Tele-Communication and Cross-Cultural Communications - Essay Example

Overall summary Communication is the interpersonal process of transmitting and understanding information. Common symbols, signs, and behavioralrules determine the effectiveness of communication, that is, the transference of intended meaning. Communication is an essential inherent feature of any organization, as it mediates knowledge management, contributes to decision-making, and establishes coordinated teamwork at tasks (McShane & Von Glinow 2004). Importantly, as human beings, communication within a company serves relatedness needs. The psychological experience of connection with others, belongingness and identity with an organization mediate employee motivation and personal well-being. In turn organizational values, roles and norms are established that directly impact on the company's level and quality of productivity, services and customer focus (McShane & Von Glinow 2004). Throughout the communication process noise is inevitable; factors exist that constrain and distort an intended message. Noise may be in the form of a psychological, social or environmental barrier. A psychological barrier such as information overload is due to the processing capability of the human cognitive system. Advancing technologies both assist and hinder human information management at the cognitive level. From a cross-cultural perspective prejudice and stereotyping are examples of psychological barriers to communication. Also at the cognitive level, encoding of the symbols of communication takes place, as cultural differences shape the interpretation of a message, they can also at times distort the intended meaning (McShane & Von Glinow 2004). A social barrier is evident with current technology services that decrease inter-personal distance, and retain users' anonymity, yet negate actual face-to-face experiences. Social barriers also exist when prejudice and stereotype about another's nationality or ethnic heritage exist. Alternatively, environmental barriers to communication could be weather conditions that affect telecommunications, or, in contrast, the location of a meeting for global leaders (McShane & Von Glinow 2004). This paper aims to review two theories of communication pertinent to the organizational context. First a summary of the Law of telecosm and cross-cultural organizational communication will be provided. Secondly, a detailed review of each theory with current examples will be discussed. Finally, recommendations for organizational guidelines to tele-communications and cross-cultural communications will be presented. Summary of Theories The Law of telecosm states that as networks of computers expand in size that distance decreases immensely, to the point where philosophers consider the concept of "distance" between people becoming irrelevant. As more terminals connect with each other, the processing speed of each terminal increases, and so too do the transmitting capabilities of cable bandwidths. As such, an ever-increasing amount of information is available via the Internet on a 24/7 basis. Current research into workplace stress has identified the rapid rise in processing power of computers as a direct cause of workplace stress, anxiety, absenteeism and attrition. Information overload is a direct effect of increased processing power and seriously undermines workplace performance, including negating a workers ability to filter information, process information and to act effectively on decisions drawn from that information. Other workplace issues due to advancing technology is the use of email to replace social interactions, to advertise personal classifieds, to vent one's anger at a co-worker or employee and as a personal mailbox for relationships. Also, email is considered to be increasingly impolite due to its anonymity, and that the lack of contextual information from face-to-face interactions can lead to misinterpretation of the emotional intent of email. As face-to-face interaction remains the optimal source of human relatedness and subsequent communication, it is generally recognized that organizational cross-cultural communication knowledge is required. Cultures differ in their language, non-verbal behaviors, gender roles, leadership roles and communication styles. These factors affect how a message is heard and interpreted by the receiver. Also, personal differences in the ability to communicate can affect levels of trust between communicators, and so contribute to miscommunications. Improving one's knowledge about how another culture conceptualizes time and "locus of control" are just two examples of ways to improve communication across cultures. Theories The Law of Telecosm The Law of telecosm states that as networks of computers expand, distance will become less, and that even the concept of "distance" between people will become obsolete (McShane & Von Glinow 2004). Faster than a memo, telecommunication has become asynchronous so that coordination with a receiver is not required (unlike a telephone). Another advantage of advancing technology is the increased control it can give to the user to mediate information load, and thereby minimize or reduce it. There are many forms of computer-mediated communication: email, Internet and intranets, videoconferencing, data mining and live chats. Clearly, understanding of telecommunications advantages and weaknesses are critical to enable an organization to select and manage appropriate technologies. However, for the scope of this paper, the focus will be organizational email. Email can act to increase the frequency of communication between staff, as well as increase staff access to information, so enhance information sharing within the organization. Additionally, status differences can be reduced, as all staff may now be able to communicate with senior management. It is an excellent medium for coordinating activates and for sending information required to make decisions. Email has also been heralded as a way to enhance teamwork productivity and multitasking. Some argue that email has assisted to enhance cognitive processing capability, by way of