Theories of Cross Cultural Communication - Coursework Example

CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION Student Name Institution: Date: Cross-Cultural Communication Introduction Effective communication is regarded as one of the basic tools that enables people to interact freely regardless of their backgrounds. The main challenge to communication over the years is the cultural affiliations of the people. It is difficult for people from different cultures to communicate effectively not only because of the language barriers but also the culture styles. Effective communication between people of different cultures is difficult because culture provides people with different ways of thinking, seeing as well as interpreting the world, hence the need for cross-cultural communication. Cross-cultural communication is a field of study that deals mainly with the way people from various cultural affiliations communicate among themselves and across the different cultures. In an organizational perception, cross-cultural communication deals with understanding the different beliefs, business customs and communication strategies within the organization. Thus, understanding the cultures of different people within an organization and integrating them in communication strategies can help in ensuring employee satisfaction, hence, organizational success. With increased globalization, especially the expansion of international trade, there is the need for cross-cultural communication to be closely examined. This is mainly to ensure that the barriers to cross-cultural communication are identified and addressed. Globalization brings together people from various cultures to interact and share ideas as well as experiences in the business sector. This paper assesses cross- cultural communication, as well as its two theories and what they explain. Additionally, the paper examines the barriers to effective cross- cultural communication, their effects on the international companies and how they can be overcome. Lastly, the paper examines the implications of cross-cultural communication in international businesses. Theory 1: Cross-Cultural Adaptation Theory One of the theories developed to explain cross-cultural communication is the cross-cultural adaptation theory. The theory is entrenched in the notion that people find themselves in different environments, hence the need for adaptation. According to the theory, people move from one location to another, crossing the cross-cultural boundaries for different reasons such as in search of job opportunities and education, tourism as well as for the purposes of businesses. Consequently, there is the need for them to adapt to these new environments, hence the need for cross-cultural adaptation. The adaptation theory deals mainly with the shared adaptation experience. According to the cross-cultural theory, adaptation is viewed as the ability of the natural human to struggle for an equilibrium despite the diverse environmental conditions. The interface of communication between the individual ad the host environment is hindered by factors such as the ethnic and personal predispositions as well as the environmental conditions. Essential to the adaptation process is the host communication competence. Maude (2011) describes the host communication competence as the ability to communicate in accordance with the norms and practices of the host culture while engaging it the social communication process. Attaining competence in a host communication system, therefore, requires that the stranger participates actively both in the interpersonal and the mass communication process of the host community. The successful adaptation in the host society results in the change in the personal identity of an individual, thus increasing the intellectual personhood. Moreover, the adaptation process leads to increased emotional and perceptual maturity and a clear understanding of the human conditions (Shuang and Gallois, 2014). Theory 2: Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension Theory The other theory that is used to explain cultural communication is the Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory. The theory was developed by Geert Hofstede and with the aim of explaining the impact of a society’s culture on the values of its members and the relationship of the values to behavior. The theory gives six cultural dimensions which signify the independent preferences of one state of affairs that differentiate one country from another (Bergiel, Bergiel, and Upson, 2012). The first dimension given in the theory is the power distance, defined as the degree to which the less powerful members of the society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. The important concern in this dimension is how societies handle inequalities among its members. In societies where the power distance is low for instance, people commonly struggle to equalize power distribution while at the same time demanding explanations for the inequalities in the distribution of power. The other cultural dimension of importance is the individualism vs collectivism. Individualism describes the cultures where the ties between individuals are loose as everyone is expected to take care of themselves and their immediate families. Conversely, collectivism describes the cultures in which the individuals are unified in strong group especially of extended families with the mandate of protecting them for unquestionable loyalty. The other dimensions are; masculinity vs femininity where the society either prefers aggressiveness, heroism and material reward or modesty, cooperation and