Companies engage in communication with employees in many ways. Employees operate in a behavior style determined by the company’s culture. If the company is diverse, learning to understand people is not an easy assignment. Our challenge it to become a successful and effective intercultural communicator as cultural differences can make it difficult. A person’s culture strong affects his or her beliefs, values, language, world views, and how to relate to others. It is important that all organizations understand the opportunities and challenges of intercultural communication.
Cross-Cultural Communications
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"The Impact Of Culture on Communication".
As companies are becoming more global there are many frustrations as cross-cultural communications are difficult. Communication and information processing in these situations rely on determining if the company’s culture is one of low context or high context. Explicit verbal messages are found primarily in low-context cultures and are more direct. High-context cultures are more skilled in inferring meaning from context and are more indirect. In addition, low- context cultures use the analytical part of the brain and are less personal. High-text cultures rely on emotions and require close relationships.
Communication must be mastered in order for a business to be successful in today’s global markets. The profitability of a company is determined by its communication strategies and skills. Communication within one’s own culture is difficult, but communication with people from different cultures makes miscommunication a distinct possibility. In order for businesses to be successful in the global market the company must:
Develop cultural empathy and be sensitive to do’s and taboos,
Respect and understand another’s culture and difference,
Realize that different is not good or bad and be culturally neutral,
Never assume anything from one culture to another, and
Use locals who are familiar with both cultures.
Conclusion
As our company expands globally, I trust that this memo will help us understand some of the cross-cultural issues that we may face. Communication at our company is difficult enough, but as we enter the international market it will become much more difficult. As a company we must understand that communication is different between a low-context culture and a high-context culture. One is more direct while the other is less direct. A low-context culture is less personal while a high-context culture relies on emotions. If you have questions or comments you may contact me at myemail.com or call me at 999-999-9999.
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