subject lines and "Spam" titles that allow elimination of irrelevant materials (Conlin 2002). However, contemporary research has identified serious issues regarding email that need to be included in organizational discourse. Metcalfe's Law states that the value of a computer network is a function of the processing power of all the terminals connected to it (Gilder 2000 cited in Conlin 2002). The expansion of the store width of terminals has in turn boosted their value in a capitalist economy. Research shows that Internet traffic has risen a thousand times every five years since the 1990s (Gilder 2000 cited in Conlin 2002). Gilder's Law states that bandwidth grows almost three times faster than that of computer power, with computer power doubling about every 18 months. So that communications power can be said to double every six months, in line with Moore's Law (Gilder 2000 cited in Conlin 2002). Currently, a single cables bandwidth can carry a thousand times more Internet traffic, than the average traffic, on global scale, of five years ago. Information overload is the psychological experience of not being able to cognitively process the large amounts of data one is exposed to (McShane & Von Glinow 2004). There is the problem of information overload as email is very efficient in providing information. Email, voicemail, SMS all contributes to information overload in the workplace. Which messages are important How to filter irrelevant information How to cognitively process so many details in a short space of time As access to information has increased with technological changes, so to has our concept of time. Email and its peripherals provide information 24/7, and so there is an increased pressure on an employee to evaluate information and to make an effective decision on how to use that information. Overload fatigues an employee directly impacting on their ability to cognitively process information, and so communicate with others. Stress, anxiety, depression and sleeplessness are serious effects to the individual experiencing information overload (McShane & Von Glinow 2004). Also, email has contributed to other negative organizational behaviors. For example, research at Harvard Medical School argues that workers are more isolated, and that even though they work alongside each other, people are not taking opportunities to get to know each other (Conlin 2002). Conversation and relatedness is being replaced by email. Additionally, corporate emails are the subject of research into its effects on employee embarrassment, inhibition of teamwork, demodulation of employs, and miscommunication (Conlin 2002). There are also the "virtual gaffes" such as flaming a co-worker, or a personal email going to unintended persons. Interestingly, it appears that senior management are often the worst abusers, using email to comment on job performances and to issue orders. Emotional tones of emails can easily be misunderstood, and email has often been sited as lacking in empathy and social support. Conlin (2002) also points to the legalities of personal emails within an organization, as well as the complications of having so much old data in archives. The general consensus is that problems stem from incorrect use of email by most users (Conlin 2002). Due to its remoteness, and often it is anonymous, it is suggested that email has become a medium of communication that takes place outside of social norms and expectations. Netiquette policies are now incorporated into organizational culture that set guidelines for email to be used appropriately: for broadcasting, scheduling and informing, and not as a primary communication medium. Conlin (2002) contends that work related issues require real-time, face-to-face interaction that incorporates vocal nuances and non-verbal communications. Also, that the use of email emoticons can assist the receiver to decode emotional intent, and so further relatedness. Cross-Cultural Communication Face-to-face communication remains the best form of communication to convey emotions and for persuading listeners (McShane & Von Glinow 2004). Non-verbal gestures aid in communication and can provide immediate feedback to the sender. Language of course is a major contributor to miscommunication, as the sender's words and body language may have different meaning to the receiver. Language and verbal miscommunication from language differences can affect organizational culture and subsequent productiveness. Cross-cultural communication issues are an example of semantic barriers as noise. Perceptual errors are a form of noise, determined by each person's unique frames of reference, though grounded in culture. Hence the receiver may ignore or pay attention to different parts of the message, than what the sender intends (McShane & Von Glinow 2004). Miscommunication occurs because the words chosen and the meanings associated with those words do not make sense to the receiver. Cross-cultural communication is also a personal barrier in that each person differs in his or her ability to communicate, and this is based on our experiences of communicating. As such, mistakes may mean that a speaker has a low level of trust about being understood, and so not communicate much. In turn this negates a person's practice with a language, incurring future miscommunications. As such, the encoding process of language may be seen as a personal and semantic barrier (McShane & Von Glinow 2004). Munter (1993) states that managers must become proficient at cross-cultural communication for today's global community. Knowledge of another culture's "locus of control" is an important factor in cross-cultural communication. Some ethnic groups consider events to be predetermined, and so controlled by external forces, e.g., ancestral spirits; this is an "external control". Whereas an ethnic group who uses an "internal control" would attribute personal responsibility to events, such as management's foresight in a company merger. Also, cultures differ in the timeframes that they use to experience the world (Munter 1993). In Australia and other Pacific Island nations, the indigenous people practice "island