1. Cross-Cultural Communication
and Global Competence For
Business
Roll No Name
26 Naresh Lodhaya
28 Sagar Mokal
30 Vivek Nair
32 Nripendra Nrip
34 Anita Pansare
36 Devashree Patil
2. Cross-Cultural Communication in Business
Organizations & Cultures Communication
Nonverbal Cross Cultural Communication
Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory.
Global Competence of organizations.
3. What is Culture
• Provides patterns of
acceptable behavior
& beliefs.
• May be based on….
–Nationality
–Race and Religion
–Historical Roots
–All of the Above
5. Cross Cultural communication is
a field of study that looks at
how people from various
cultural backgrounds
communicate in similar and
different ways among
themselves in order achieve a
common Business Goal.
6. Good Intercultural Communicators
• Aware values &
behaviors not always
“right.”
• Flexible & open to
change.
• Sensitive to verbal &
nonverbal behavior.
• Aware of
values, beliefs, practi
ces of other cultures.
• Sensitive to
differences within
cultures
8. High-Context Cultures
• INFER INFORMATION
FROM MESSAGE
CONTEXT, RATHER
THAN FROM
CONTENT.
• PREFER
INDIRECTNESS, POLIT
ENESS & AMBIGUITY.
• CONVEY LITTLE
INFORMATION
EXPLICITLY.
• RELY HEAVILY ON
NONVERBAL SIGNS.
• Asian
• Latin
American
• Middle
Eastern
9. Low-Context Cultures
• Rely more on
content
rather than on
context.
• Explicitly spell out
information.
• Value directness.
• See indirectness as
manipulative.
• Value written word
more than oral
statements.
• European
• Scandina
vian
• North
American
10. Culture is the way of life of group of people
The stereotyped pattern of learning
Handing down from one generation to the next
through meaning of language & imitation.
Communication is representation of our mental
images thought patterns and conventions of
verbalization
11.
12.
13.
14. Nonword messages, such as
gestures, facial expressions,
interpersonal distance, touch, eye
contact, smell, and silence.
Intercultural Business Communication, 4th
ed., Chaney & Martin
What is meant by nonverbal
communication?
15. Cultural Differences in
Attitudes Toward Time
• U.S. persons are very time conscious and value
punctuality. Being late for meetings is viewed as rude
and insensitive behavior; tardiness also conveys that
the person is not well organized.
• Germans and Swiss people are even more time
conscious; people of Singapore and Hong Kong also
value punctuality.
• In Algeria, on the other hand, punctuality is not widely
regarded. People in Arab cultures have a casual attitude
toward time.
16. Personal space
• Definition of personal space
– The distance two people keep between
themselves in order to feel comfortable
– If the amount of space is too great, the
person approaching will seem cold, shy or
unfriendly
– If the amount of space is too small, the
person approaching will seem
aggressive, rude or intrusive.
17. Intercultural Business Communication, 4th
ed., Chaney & Martin
Space Zones
• The intimate zone (less than 18 inches) is
reserved for very close friends.
• The personal zone (18 inches to 4 feet) is for
giving instructions to others or working
closely with another person.
• The social zone (4 to 12 feet) is used in
business situations in which people interact
in a more formal, impersonal way.
• The public distance is over 12 feet.
18. Gaze/Eye Contact
Intercultural Business Communication, 4th
ed., Chaney & Martin
In USA, eye contact indicates :
Degree of attention or interest, influences attitude change
or persuasion, regulates interaction, communicates
emotion, defines power and status, and has a central role
in managing impressions of others.
19. Smell (Olfactics)
• Although people of the U.S. respond
negatively to body odors, Arabs are
comfortable with natural body odors.
• Other cultures in which smell plays an
important role include the Japanese and
Samoans.
Intercultural Business Communication, 4th
ed., Chaney & Martin
20. Touch (Haptics)
• Touch, when used properly, may create
feelings of warmth and trust; when used
improperly, touch may cause annoyance
and betray trust.
• Hierarchy is a consideration when using
touch in the U.S.: people who are older or
higher rank may touch those who are
younger or of lower rank; equals may touch
each other.
21. Facial Expressions
• The face and eyes convey the most
expressive types of body
language, including
happiness, surprise, fear, anger, interest,
and determination.
• Facial expressions must be controlled
when inappropriate to the setting
(yawning during a presentation).
Intercultural Business Communication, 4th
ed., Chaney & Martin
22. Gestures
• Emblems or symbols ("V" for victory)
• Illustrators (police officer's hand held up to
stop traffic)
• Regulators (glancing at watch when in a hurry)
• Affect displays (a person's face turns red with
embarrassment)
Axtell, Gestures
Add in previous slide
23. Posture and Stance
• Posture can convey self-confidence, status,
and interest.
• Confident people have a relaxed posture,
yet stand erect and walk with assurance.
• Walking with stooped shoulders and a slow,
hesitating gait projects negative messages
of lack of confidence.
Intercultural Business Communication, 4th
ed., Chaney & Martin
24. Color (Chromatics)
• Colors have cultural variations in connotations.
– Black is the color of mourning in the U.S., but white is
worn to funerals by the Japanese.
– In the U.S. white is typically worn by brides, while in
India red or yellow is worn.
– Purple is sometimes associated with royalty, but it is
the color of death in Mexico and Brazil.
– Red (especially red roses) is associated with romance in
some cultures including the U.S.