quality of life for success, the uncertainty avoidance index which defines the extent to which the members of a community are uncomfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty, indulgence versus restraint and long tern orientation versus the short term normative orientation. Explanation and Criticism of the theories In attempting to explain the importance of cross-cultural communication and how it takes place, both the cross-cultural theory of adaptation and the Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimension have attracted criticisms from various scholars. The Hofstede’s theory, for instance, is criticized for extensive use of quantitative data. Hofstede (2011), states that the data used was mainly collected through interview schedules and administration of questionnaires in institutions. Consequently, there is the possibility of personal bias in the study. Many scholars, hence argue that acculturation is beyond the quantitative approach used in the theory. Another limitation of the theory is its applicability. Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions is not applicable to all regions, making it very specific. Although Hofstede claims that the cultural dimensions are applicable to a large number of countries, he admits that the dimensions may not be applicable to any kind of region and instead leaves this for further research. Moreover, the research is criticized because of its inflexibility since it only involved data collection from a specific group of people, the IBM employees (Schmitz and Weber, 2014). Conversely, the cross-cultural theory of adaptation also faces criticisms from the scholars. Liu and Gallois (2014) for instance argue that the culture of a society is dynamic. This means that culture changes over time, making cross-cultural adaptation difficult for sojourners. Additionally, the aliens in a given place face difficulties in trying to adopt the communication patterns of the hosts and may eventually give up. Barriers to Cross-cultural Communication One of the hindrances to effective cross-cultural communication is language. Language becomes a barrier in cross-cultural communication when the sender and the receiver do not speak the same language hence miscommunication. English for instance, is considered as the international language in conduction business. However, not all institutions use the language at all times. Employees may find communication in English difficult, leading to misunderstandings in the business. Another barrier to cross-cultural communication is culture shock. Culture shock occurs when a person experiences lots of challenges following contact with cultural differences. This causes both physical and emotional symptoms such as depression, anxiety and increased occurrences of illnesses. Culture shock can occur due to spending time in a foreign environment that challenge a person’s cultural perception and assumptions (Shi and Wang, 2013). The other barrier to effective cross-cultural communication are the personal values of individuals. The personal values of individuals dictate their attitudes towards other people. Individual attitudes that my affect communication with other people across different cultures include; assumed similarity, anxiety, stereotyping as well as comfort with the familiar. All these make it difficult for people of different cultures to communicate effectively. Cultural relativism is another barrier to cross-cultural communication. Cultural relativism is defined as the refusal to judge the cultural values of other people or organizations. Although cultural relativism avoids prejudice, it involves suspension of a person’s values hence lack of proper communication. Overcoming Barriers to cross-cultural communication With the increased globalization and the development of modern methods of communication, there is the need for both individuals and corporate entities to develop ways of overcoming these barriers. One way of overcoming the barriers is through developing respect for the cultures of others. This should stem from the belief that the cultures should be treated with dignity and that people should be treated as equals. This way, individuals can be friendly to people regardless of their cultures (Xie, 2012). Additionally, individuals should develop ways of overcoming anxiety thus leading to effective communication between the different cultures. This is mainly because intercultural communication is uncertain and individuals may find it difficult to effectively communicate with different cultures. Anxiety hinders communication between different cultures since it causes individuals to be hostile when dealing with different cultures. For organizations, one of the ways of overcoming cultural barriers is through cross-cultural training. There is the need for the management of institutions to ensure that the employees recognize and accept the differences between cultures. Basic cross-culture training can help employees recognize cross-culture in the working environment, hence effective communication. Furthermore, organizations can enforce mutual benefit policies as a way of overcoming such barriers. Promoting the mutual benefit policies in organizations is important since it enables all the employees in an organization to enjoy similar benefits. The result is that all the cultures within the organization have a win-win situation. Barriers faced by the Global Companies International companies are characterized by diversity in the workforce with regards to social backgrounds and cultural affiliations. The result is that such companies face several barriers to effective cross-cultural