Language and Communication in the Global Business Context - Literature review Example

Running Header: Language and communication in the global business context Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Name & Code: Date of Submission: Introduction Recent research shows that organisations that foster strong cultures have clear set values which enable firms to achieve their goals as members have a reason to embrace business values. Nickerson (2000) puts it that a strong culture is beneficial to businesses operating in the service sector as members are motivated to provide services according to the business values. In order to be successful, culture is the most important thing that should be considered by a businesses operating in the global scene. Even so, it is very difficult for management to address culture due to the recent changes occurring in the internal and external environment. The culture of an organisation is linked to the effectiveness of that particular organisational structure since an organisation with a unique social structure tends to facilitate individuals social behaviour. This study analyses the importance of having a right culture in an organisational setup and more evaluates the importance of language as a component of cultural identity needed for cross cultural communication in the global business. According to Shockley (2005) culture is seen as a combination of both physical and behavioural aspects involves in a community. This is because it involves studying people around the community, their behaviours, functions and their values. Culture therefore gives a more understanding of the society. One is that it enabled people to broaden their mindset to the global community and comparing with the mainstream of other cultures around the world. Culture is also the study of society and it comprises various components which include language, symbols, gender, traditions and values. The most important component of culture is language. This is because it is transmitted orally and therefore to understand the understated degree and the deeper meanings of another culture one has to understand the language well. Children for example are able to inherently learn various syntax and phonemes of a culture as they slowly mature. Children come into the world as eager to learn and language is one of the cultural aspects that one learns. Cultural identity shows someone who is self driven form formal groups to transmit values, beliefs, attitudes and various ways of life. A cultural identity balances various components that relates to class, geography, language and philosophy. This identity changes over time and induces emotions as it s linked to power and privilege though affected with close relationships through communication. Jennifer (2001) describes that culture therefore connects people and defines them for example in relation to business it gives the economic class or the professional affiliation. Culture is a hidden control force and has enables global businesses to grow as people have significantly improved their effort to understand intercultural communication. However, some people still find it difficult to communicate with other from overseas or in managing a diverse workforce since they can not negotiate terms of business in other languages. For one to be capable of taking a job in a radically diverse corporate culture, it is important to recognise the impact of culture on ones values, behaviour and attitude (Sussman, 2000). In the global business there are people whose professional lives have significantly grown as a result of being able to communicate effectively with other diverse cultures. Such people also need self motivation for them to understand the hidden force of culture which involves understanding ones cultural identity. Spencer-Oatey and Xing (2003) shows language as a component of culture sets symbols that articulate ideas therefore enabling people communicate with each other. However, language is also a source of discrimination for example the word ‘black hearted’ has more than one meaning and can be used for racial discrimination. Language is therefore an important way of transmitting culture and enables people especially young children to learn their cultural identity. Language represents cultural groups as it is mostly used to symbolise culture. Linguistics researched that people sharing the same language also have the same pattern of thoughts (Byram et al., 2000). According to Jameson (2007) language links other cultural components such as ethnicity and regional identification which enabled business people operating globally to express themselves and make choices on how to communicate. Intercultural business communication have been involved in multiple languages that have enabled multicultural businesses thrive. IBM Company for example has been able to establish networks connecting employees from diverse communities and have gone beyond functional issues. The company has found ways of retaining employees for example through the avoidance of discrimination and the provision of social and cultural links with other businesses. Zaidman (2001) gives that the internal integration of the business is necessary as it creates interpersonal relationships. Social structures are necessary in any business as they enable the business to exist and therefore practices around the organisation are learned as a result of workplace socialisation. The internal environment reinforces culture for example by