Intercultural Business Communication, 4th
ed., Chaney & Martin
25. Silence
• Although U.S. persons are uncomfortable with
silence, people from the Middle East are quite
comfortable with silence.
• The Japanese also like periods of silence and do not
like to be hurried. Such Japanese proverbs
as, “Those who know do not speak - those who
speak do not know,” emphasize the value of silence
over words in that culture.
• In Italy, Greece, and Arabian countries, on the other
hand, there is very little silence.
Intercultural Business Communication, 4th
ed., Chaney & Martin
26. Paralanguage
– vocal characterizers
(laugh, cry, yell, moan, whine, belch, yawn). These send
different messages in different cultures (Japan — giggling
indicates embarrassment; India – belch indicates satisfaction)
– vocal qualifiers (volume, pitch, rhythm, tempo, and
tone). Loudness indicates strength in Arabic cultures and
softness indicates weakness; indicates confidence and
authority to the Germans,; indicates impoliteness to the Thais;
indicates loss of control to the Japanese. (Generally, one learns
not to “shout” in Asia for nearly any reason!). Gender based
as well: women tend to speak higher and more softly than
men.
– vocal segregates (un-
huh, shh, uh, ooh, mmmh, humm, eh, mah, lah). Segregates
indicate formality, acceptance, assent, uncertainty.
Intercultural Business Communication, 4th
ed., Chaney & Martin
27.
28. Global Competency:
"Learn "with" the world...
not just "about" the world."
Global Competence
The existence of competing organizations that serve
international customers. Access to global customers has increased through
enhanced communications, improved shipping channels, reduction of
barriers, and centralized finance authorities.
29. Competing in a
Global World
Companies must
adapt to change
politically, socially,
economically, and
technologically.
37. Pepsodent’s big marketing mistake promoting
white teeth
• Pepsodent tried to sell its toothpaste in regions of south-
east Asia through a promotion which stressed that the
toothpaste helped enhance white teeth
• The social prestige in this area of darkly stained teeth,
such an ad was understandably less than effective.
• The slogan "wonder where the yellow went" was also
viewed by many as a racial slur.
42. Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions
“Culture is more often a source of conflict than of
synergy. Cultural differences are a nuisance at best
and often a disaster.”
42
Prof. Geert Hofstede
43. Culture and the workplace (Hofstede)
Finds national culture dimensions meaningful to
business
Basis:
– Work related values not universal
– National values may persist over MNC efforts to create
corporate culture
– Home country values often used to determine HQ policies
– MNC may create morale problems with uniform moral
norms
Purpose: understanding of business situations across-
cultures
MUST understand own culture AND other culture(s)
50. The Globalization of WAL-MART: Synopsis
The way Wal-Mart chose to enter the Latin American and
Asian markets was very different than its entry into Canada.
To penetrate the Canadian market, Wal-Mart chose the
acquisition mode of entry, namely because the U.S. and
Canadian markets are, among other things, homogeneous in
nature.
51. 1. Political Risk
2. Legal Risk
3. Financial / Economic Risk
4. Societal / Cultural Risk
Global Strategy and Risk
54. Stereotypes Defined
• Stereotypes are assumed
characteristics based on a large group of
individuals whose beliefs, habits, and
actions are similar.
• Education can help us overcome
stereotypes.
55. Stereotypes Ex. #1
• All rap artists are uneducated, or
all rappers are “thugs”.
• True or false?
57. How do they impact me?
• Stereotypes are negative and often
lead to discrimination or oppression.
58. Ethnocentrism Defined
• Belief in the superiority of one’s own
ethnic group.
• To look at the world primarily from the
perspective of your own culture.
59. Ethnocentrism Ex. #1
• America is better than any other country
in the world.
• This is different from Patriotism, which is
taking pride in your country.
61. Ethnocentrism’s Impact on the World
• Leads to attitudes of superiority!
• Clouds our understanding of different
peoples and cultures.
• Can lead to violence and discrimination.
65. Fostering Global Competence
Introductions.
• 1st Rule: You must take a risk
and introduce yourself to someone
completely new.
• 2nd Rule: Be an attentive listener,
because you will need to introduce
your new acquaintance to the group.
Who are you?
Where are you
from?
What is your
professional role?
What motivated
you to choose this
session?
Tell something
interesting about
you.
66. The Impact of a GC Mind-Set
Global Competencies at the top of the list
1. Ability to communicate effectively across linguistic and
cultural boundaries
2. Ability to see and understand the world from a
perspective other then one's own
3. Ability to understand and appreciate
the diversity of
societies and cultures.
Hinweis der Redaktion
Geert Hofstede's research gives us insights into other cultures so that we can be more effective when interacting with people in other countries.If understood and applied properly, this information should reduce your level of frustration and give you the 'edge of understanding' which translates to more successful results.Despite the evidence that groups are different from each other, we tend to believe that deep inside all people arethe same. In fact, as we are generally not aware of other countries' cultures, we tend to minimize culturaldifferences. This leads to misunderstandings and misinterpretations between people from different countries.
All the levels in communication are affected by cultural dimensions: verbals (words and language itself), non verbals (body language, gestures) andetiquette do's and don'ts (clothing, gift-giving, dining, customs and protocol). And this is also valid for written CommunicationIn international negotiations, communication style, expectation, issue ranking and goals will change according to thenegotiators' countries of origin. If applied properly, the understanding of cultural dimensions should increase successin negotiations and reduce frustration and conflicts
