Intercultural Communication Business Practices of Mexico - Coursework Example

Intercultural Communication Business Practices of Mexico Culture entails the way of life of a group of people. There are a number of cultures in the world today; these cultures influences business communication in diverse ways. Communication is a process that involves transmission of a message through a channel from the sender to the audience with a feedback getting back to the sender. On top of this, effective communication must always have a context. Effective business intercultural communication should be aware of the values, behaviors, practices, and beliefs that are acceptable to the other party. The business communication culture in Mexico is based on trust the ability to know the other party. This means that most of their businesses are done across family lines. Mexicans are poor at dealing with strangers especially in facilitating their businesses. The Mexican culture is one of the high context-cultures. The characteristics of this culture influences the way business interactions are done. Firstly, the communication culture seeks to infer the message from the context rather than from the content. Secondly, the communication tends towards politeness; however, it harbors much ambiguity and tends to be indirectly conveyed. The third aspect is that the Mexican way of communication relies heavily on non-verbal cues. This means that the party that engages in a business communication with an individual from another culture should be able to understand the unspoken words (Sage Publications 375). The Mexican culture facilitates the delivery of little information to the audience that is clear. These aspects make the culture of business communication complex and require that a foreign investor should be able to understand and practice this culture in order to be able to succeed in business. Mexican culture promotes closeness in the business setup. It is rare for a Mexican to engage in business with a person not known to them. It is a common practice for men to shake hands when they meet and after they are through with their deliberations. In addition, patting, hugging and kissing in the air or in the cheek are acceptable communication practices in Mexico’s business world (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel 325). The choice of business partners, and international investors is often considered among individuals that know each another well. People do greet with embrace especially if they have been friends for a long period. The closeness in terms of communication should also be physical. There is closeness in the physical distance that is maintained when people are talking. Otherwise, when one retreats during a conversation, that is considered as an unfriendly one. In such a scenario, there can be no concrete business deliberations. Mexicans have a unique communication culture that is demonstrated by the beliefs that they uphold. When communicating with another individual, it is appropriate to avoid using his or her first name unless one has been allowed to do so. Another aspect of communication is the use of titles. There are times when only the title is used when addressing a given individual. In such a scenario, their last name is not required. When it comes to their reference of the people in the United States, they call them the North Americans (Hooker 4). Business communication in Mexico begins by developing relationships. It is important to develop the right relationships with individuals that one would endeavor to engage in business with. To the Mexicans, the first impression matters and may influence whether a relationship is established or not. In order to build effective relations, the Mexicans require that they know the personal information of the person they are engaged in business with (Hooker 5). For example, they should be able to know about one’s background, family and the life’s interests. Business etiquette is also of great essence for effective communication in the Mexican culture. It is required that appointments are made prior to the meeting for at least two weeks. Mexicans are not good timekeepers, they are late comers, and this means that one requires to be patient with them. This culture is slightly different from the American one, which requires individuals to be timely in meetings and other undertakings. In order to have effective communication, the Mexican parties should be presented with an executive whom they will esteem highly (Cyborlink 1). The culture in Mexico tends towards collectivism as opposed to individualistic approach. In instances such as business negotiations or any form of formal communications, the Mexican culture gives preference for it to be done by a team instead of an individual. However, when it comes to the overall leader of the organization, they try as much as possible to hide their space (Sage Publications 380). The office space and the ability to reach the boss is made difficult by the power distance that is created. Integrity is a major virtue that is protected in business communication in the Mexican setup. The Mexican culture ensures there are limited loopholes to engage in corruption among other vices (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel 325). For example, when seeking for compensation an employee will communicate to the main office as well as their immediate supervisor who will process their request and send it to the top most office. This ensures that there is no discrepancy that arises in the process of disseminating resources. This mode of integrated communication is very effective in enhancing transparency especially among the managers in an organization. The culture in Mexico ensures that adherence to these business communication strategies serves the common good of the organization. In the Mexican culture, relationships in the business should not only be developed but should also be maintained. There is need to have constant communication with individuals that one works with in order to maintain the working rapport. There is a likelihood of losing business if the business leader is not mindful of the stakeholders of the business. This confirms the view that businesses require relationships to be developed and advanced at every stage. The Mexican culture promotes the view that “out of sight, out if mind”. This is because when an individual becomes lost for a while, they can be easily forgotten. In addition, even if they were engaged in a business partnership, it can easily be terminated any time (Kwintessential 1). This stamps the importance of developing and maintains healthy communication with the Mexicans. The Mexican culture is in support of communication that facilitates building of trust between individuals instead of exchanging information. More focus is given to the context of the information instead of focusing on the content. The whole person that is engaged in a business deal is analyzed for strengths and flaws. Their personal life is put into perspective. This is different from other cultures like that of the United States, which focuses more on the content rather than the context. Trust building in the Mexican culture acts as the sources of friendships, hence there is effective and efficient business communications between the parties that are involved in a business deal. In conclusion, intercultural communication business practices vary widely among various cultures in the world. The Mexican culture promotes building of trusts which results to the building of relationships. These relationships foster the development of business deals. This acts a magnificent way of constructing effective business networks. Most of the Mexicans desire to know a person at a personal. The culture also supports a communal engagement as opposed to the individualistic approach. Works Cited Cyborlink. Mexico business etiquette, culture and manners. n.d. Web. March 14, 2014. http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/mexico.htm Hooker, John. Cultural differences in business communication. 2008. Web. March 14, 2014. http://ba.gsia.cmu.edu/jnh/businessCommunication.pdf Kwintessential. Mexico- language, culture, custom, and etiquette. 2014. Web. March 14, 2014. http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/mexico-country-profile.html Sage Publications, Chapter 11: intercultural communications in organizations. n.d. Web. March 14, 2014. http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/42959_11_Intercultural_Communication_in_Organizations.pdf Samovar, Larry., Porter, Richard & McDaniel, Edwin. Intercultural communication: A reader. Cengage Learning. 2010. Web. 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