdisciplinary undertaking that encompasses “human knowledge, opinion and attitudes, values and practices describing institution, organization or group” (p. 72). Many economists and scholars in the field of business concur that indeed a global workforce characterized by cultural diversity is an idea whose time has not only come but is also here to stay. It is not a buzz or trend but a strategic management policy especially since many companies are transitioning from domestic to multidomestic entities with some also becoming multinationals. This highlights the significance and importance of cultural diversity. It is what many companies today are using as a competitive edge and advantage over the rest of the competition. According to Kundu (2001), diversity at the work place is defined within the parameters that determine our different social and cultural backgrounds within a company. Cross-cultural communication therefore is a science because it requires tact and meticulous cooperation within the work place without the differences causing abrasion but rather, they become a source of strength and cohesiveness within the team and society. This is especially crucial in such organizational undertakings such as projects, which require a close-knit unit to deliver the deliverables of the project in order to satisfy the quality assurance benchmarks set by the stakeholders and also to meet the demands of the customers. The landscape of many societies has undergone tremendous changes culturally. Their multicultural nature today is a manifestation of social, political, academic and economic transformations that these societies have undergone over the past few decades. The blending of the different cultures into the greater global society has seeped in all spheres of life including education, social, business and religious settings where most schools, churches, businesses and communities today have membership drawn from different geopolitical, cultural and social backgrounds. Indeed, as the world is hurtling towards becoming a global village, our societies have become global phenomenon where our differences matter very little. Businesses and schools have become global villages that mirror the general trend in the society. However, such changes come added challenges of communication and cultural shock. By opening the borders, societies, organizations and schools to individuals from different cultural backgrounds, there are bound to be problems when it comes to integration of these individuals. Moreover, these entities are made of people with different cultural backgrounds and this has always been a problem for many when it comes to cultural integration and acceptance (Guang & Trotter, 2012). As societies, schools and businesses continually open up allowing for cultural integration, permitting people from different cultural backgrounds to live, work, and study, they must contend and effectively deal with these challenges. Interacting with individuals from different cultures is always a challenge for cultures shape behavior including how individuals relate to others. The problem of cultural integration and acceptance is a major challenge especially in the business sector. Multinationals even face a greater problem for they have to work with a culturally diverse workforce. These problems calls for practical lessons that can equip individuals with cultural competence skills that will horn their communication techniques that will enable them understand and accept individuals from different cultural background. Issues or problems related to cross-cultural communication The greatest benefit that comes with globalization and consequently, the exposure to a large pool of culturally and ethnically diversified workforce is enjoyed by multinationals; big companies who have set their sights beyond the confines of the geographical boundaries of the countries they were founded in. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why many local companies have so vehemently objected to the economic globalization that is currently sweeping across our economies. Many local companies consider it uneconomically and unwise to hire a new talent from across the border because of the cultural or ethnical differences that he or she may have from the current workforce within their locality. However, if the cultural or ethnic differences such as work ethics and culture that the new talent brings into the business organization can translate into economic success and competitive advantage then many local companies would go for it. But there is need for an acclimatization period which will enable the company to adapt to the new ideas brought in by the new talent from across the ethnical or cultural border. And time, as they say, is money (Guang & Trotter, 2012). The company may be forced to introduce a cross-cultural or ethnical training program to help both new and current employees understand and adopt the new ethnic or cultural practices, traditions and beliefs they are confounded with. Financially, this is an outflow of cash. However, it is a sacrifice that can pay off if it is the right strategy. If it flops then the company may run into losses whose magnitude and effect can stretch from bankruptcy to foreclosure. Customer loyalty may be lost; investors and the general stakeholders may shun the company with some withdrawing their investment. In the end, a bright idea may turn into a blight; a blight that may take the business organization onto its knees. However, the effects of miscalculated move to bring in a culturally or ethnically diversified workforce and/or adoption of the new ideas that she or he might bring to the organization are not confined to the local businesses. The same can happen to a multinational; because at the end of the day the new ideas will affect the company’s operations in one way or the other. Alteration of operation or corporate culture, whether negatively or positively, will affect the employees, stockholders and customers as a whole. Note that there is no guarantee that the rest of the employees will willfully accept and adopt a new culture, whether on social, educational or economic grounds. Resistance by employees is a common problem facing adoption of new corporate culture; whether a new employee of different culture or ethnicity brought it or the management decided to introduce it as a management strategy. This is a problem that affects any corporate entity or business, big or small, multinational or local based. However, cultural or ethnic diversity is not defined by the geographical boundaries for even within a locality as small as an urban center of 20,000 inhabitants there might be found several ethnicity or cultures which are totally different but coexisting within the small center. Any