Managing Business Communication - Case Study Example

Managing Business Communication Introduction Communication, which can simply be defined as the process of transmitting or transferring from one person or group to another (Barnlund, 2008), is an essential part of every aspect of human life in general, and all human endeavors necessitate the process of communication to achieve their end. The continually changing dynamics and landscapes in the various aspects of life brought about by the fast-rising borderless economies around the world, with the so-called globalization, and the rapid way in which technological advances have conquered the barriers of time and space across nations, are bringing together people from diverse cultural backgrounds to work together. This scenario strengthens the need for effective cross-cultural communication, which would bring synergy among the workers towards the achievement of common goals (Montana & Charnoy 2008). This paper attempts to understand the process of communication as affected by cultural differences, and how the barriers of communication can be tackled in order for the organizational goals to be achieved as planned. Cross-cultural communication in the workplace The concept of cross-cultural communication is actually nothing new, as stated by LeBaron (2003) in a study, where it is concluded that communication process is basically cultural, considering the ways that each person has learned to speak and to give nonverbal messages, each carrying the essential factors of context, individual personality, and mood that interacts with a variety of internalized cultural influences affecting the various choices in life. This concept is summarized by Edward T. Hall, a known expert of cross-cultural communication, in this statement: “Culture is communication and communication is culture” (Hall, 1959, p. 186). In an environment of multicultural diversity, it is quite a challenge to ensure proper understanding and smooth communication processes between and among the people who have to work together towards the achievement of common goals. LeBaron (2003) further explains that despite all the good intentions of communicators, miscommunication is always likely to happen, especially at instances where there are significant cultural differences between the communicators. According to Rogers, Hart and Mike (2002), cross-cultural or intercultural communication is an intricate web of several factors affecting each other, but mainly based on cultural differences or idiosyncrasies, thus the eventual serious study of it by communication experts in the late 1960s. Significant aspect of this field of study is the examination of how people from different cultural backgrounds communicate with one another – how they carry such process similarly or differently from themselves, and how they endeavor to hurdle the cultural barriers in the interest of effective communication (Ibid.). To further understand the dynamics involved in cross-cultural communication especially among people in the workplace, it is but logical to tackle the major barriers to effective communication as borne of the multicultural diversity of the individuals working together. In the continuing study of cross-cultural communication, there have been various barriers that have been identified, with cultural stereotypes as the predominant barrier. Cultural stereotypes: main communication barrier With people coming together, it is but a natural thing for prejudices and stereotypes to affect their impressions and superficial judgments of one another (Stone, Perry & Darley, 1997). As found out in a study, there are fixed stereotypes about white people, for instance, who are stereotyped to lack the ability of jumping high, unlike the black people (Ibid.). In this context, stereotypes, then, can be regarded as the definition of people or cultures through their social, shared, generalized, contextual, dual and schematic nature. In other words, stereotypes are simply the shared beliefs between group or category members regarding the in or out-group members, based on the dual nature of personality and behavior. These stereotypes are formed usually during the process of social interaction, therefore can be said to be contextual, and also can often be schematic or generalized (Brewer, 1979). Lippmann (1922), who first introduced the term stereotype, found through a study tackling public opinion, comparing stereotypes of stable images in the individual’s head that shorten the individual’s perceptions that stereotypes are economical in the sense that previous experiences mold current perceptions, and that stereotypes notably do not include persons whom the individual loves or admires. In the interest of understanding cultural stereotypes, theorists have come up with various models which provide logical as well as factual explanations to the matter. Among such models are: 1. The psychodynamic model or the authoritarian personality, developed by Adorno (1950); 2. The social learning theory by Bandura (1977); 3. The realistic group conflict theory by Sherif (1966); and, 4. The cognitive theory by Pendry et al. (1998). However, there are only two broad theoretical and methodological approaches dominating the study of stereotypes, which are the Social Learning Theory and the Realistic Group Conflict Theory. The social learning theory mainly focuses on the individual level of stereotyping through categorization, social perception and comparison in order to investigate stereotypes which are defined or explained in schematic or prototype terms. On the other hand, the realistic group conflict theory focuses on the group level, primarily on the relationships among group members, thus involving mainly field studies. In this theory, stereotypes are tackled in relation to group membership, attitudes, social identity and self-esteem, causing their connection to prejudice to be more salient. Cultural stereotypes negatively affect cross-cultural communication Cultural stereotypes are prevalent in almost all facets of the society - whether in the workplace, in schools, churches, and almost everywhere. These are also most often expressed through racist or sexist jokes, or even in negative news reports identifying criminals, victims or others as a part of a particular group. Particularly in the workplace, cultural stereotypes have mainly negative impact on people, as found out in a research by Aronson (1995) among African Americans and women, which showed that competence tends to increase in situations where they are able to interact with others in the workplace. Further, Aronson and Claude (1995) conducted a psychological research among college students wherein those students given bogus feedbacks showed dramatic increase in their IQ test results, while another group of students who were praised for being smart yielded very poor examination results. The conclusion to this research is that there is an innate ability bias within individuals that greatly affect even their performances. Considering the various studies and researches conducted correlating cultural stereotypes with performances, Aronson (1995) presents the following possible prejudicial effects of stereotypes as follows: Ill- founded or baseless prejudices can be justified Attitudes against stereotyped group/cultural group may not be changed anymore Stereotyped groups are prevented from participating in some activities or fields Although the effects of cultural stereotypes are not always negative, they are predominantly negative, with such effects not easily observable or apparent until some time. The victims of such cultural stereotypes exhibit self-fulfilling prophecy behaviors which in fact reinforce the expected stereotypes from them. Further, cultural stereotypes may lead into the following negative effects: the formation of inaccurate opinions of people; using the stereotypes as scapegoat; erroneous judgmentalism and so many others that would greatly decrease workers’ performances which may eventually lead to quitting or resignation from their jobs (Ibid.). Managing communication in a cross-cultural work environment As can be gleaned from the characteristics and effects of stereotypes, they represent a big barrier to cross-cultural communication, and as such, must be carefully avoided at any cost, if at all possible. In the management of a cross-cultural communication among culturally diverse workforce, there are certain things that researchers have presented to be considered. For instance, LeBaron (2003), LeBaron (2003) emphasizes the need to consider the four variables of cross-cultural communication in order to break this barrier to effective cross-cultural communications, which are: 1. Time and Space. These are the most central differences that separate cultures and the ways of doing things. For instance, in the West, time is quantitative, logical, sequential, and present-focused, among other things. In the East, however, time is an unlimited commodity; it has the essence of continuity, of an unraveling instead of a strict boundary. 2. Fate and Responsibility. Affecting communication across cultures is the perspective on fate and responsibility, meaning the degree to which individuals feel themselves the masters of their lives as against the degree to which individuals see themselves as subject to things beyond their control. While the Western people see themselves the creators of their own future, eastern people mostly believe that their future has already been written on the stars. 3. Face and Face-saving. Across cultures, face is of topmost value. However, the definition of the concept varies greatly from one culture to another. Conclusion The modern world has evolved in such a way that peoples from different cultural backgrounds and origins diverge at one point or another, whether economically, politically, culturally, or even spiritually. Cross-cultural communication, therefore, is now an inevitable and important part of almost everyone’s life. It is, therefore, of utmost importance to ensure this communication process as effective and successful as possible. Cultural stereotypes are general perceptions or sets of perceptions assigned to individuals or groups solely based on their cultural affiliations. In the process of cross-cultural communication, these stereotypes are worth noting about in order to avoid them, otherwise, there will be unnecessary conflicts resulting from miscommunication. Works Cited Barnlund, D. C, 2008, “A transactional model of communication”, C. D. Mortensen (Eds.), Communication theory (2nd ed., pp47-57). New Brunswick, New Jersey Brewer, M, 1979, "In-group bias in the minimal intergroup situation: A cognitive-motivational analysis". Psychological Bulletin 86: 307–324. Dahl, S., 2004, “Intercultural Research: The Current State of Knowledge”, Middlesex University Discussion Paper No. 26 Middlesex University – Business School. Hall, Edward T., 1959, The Silent Language. New York: Doubleday LeBaron, Michelle. "Cross-Cultural Communication." Beyond Intractability. Eds. Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conflict Research Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder. Posted: July 2003 ., retrieved 27 October 2009. Montana, Patrick J. & Charnov, Bruce H., 2008, Management. 4th ed. New York. Barrons Educational Series, Inc. Pg 333. Rogers, E., Hart, B., & Miike, Y., 2002, “Edward T. Hall and the History of Intercultural Communication: The United States and Japan,” Keio Communication Review No. 24, 2002. Steele CM, Aronson J, 1995, "Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans". J Pers Soc Psychol 69 (5): 797–811. Unknown author, 2004, “Cultural stereotyping-is bias bad for your business”, EXPATICA.COM, posted 8/9/2004, http://www.expatica.com/hr/story/cultural-stereotyping-is-bias-bad-for-business-11555.html?ppager=0, retrieved 27 October 2009 W. Perry, John M. Darley, 1997, White Men Cant Jump: Evidence for the Perceptual Confirmation of Racial Stereotypes Following a Basketball Game Jeff Stone, Basic and Applied Social Psychology 1997, Vol. 19, No. 3, Pages 291-306 Read More