communication. One of the barriers faced by the multinational companies is management style. Management style refers to the different ways through which decisions are made in a company and how such decisions are relayed to the subordinates (Noraini et al., 2014). Culture affects the management approach that is employed by an organization. Consequently, there is the need for managers to engage in cross-cultural decision making to enable the success of their businesses. One international company facing challenges in cross-cultural communication is Nestle. The company operates in 130 different countries. The managers of Nestle have continued to embrace the organizational values of the company while forgetting the cultural aspects of the countries in which they operate. The result of such has been the backlash termed the aggressive marketing of the company’s baby formula throughout Africa and Asia. Another barrier faced by the multinational companies is the language. Language is an important tool of communication between the different parties involved. Language is categorized both as verbal and non- verbal. For companies such as Nestle that have their outlets in different countries, communication becomes difficult since some words may mean different thing in other languages. Additionally, non-verbal communication differs across cultures and may result in misunderstandings. Implications of Cross-cultural Communication in International Business Today, the global entrepreneurs and other business-oriented persons have ventured into the international businesses due to globalization. Consequently, they operate in different cultural settings hence the need for cross-cultural communication. Cross- cultural communication is important in the international business world because it helps in facilitating negotiations among different business enterprises. The skills of negotiation and reaching agreements differ between different cultures and different people. Through cross-cultural communication, both managers and their employees are capable of learning the negotiation skills among different cultures. This makes the negotiation processes easier, hence good business deals (Zhang and Zhou, 2008). Since multinational businesses conduct their operations in different countries across the globe, there is the need to have a proper understanding of the cultures of the people in these countries to be successful. Through cross-cultural communication, the managers and employees are able to have knowledge of the cultures both within the workplace and the communities they serve to deliver efficiently. This can be achieved through the cultural training program. This can lead to an appreciation of the different culture and consequently good business relations. Lastly, cross-cultural communication is essential in international businesses since it helps the international companies to successfully market their products to their target population. The backlash that occurred in Nestle, for instance, caused by the company’s lack of awareness of the cultures of their foreign market base. Through cross-cultural communication, the companies are able to predict the customers’ reaction to their products and act in the required manner. Conclusion With regards to the above discussion, it is evident that cross-cultural communication is hotly debated due to its significance in the globalized world. Cultural affiliations impact on the way people communicate, making culture a central part of communication. Moreover, organizations employ the cross-cultural communication strategies in their operations to increase profitability and maintain their workforce. With companies still expanding to foreign countries, and people travelling to different places for various reasons, cross-cultural communication is still expected to be a fervently debated issue in the coming years. References Bergiel. E.B, Bergiel, B.J & Upson, J.W. (2012). Revisiting Hofstede’s Dimensions: Examining the Cultural Convergence of the United States and Japan. American Journal of Management, vol 12, Issue No. 1, pp 65-78 Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture. Liu, S., & Gallois, C. (2014). Integrating intercultural communication and cross-cultural psychology: Theoretical and pedagogical implications. Noraini, B, Zulkifli, Z, Rashid, I& Khamil, S. (2014). A Study on the Barriers of Cross-Cultural Communication in Electronic-Based Companies. The International Journal of Social Sciences. Vol 3 Issue No 6, pp 29-43. Maude, B. (2011). Managing cross-cultural communication. Houndmills, Basingstoke Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Schmitz, L., & Weber, W. (2014). Are Hofstede’s dimensions valid? A test for measurement invariance of Uncertainty Avoidance. Intercultural Journal,  Vol 13 Issue 22. Shi, L &Wang, L. (2013). The Culture Shock and Cross-cultural Adaptation of Chinese Expatriates in International Business Contexts. Journal of International Business Research. Vol 7,Issue No 1, pp 91-107. Shuang, L & Gallois, C. (2014). Integrating Intercultural communication and cross-cultural psychology: Theoretical and Pedagogical Implications. International Association for Cross-cultural Psychology. Xie. Y. (2012). Cross-cultural communication barriers between staff in overseas-funded enterprises and management strategies for overcoming them. Journal of Languages and Culture, Vol 3 No 6, pp321-415 Special Issue March 2012/13 Zhang, T &Zhu H. (2008). The Significance of Cultural Communication in International Business Negotiation. International Journal of Business and Management, vol. 3, Issue number 4, pp52-76. Read More