every day encouraging employees to exercise the cultural values accepted by the firm. Poncini (2003) shows the organisational culture is shaped by various factors such as the environmental environment, industry, nature of workforce, technologies used around the environment and the organisational history. Role models around the working environment should ensure they influence cultural values and it is necessary for leaders and managers to ensure that they observe the values and norms of the business for the employees to follow. The founder of the organisation influences the development of culture since they normally have control over hiring. They should therefore ensure that their workforce consists of individuals with the same values and who are capable of influencing the strategic choice of the firm (Shin and Jackson, 2003). Organisational culture is defined in two ways which include defining culture in terms of outcomes and defining it in terms of process. In terms of outcome, culture is defined as a pattern of behaviour in which individuals follows for example in an organisation members would say it is what they normally do or how they do things. Scollon and Scollon (2001) explains that it is also shown as a way in which people solve their differences, perform business tasks, and resolve conflicts among members and how employees and customers are treated. In terms of process, culture is defined as a set that link mechanisms that facilitates cross individual behavioral consistency. This shows that culture include the organisational informal values, beliefs and norms that controls members and groups working together in a particular firm. These values and beliefs also promote interpersonal relationships among members working in one environment. There are three functions of the organisational culture that make it more effective in any working environment. Trompenaars and Charles (2001) states that these include control of behaviours, encouraging stability and providing a source of identity. In behavioral control, culture ensures that members working in one environment under one culture behave according to the values and norms of that firm. The organisation should therefore introduce certain norms in which members should be informed about as the managers ensure that the values are maintained. Organisational culture encourages stability of business activities as members ensure that conflicts and issues are solved using the one concept and which should be applied at all times (Hofstede, 2000). Conclusion Culture is truly the most important thing to consider in achieving organisational success. This is because it defines the kind of goals and values that members should aim at pursuing. It also gives ideas on the appropriate standards of behaviours that members should observe in order to achieve organisational goals. Organisational values develop norms, guidelines and expectation that every business have. However, culture can be a necessary evil if it is not well managed. Managers and leaders should therefore ensure that the language and culture introduced in a business environment is effectively managed and implemented for every member in the organisation to follow. Control and evaluation systems should also be introduced to ensure that the culture used is able to obtain the maximum benefit expected by the firm. References Byram, M. Murphy-Lejeune, E. & Zarate, G. (2000). Cultural representations in foreign language learning and teacher training, Language culture and curriculum, 8 (3). Hofstede, G. (2000). Cultures and organisations, software of the mind, McGraw-Hill. Jameson, D. (2007). Reconceptualising cultural identity and its role in intercultural business communication. Journal of Business Communication, 44(199). Jennifer, R. (2001). Language, culture and global Business, The interpreter as a tool for effective cross-border communication, 4 (1). Nickerson, C. (2000). Playing the corporate language game, An investigation of the genres and discourse strategies in English used by Dutch writers working in multinational corporations, Amsterdam, Netherlands: Rodopi. Poncini, G. (2003). Multicultural business meetings and the role of languages other than English, Journal of Intercultural Studies, 24(1):17-32. Scollon, R. & Scollon, S.W. (2001). Intercultural communication: A discourse approach, 2nd ed. Malden, MA: Blackwell. Shin, C.I. & Jackson, R.L. (2003). A review of identity research in communication theory, Reconceptualising cultural identity. International and Intercultural Communication Annual, 26: (211-240), Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Shockley, M. (2005). Debutantes, brats, and mayhem, Women’s rugby and the creation of an oppositional culture in the south, Women’s Studies Quarterly, 33(2): 150-169. Spencer-Oatey, H. & Xing, J. (2003). Managing rapport in intercultural business interactions: A comparison of two Chinese-British welcome meetings. Journal of Intercultural Studies, vol. 24(1): 33-46. Sussman, N.M. (2000). The dynamic nature of cultural identity throughout cultural transitions: Why home is not so sweet, Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4(4): 355-373. Trompenaars, F. & Charles, H. (2001). Riding the waves of culture, understanding diversity in global business. McGraw-Hill. Zaidman, N. (2001). Cultural codes and language strategies in business communication: Interactions between Israeli and Indian businesspeople, Management Communication Quarterly, 14 (3): 408-441 Read More