time" that aligns the people with their environment. As such, the timetable is not exact and so people do not expect meeting etc to begin at a specific designated time. Whereas in Switzerland, promptness at a precise time is highly valued. Communication styles also differ between cultures, and some styles are more useful in one culture than another (Munter 1993). For example, an autocratic or democratic stance may be called for within different cultures. An autocratic culture is one in which power is unequal, and it is mainly centered with the leader. The autocratic leader may rely on a "tell" style of communication to inform others. Whereas a more democratic society will likely employ a consultation style of communication, and so disperse power amongst the group with the democratic leader having to earn respect from other group members. Voice intonations are a part of many languages, but not a major part of others, such as English (Munter 1993). As such, miscommunication can result when words are stressed within a sentence that would not normally occur in that language. Also there are cultural constraints of whom and where and to whom different tones and body language can be used. Some cultures, such as the Japanese place a lot more emphasis on the nonverbal during an interaction. Non-verbal communication differs between cultures. Actions, gestures, facial expressions, styles of dress all contribute to non-verbal communication. A mismatch of emotional contagion, the subconscious tendency to mimic and synchronize body langue with the sender may further inhibit communication. Cultural norms also determine gender roles of communication, and so set up receiver expectations when communicating with a male or female manager (McShane & Von Glinow 2004). Silence during a conversation is cultural and may be interpreted as rude by upper management, or arrogance and disinterest by senior managers (Munter 1993). Alternatively, in another culture, silence is considered a sign of respect. In English it is not unusual to view conversational overlaps as rude, whereas in other countries such as Italy, it is considered normal to interject and to have conversational overlap. Also company jargon - microspeak, may be misinterpreted. Although once jargon is known can improve communication efficiently as a united language and can improve the dynamic of a tem, and so shape organizational culture. Also, either group may miss out on the grapevine, that the unstructured network of social relationships may negate direct communication. As tends to occur in homogenous groups and makes communication easier. In conclusion, it is evident that rapid advances in technology and the necessity for organizational cross-cultural communication in a global community require further understandings of communication processes and consequences. There are strengths and weaknesses to using email within an organization, that need to be considered especially in regard to employee information overload and organizational culture in general. Cross-cultural communication requires employees at all levels to have better understandings of how other ethnic groups represent time, leadership and gender roles. It is anticipated that furthering understandings on the topic of organizational communication can enhance company productivity, as well as enhance the well being and personal development of its workers. Recommendations for Organizations Tele-Communication and Cross-Cultural Communications. Email Do be mindful of political correctness Do use the subject line Do be brief - convey the message concisely Do increase information capability to reduce information overload e.g., remove distractions Do provide a depth of information for users: organize information into layers, and disseminate only the information relevant to a particular user Do use continual evaluation amongst staff of email and telecommunication services Do establish unique corporate netiquette values and guidelines Do have a "4th class email" for staff to send classifieds to each other Do not send sensitive or critical material in regards to personal or job performances Do not use email to send directions on how to carry out a task Do not use email to establish task outcomes Do not use email when you are angry Not for negotiations Do not use email for promoting personal classifieds etc. Do not SPAM people Do not use company email as a personal mailbox - emails legally are the property of the organization Do not write in all caps - it is considered shouting! Cross-cultural Communications Do be empathetic, have some knowledge as to how other cultures interpret verbal and nonverbal information. Do repeat the message in different ways to assist understanding Do provide feedback and rephrase what the speaker says Do postpone evaluation and so accept all information at this stage Do continuous feedback that you understand what is being said Do be aware that other cultures may interpret symbolic meanings differently Do management by walking around to help with face-to-face interactions and enhance understanding of others communications styles Do use focus groups for cross-cultural solutions Do set a communication objective that is realistic from the point of view of that culture Do analyze the locus of control of another culture and align with it Do determine other cultures attitude to time Do not expect other ethnic groups to take on your groups communication style Do not consider it irrelevant to learn about another culture's view of time Do not consider it irrelevant to learn about another culture's gender roles Do not disrespect another culture's values Do not stare at another culture's use of body language Do not patronize or condescend another for their limited ability with your language References Conlin, M (2002) Watch what you put in that office email. BusinessWeek Online [Online] http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072931477 [18th December, 2005]. Munter, M (1993) Cross-cultural communication for managers. Business Horizons, 36 (3). McShane, S., & Von Glinow, M (2004) Organizational Behavior (3rd ed.). Columbus: McGraw Hill. Read More