The Importance of Developing and Using Cultural Stereotypes to Improve Cross-Cultural Communication - Essay Example

The importance of developing and using cultural stereotypes to improve cross-cultural communication Introduction It is a well-known fact that individuals from different countries, brought up in different values and traditions, communicate differently. In our past people from different cultures interacted with each other mainly on the questions connected with trade or war. In our modern world we travel to other countries rather often, usually on business, and make transactions with foreign partners (Al-Deen, 1997). Certainly, such situations imply the application of different negotiation techniques. These techniques vary with different cultures and sometimes may cause frustration or even conflict: Throughout history, humans have experienced both fascination with and trepidation towards 'the other' - understood as 'different nationalities, but also [as] any group of people perceived as different - perhaps in terms of so-called ethnicity, religion, political alignment, class or caste, or gender (Eunson, 2005). Thus, communication techniques should be based on certain cultural stereotypes, which should be taken into account in intercultural communication. The given paper will prove that learning and developing cultural stereotypes will help improve intercultural communication. The importance of developing and learning cultural stereotypes It is determined that individual from a certain state may apply his own communication techniques during business negotiations or simply communicating with people from the foreign country he visited on vacation (Carbaugh, 1990). His behaviour may not be typical for the country he arrived in. This atypicalness may cause difficulties or even frustration. In negotiations, for example, there can be dramatic differences in the way people define their opening positions, use tactics, persuade and listen. Even the practice of haggling over a price is an integral part of some cultures - which many revel in and consider the very stuff of life - whereas it is alien in other cultures, where the price on the tag is the price, and that's all there is to it (Eunson, 2005). Thus, the study of cultural stereotypes is necessary for effective cross-cultural communication. If one makes attempts to generalize about the behaviour of people from the certain culture, he may need to identify, which age or society group of that particular culture he analyses. The region of the country a person came from should be also taken into account (York, 1994). Models of intercultural communication Though it is necessary to learn and develop cultural stereotypes, this process contains a lot of difficulties that should be overcome. Scientists create special models to help overcome these difficulties (Mearns, 2009). When the primary variant of Hofstede's model of culture was introduced in 1980s, it drew the attention of many scientists at once. The approach of the model is unique, and it is significant not only because of considering definite cultures but for making comparisons (Fishburn, 1995). However, this model like any other still has limitations. This information is founded on interrogations held among workers of one US international (IBM), the workers were from 72 countries; some data was taken from a 1985 students interrogation from 23 states (50 men and women from each state) (Eunson, 2005). The following questions should be asked: - Can the information be used today? - Were people honest answering questions? - How the answers vary among companies? - are Hofstede's five variables the only, which may be taken into account? Even taking these doubts into account, it is still obvious that Hofstede's model is significant as it explains what actually separates and joins different cultures. The most general and applicable conclusions, which could be made from this research, are the following: during the intercultural communication individuals from high power-distance cultures usually choose to discuss issues with heads of the organizations rather than with the representatives of the staff. Individuals from uncertainty-avoidance cultures (uncertainty avoidance clarifies how peoples, communities, companies and cultures behave in doubtful situations) may require the additional guarantees and formal procedure (Loeb, 2006). Deardorff (2006) has also created a model founded on definite skills including effective and appropriate multicultural communication founded on individual’s multicultural skills (Mearns, 2009) The model offered by Deardorff is hierarchical in organization with outlook creating a foundation for understanding, which in it turn builds a foundation for internal results, and these results are creating a source for the preferred external results of conduct to attain utmost intercultural competency (Mearns, 2009). The model of intercultural communication offered by Bennett implies that when individuals communicate with people brought up in different cultures, they may finally obtain ”intercultural sensitivity” and will be able to differentiate cultural behaviours. This ability will provide people with additional opportunity, which may then allow to develop “intercultural competence”, a very important skill to act in proper way in intercultural communications. The following model explains the process (figure 1): Denial ----+ Defence reversal ----+ Minimisation ----+ Acceptance ----+ Adaptation ----+ Integration ----------------------------------------------------II------------------------------------------------------- ETHNOCENTRISM ETHNDRELATIVISM Figure 1. Bennett's developmental model of intercultural sensitivity (Eunson, 2005). Change of stereotypes Modern business world creates the circumstances, which demands more intercultural communication. This communication results in multicultural companies and workplace diversity. As a result, countries become more multicultural. It is interesting that the borders between ethnic communities and multicultural organizations become more and more obscure (Hendon, 1996). Multiculturalism as a concept, however, has sometimes been the subject of critique in the past decade, and to a certain extent, that critique' has flowed on to the concepts 0 [. diversity and inclusion. Multiculturalism has come to be seen by some as a source of divisiveness in society, with individuals and groups from different cultural backgrounds sometimes perceived to be either opting out of participating in the mainstream culture, or in fact as being actively hostile towards the mainstream culture (Eunson, 2005). Probably, our world has never seen more communications and cooperation between people from different countries. Such active interactions demand more change and flexibility from people who involved in intercultural communication (Valadez, 2001). The stereotypes should not be treated as static artefacts. Modern environment demands more dynamics and these can be achieved through developing cultural stereotypes in order to improve intercultural communication (Eunson, 2005). As processes of multiculturalism, ethnic diversity, immigration and tourism appear to offer opportunities for greater understanding and harmony between cultures, new divisive forces based on cultural differences seem to be emerging (Eunson, 2005). Conclusion In our developing world with all its conflicts and misunderstandings the more people find out about cultural stereotypes, the easier intercultural communication will be. Knowledge about cultural stereotypes allows conclude new beneficial contracts and resolve serious conflicts (Loeb, 2006) Considerable progress has been already made and a strong foundation was created for new achievements in this field. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that communication does not always serve to resolve important issues, sometimes it can even aggravate problems. Therefore, at the same time as the above-mentioned intercultural communication models represent potential instruments to shed light on intercultural communication, they are still directed on one particular aim and do not take into account other issues. The model can help resolve but can’t resolve the issues. The factors, which create conflicts, are too strong and influential and intercultural communication is only one tool to settle misunderstandings. WORKS CITED Eunson, Baden.  2005. Communicating in the 21st century. Milton, Qld.: John Wiley & Sons; Al-Deen, Hana S. Noor, ed. 1997. Cross-Cultural Communication and Aging in the United States. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; Carbaugh, Donal, ed. 1990. Cultural Communication and Intercultural Contact. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; Fishburn, Katherine. 1995. Reading Buchi Emecheta: Cross-Cultural Conversations. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press; Hendon, Donald W., Rebecca Angeles Hendon, and Paul Herbig. 1996. Cross-Cultural Business Negotiations. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers; Leavitt, Ronnie Linda, ed. 1999. Cross-Cultural Rehabilitation: An International Perspective. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders; Loeb, Sanrda. 2006.  Business Negotiations: A Cross-Cultural Study. New York: Praeger Publishers; Valadez, Gilbert. 2001. The Gardeners' Story: Teaching and Cross-Cultural Communication. Phi Delta Kappan 82, no. 9: 666; York, Darlene Eleanor. 1994. Cross-Cultural Training Programs. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey; Mearns, Kathryn, Yule Steven. 2009. The role of national culture in determining safety performance: Challenges for the global oil and gas industry. Safety Science, Volume 47, Issue 6, July, Pages 777-785 Read More