CROSS CULTURE COMMUNICATIO

N“The reasonable person adapts himself to the world,

while the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself”

CULTURE Culture is the "lens" through which you view the

world. It is central to what you see , how you make

sense of what you see and how you express yourself.

CROSS CULTURE It is a study that looks at how people from

different cultural backgrounds communicate, in similar and different ways among themselves, and how they endeavour to communicate across cultures.

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The study of cross-cultural communication was originally found within businesses and government, both seeking to expand globally.

Businesses began to offer language training to their employees and programs were developed to train employees to understand how to act when abroad.

 International literacy and cross-cultural understanding have become critical to a country’s cultural, technological, economic, and political health. 

IMPORTANCE OF CROSS CULTURE

Cross border movement of people, goods and data brings more and more cultures into contact with one another and increases the potential of cross culture communication.

Major reasons being :◦ Job Opportunities◦ Improves the contribution of employees in

a diverse workforce◦ Sharing of views and ideas◦ Talent improvisation◦ An understanding of diverse market

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CULTURAL CLASSIFICATION - HALLLOW CONTEXT IN BUSINESS Business before friendship Credibility through expertise & performance Agreements by legal contract Negotiations efficientHIGH CONTEXT IN BUSINESS No business without friendship Credibility through relationships Agreements founded on trust Negotiations slow & ritualistic

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FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE

Communication Styles

Attitudes toward

conflicts

Decision making style

Approaches to knowing

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BELIEFS VALUES

EXPECTATION ATTITUDE

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FEW EXAMPLES Eye Contact

In some cultures, looking people in the eye is assumed to indicate honesty and straightforwardness; in others it is seen as challenging and rude. In USA, the cheapest, most effective way to

connect with people is to look them into the eye. In South Asian and many other cultures direct eye

contact is generally regarded as aggressive and rude.

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Gesturei. EGYPT – be patient ii. ITALY – What exactly do

exactly mean ?iii. GREECE – That’s just

perfect

CROSS CULTURE COMMUNICATION

OBSTACLES IN CULTURAL COMMUNICATION Values and attitudes: The manager may

have different values than his or her employees or the employees may even have different values and attitudes. At the end of the day it is the task that has to be completed and having different values and attitudes can be overcome if all employees all share a common vision and goals.

Apprehension: The manager may not have enough knowledge about how to deal with diverse employees in a specific situation.  This may result in misunderstandings and even conflict in the business.  The manager needs to acquire “cultural skills”.

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Ignorance:  Managers should never assume that all employees are similar.  Communication should never be offensive to employees of a different cultures because of ignorance.  That is why it is so important that managers should know how employees differ in terms of their own cultures.

Racism:  The danger of racism or prejudice towards employees because of their race is that it can be conscious or unconscious, intentional or even unintentional.  It is important that a manager should never show any intolerance against employees with different cultural backgrounds.

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SAFETY MEASRURES IN CROSS CULTURE COMMUNICATION

1. Avoid Negative Questions2. Take Turns3. Be Supportive4. Check Meanings5. Avoid Slangs6. Maintain Etiquette

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ENHANCEMENT OF CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

“Understand the differences; act on the commonalities.”

-Andrew Masondo

SKILLS

Respecting Differences and Working Together

Building Trust Across Cultural Boundaries

Understanding Body Language

Connecting with people

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THANK YOU