Non-Verbal Communication across Cultures - Essay Example

?Non-verbal communication across cultures Introduction Cultural differences in communication are inevitable as these are integral parts of cross-cultural management and intercultural communication (Schneider & Barsoux, 2003). This is due to the fact that there are varying cultures in the world. This resulted to having different meaning on certain non-verbal communication across the cultural context. As a result, various problems may arise especially in the business environment. Specific cultures such as Japan and the United Kingdom (UK) use certain non-verbal communications that can be applied in the business context. In this paper, the proponent tries to define the concept and relevance of non-verbal communication in business settings. In particular the differences are compared and contrasted as observed using specific cultures of Japan, and the UK. Furthermore, the proponent also discussed the business etiquette and the possible consequences of not being familiar with the correct etiquette. Other variables such as power, status, or gender are also included especially on their impacts on non-verbal communication. Silence The absence of words or specific level of reaction does not mean there is something totally void or emptiness about it. Not with the Japanese culture because silence or chinmoku says more than a word. In Japan silence does not mean to be a specific level of insult or something else because it is a communicative skill (Davies & Ikeno, 2002). In this country, silence is derived from the Japanese values and it is the main reason how it is significantly viewed important today in every walk of life and in different circumstances. It is considered as a virtue. Compared in the western culture, silence in the midst of communication in Japan on a daily basis stands in a longer duration and this is due to two most important factors: historical and dominance of group consciousness (Davies & Ikeno, 2002). This is not to say that there is poor dominance of historical relevance of silence and group consciousness especially in the UK. It is just that Japanese people view silence to contribute to the harmony of the group. Based on Hofstede’s cultural dimension, Japanese collectivism ensures that there is unity within the group so as harmony will prevail (Keeley, 2001). UK on the other hand has strong individualistic culture which emphasizes strong level that is contained within individual competition (Brown & MacBean, 2005). Thus, it would appear that people in the UK are more dynamic in their response especially in the context of achieving competitive advantage. Eye contact In the UK, eye contact signifies respect, honesty and listening (Moore & Woodrow, 2009). This means how important it is to have eye contact when one is in the midst of a conversation in the UK. However, a bit of contrast happens in Japan. Eye contact may mean an insult because Japanese show politeness by not having direct eye contact for it is associated with aggression, insensitiveness, negative boldness, and other related emotional manifestation (Plotnik & Kouyoumdjian, 2010). Gestures There are deep vocabularies associated with gestures (Samovar, Porter, & McDaniel, 2009). In Japan, pointing to objects and at people require the entire hand which at some certain reasons would mean an insult to use a finger in doing so. In the UK, this would bring out different meaning knowing the fact that hand gestures for instance are associated with culture and thus they would convey contradictory meaning across different culture (Thakur & Srivastava, 1997). In other words, specific bodily movements have varying meaning across different cultures, which at some point if not properly used will result to different level of conflicts. Business etiquette The above non-verbal communications are applicable within the business etiquette in the cultural context of Japan and UK. As stated earlier, silence is associated with Japan’s highly collectivist culture while being proactive is in line with UK’s individualist culture. Thus, in the UK an employee is expected to be much more aggressive in words compared to those in Japan as silence would mean for them more than the words conveyed. These are two different cultures applying what they believed is good for them in the business setting. They actually defined business etiquette based on their culture and such can be manifested through non-verbal communications. Eye contact on the other hand is another important indicator of good business etiquette in Japan and UK. As stated earlier, these two independent cultures have different meaning placed on eye contact. It would be unethical for the Japanese to directly look straight in the eyes of a person. In business, seniority complex prevails in Japan and thus, those who are high in rank are treated with utmost politeness. This is mostly initiated through the right use of eye contact. Mostly, Japanese when having a conversation would look down as a way of showing respect. However, this is not good business etiquette in the UK as eye contact is a significant indicator that one is listening to the other who he or she is talking to and vice versa. Eye contact therefore is significant business etiquette in the UK due to the fact that it is an integral part of their culture. In the same way, Japan is also considering it as important business etiquette in the same as in the UK, though in a different manner. As also stated earlier, gestures are another important indicator of good business etiquette in both countries. In Japan, as stated earlier, Japanese are very sensitive to the right bodily movements. A bow is a significant body gesture or more than just what one could explain about the meaning of politeness. In the UK, bodily gestures have deeper meanings too. Thus, in every culture, gestures as integral parts of non-verbal communication are proven to be effective in conveying meaning. In the business setting, people are to interact and associate with each other on a daily basis. It is therefore that every organization has to define the appropriate body movements especially in conducting business with customers or co-employees. Power, status and gender Based on Hofstede’s cultural dimension, Japan is high in power distance which significantly means that Japanese show importantly high respect towards the high authority (Brown & MacBean, 2005). They would consider themselves in line with specific hierarchy which is a different story in the UK. In order to show this, Japanese show higher level of politeness to a higher authority through body gestures, eye contact and reserving oneself for the right timing to converse. In other words, power has significant connection with non-verbal communication. It is therefore implied that Japanese are strongly hierarchical when viewing at everyone’s status. The higher the status of an individual, the higher respect is given which can be elaborately observed not only on verbal, but non-verbal communication. Although the respect is also common in the UK’s culture, viewing of someone’s hierarchical status may not be that intense compared in Japan. Thus, the result would be treating each one as equal which further leads to less conservative non-verbal communication unlike in Japan. Japan has masculine culture giving too much emphasis on the power of men in an organization or in the community (Brown & MacBean, 2005), but it is highly different in the UK where men and women could be treated equal at certain level. It is therefore implied that various non-verbal communication initiated by men in Japan could mean substantial meaning as far as power and authority are concerned. In the contrary, there would be a bit of mixing up in the UK as far as non-verbal communication is concerned. For instance, a woman doing the gesture most suitable for men may be acceptable considering that there is equal power placed between men and women. Gender therefore has important implication on non-verbal communication. References Brown, D. H., & MacBean, A. I. (2005). Challenges for China’s development: an enterprise perspective. New York, NY: Routledge. Davies, R. J., & Ikeno, O. (2002). The Japanese mind: understanding contemporary Japanese culture. Boston, Massachusetts: Tuttle Publishing. Keeley, T. D. (2001). International human resource management in Japanese firms: their greatest challenge. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Moore, T., & Woodrow, P. (2009). High Dependency Nursing Care: Observation, Intervention and Support for Level 2 Patients. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis. Plotnik, R., & Kouyoumdjian, H. (2010). Introduction to Psychology. Belmont, California: Cengage Learning. Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., & McDaniel, E. R. (2009). Communication Between Cultures. Boston, Massachusetts: Cengage Learning. Schneider, S. C., & Barsoux, J. L. (2003). Managing across cultures. California: University of California. Thakur, M. & Srivastava, B. N. (1997). International Management. Delhi: McGraw-Hill Education. Read More