How do different background influence workplace communication and understanding - Assignment Example

How different background influence workplace communication and understanding? Cultural backgrounds influence workplace communication and understanding in various ways. Differences in cultural backgrounds contribute to rich vibrancy in the country’s unique culture. However, these differences can pose a challenge in workplaces. Peoples ways of relating and communication styles are often influenced by their individual cultural heritage. Understanding and accepting these cultural differences is quite essential in resolving them.

Cultures communications are either low-context or high-context. Low-context communications are favored by European-based cultures. These rely on clearly spelling out rules, instructions, expectations and directions. A lot of importance is connected with following instructions to the letter. High-context communications rely on interpersonal relationships with fellow workmates in order to bring out societal expectations and rules. In other words, high-context communications rely on other people to direct them.

With high-context communication, the employees expect the supervisors to enforce important rules personally. In workplaces where there are employees from both high and low context communication backgrounds, interpersonal communications may prove to be difficult, and the following up of instructions as they are intended may be extremely poor. Employees from cultures accustomed to high-context communications benefit more from fellow employees or supervisors direct instruction while employees accustomed to low-context communications can simply absorb the instructions from written materials such as training manuals just as easily.