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Cross-Cultural Organizational CommunicationSharon Glazer, Ph.D.San Jose State University
Intercultural Communication
Interaction, communication, and other processes which involve
people or entities from two or more different cultures
Communication Competence
Unconscious Incompetence
Conscious Incompetence
Conscious Competence
Unconscious Competence
High Context Cultures
Emotional expressionsTouching (or not)Distance between bodies; Body orientationLevel of voiceEye contact (or lack thereof)Saving Face; maintaining harmonyImplicitIndirect; arguments presented climacticallyEmphasis on “how” something is said
Toyota ad in Japan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ2yGIYMWwo
Low Context Cultures
Distrust what is not clearCredibility; Intelligence; Expert knowledge“I”Explicit logic, proof, linear organizationSilence = disagreement, rejection, hostility, weakness, unwillingness to communicate, shynessEmphasis on “what” is said, specificity
Toyota ad in USA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obNm1g85y5I
Communication/Writing Styles
English Semitic Oriental Romance Slavic
Linear Parallel Circular Digressions Unclear Center
What’s being said in these High Context Cultures?
The wind blows, but the mountain is unmoved.What she/he says doesn’t affect me at all.“Maybe” or “Perhaps”No.(no words, but exudes cold silence)I don’t like this.
Don’t you feel like eating some apples?Please buy some apples from the market.(no words, but shows unusual consideration, or gives a gift)I’m sorry.You’re a lion whose mouth is wide open.You’re charging too much money for this.May fate bring us together again.See you later.
Non-Verbal Communication
Emblems, Illustrators, Regulators
Multi-Cultural Virtual TeamA temporary work group composed of people who coordinate and execute a work project across “time, space, and cultures” through use of information and communication technology. VTs form rapidly, reorganize, and dissolve according to the organization’s needs.Members are usually accountable to different individuals.
Rationale for Virtual Teams
Companies are faced with increasing time compression in development and production.
Multinational firms need to utilize their best (based on knowledge) human capital to maintain competitive advantage.
Effective Work Groups3 Functions
ProductionMember SupportGroup Well-Being
1.Inception and acceptance
of a project2.Problem-solving 3.Conflict resolution4.Project execution
Teams carry out the 3 functions through four modes
Time, Interaction, and Performance (TIP) Theory
Technological and environmental uncertainty
require groups to engage in all four of these functions to avoid
poor performance
Problems with Virtual TeamsLow commitmentRole stressorsAbsenteeismSocial loafing
Can multi-cultural VTs function effectively without frequent face-to-face interaction?Can a multi-cultural VT project foster intercultural learning?
How to reduce misperceptions, misinterpretations, & misevaluations
1. Assume differences until similarity is proven.
2. Emphasize description rather than interpretation.
3. Practice empathy.
4. Treat your interpretations as a working hypotheses.
Implications for PracticeClarification of Role/ResponsibilitiesProvision of guidelinesDevelop predictable pattern of communicationEnsuring complementary objectivesRecognition and handling of potential conflictChoose individuals who are responsible, dependable, independent, and self-sufficientTimely and detailed accounts of contribution and immediate feedbackAlternatives for electronic communication failure