local business operating within such a locality must therefore consider the option of diversifying its labor force. Similarly, of what use will it be for a multinational operating in China, the United States and South Africa to fill all the ranks within its management with South Africans or even Chinese? How will such a management team understand the cultural and ethnical intricacies that influence business operations in such countries? How will the company reach out to the customers in these countries by making them have a sense of belonging which can only be achieved effectively by employing some of these people? However, the answers to these questions must not be the driving force towards hiring a South African, an American or Chinese in order to appeal to the local masses of customers. The due process of hiring new talents must be followed; the company must first identify the vacancy or the need to hire a new talent. Then from the pool of applicants, the human resource manager and the hiring team must choose the best-placed candidate who can help the company achieve its objective or target. Hiring a culturally or ethnically different talent to penetrate the local market with cultural or ethnical constraints must therefore not be mistaken for dishing out positions. It is a business strategy aimed at achieving the key objective why businesses are founded in the first place: profit maximization. Therefore, the decision to adopt a new culture or hire a new employee from a different culture or ethnic inclination calls for a careful and meticulous study by the hierarchy of the organization. The pros and the cons of such a decision must be considered. The short term and long term effects of such a decision must also be considered. However, at the apex of all of these, the interests of stockholders must be considered. Learning institutions similarly must consider the uniqueness of the culture of the international students (Brydon & Liddell, 2012). Strategies or approaches to overcome the issues/problems Organizations should adopt organizational learning as an approach to human resource management. This enables organizations to create and share information and knowledge across all levels of management (Liao, Chang & Wu, 2010). The new market is knowledge-based and success is mainly determined by how information and knowledge is created and used. Taking full advantage of computing technology, organizational learning promotes creativity and innovativeness which are important in the new landscape. Other than helping in creating cutting edge products for various segments of the market, it also helps in building the reputation of the organization especially when it comes to human resource management record. It will enable the company attract and retain top talents which can enable it navigate the turbulent and tricky waters of the modern corporate sector even in foreign countries. This calls for dynamism in management, a strategy that will enable the organization to tap into the large pool of talents, interests and viewpoints that come with a diverse workforce. It will ease communication bottlenecks while also removing bureaucratic red tapes within the organization. Moreover, organization should endeavor to find the right mix of diverse employees because they bring different talents, interests and viewpoints. Every stockholder wants maximum return on their investment but how that maximum return is achieved is rarely of their concern especially after availing the necessary resources to the management. Therefore, it is imperative that the management of organizations find the right mix of talent, interests and viewpoints in order to deliver on the goals setup by the organization through the stockholders. Rarely will a company get the right mix without tapping into the diversity of human capital. Moreover, the diverse workforce is more efficient in responding to diverse challenges and tackle them in faster compared to an organization with does not have a diverse workforce (Cheng & Seeger, 2011). This is because such an organization will probably have a representative employee from almost all corners of the society. Therefore, all they have to do is to tap into their rich pool of talent and channel their efforts and time towards one common goal: solving the problem. In addition, these pressures require a new kind of leadership: a visionary leadership. Leadership that offer guidance for the present and the future through innovative and creative ideas while also ensuring that efficiency in resource utilization is achieved. Moreover, cross-cultural communication and workplace diversity require leadership that is spread among all the employees of the organization through empowerment to ensure that an environment is created within the organization that is conducive enough to encourage creativity and innovation among the employees. The leader should be able to bring out the best in every resource allocated for a particular project. Lynda Gratton and Tamara Erickson, commenting on same, noted that such an individual must be capable of doubling up as both a manager and a leader. This is to ensure that the employees stay to tasks while also forming social bonds that promote creativity and innovation because of high motivation and productivity. By ensuring that employees and colleagues stay to their daily tasks, the leader then becomes transactional. However, by empowering colleagues and employees to become creative, a leader becomes transformational; he or she challenges the status quo of traditional leadership and bring a new concept into how organizations are managed. Bibliography Brydon, K. & Liddell, M., 2012, “Supporting International Students Undertaking Australian University studies.” Social Work Education 31(8), pp. 995–1011 Cheng, S., S. & Seeger, M. W., 2011, “Cultural Differences and Communication Issues in International Mergers and Acquisitions: A Case Study of BenQ Debacle. International Journal of Business and Social Science 2 (24) [Special Issue – December 2011] 62 – 73. Guang, T. & Trotter, D., 2012, “Key issues in cross-cultural business communication: Anthropological approaches to international business.” African Journal of Business Management 6 (22), pp. 6456-6464. Kundu, S., 2001, “Managing Cross-Cultural Diversity: A Challenge for Present and Future Organizations”. Delhi Business Review 2(2). Liao, S., Chang, W. & Wu, C., 2010, “An integrated model for learning organization with strategic view: Benchmarking in the knowledge-intensive industry.” Expert Systems with Applications, 37, 3792-3798. Lingebērziņš, Ē., 2011, “Cross-cultural Communication Challenges of International Tourism Business Environment.” Management of Organizations: Systematic Research. 2011, Issue 59, p69-79. Read More