Cross-Cultural Communication

and

Workplace Diversity

by

Dr. Jose C. Gatchalian President Emeritus

Philippine Industrial Relations Society (PIRS)

Manila, Philippines

“Help!”*

* In different Philippine dialects

Cross-Cultural Communication

and

Workplace Diversity

•More minorities, ageing workers, disabled persons, more people with different lifestyles and varieties of ethnic backgrounds, are joining the world’s workforce.

• The nature and demographic profile of the workforce is changing and is expected to change even more in the near future.

• One of the most striking phenomena of the recent times, has been the increasing proportion of women in the labor force. In 2003, 1.1 billion or about 40% of the world’s 2.8 billion workers were women.

• Expect more cultural and social attitude shifts towards a job.

As globalization becomes a reality, more and more companies will employ people of every race, nationality, religious background, and age group.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2010 one-third of U.S. residents will be able to trace their descents (sic) to Africa, Asia, the Hispanic world, the Pacific Islands, or the Middle East….The most successful businesses will incorporate the influences, practices, and values of these diverse cultures in a respectful and productive manner.

(From: White Men Can’t Lead Everyone, Juana Bordas, Quality Digest)

Need: for a Multicultural Leadership

- that encourages an inclusive and adaptable style - that cultivates the ability to bring out the best in the diverse workforce, and - to fashion a sense of community with people from many parts of the globe - enables a wide spectrum of people to actively engage, contribute, and tap their potential.

* a culturally inclusive leadership will be one of the most important transitions ….into the new globalized world.

(From: White Men Can’t Lead Everyone, Juana Bordas, Quality Digest)

Intercultural Communication -“a study of the art and process of communication

between cultures, and the many cultural factors that shape the art and affect the process.”

• Overcoming the natural barriers of language difference does not assure success – one may still not understand, nor be understood.

An effective communication symbol in one culture could be an obscene gesture in another setting.

“the communication technique that makes a person successful in New York could kill him in New Delhi.”

Understanding the nature of communication between peoples of different cultures can enable one “to avoid or prevent conflict.” Sitaram (1972).

Cross-cultural (mis)Communications

“People are products of their culture –the best way to understand them is to know more about their culture, and particularly their value system.” (Jocano, 1999) -

Cultural ways, when understood and appreciated, can be used to motivate and influence people “…to shift from old habits - to new ways of thinking, believing, and doing things.”

“It's easy to take a horse to the water, but it's always up to the horse to drink.”

Quality in an organization is of a similar

nature. We can have perfect systems and

procedures for quality, but –

if the employees aren't willing to follow, the whole system will fail to deliver.

• Culture - the way of life for an entire society:includes codes of conduct, manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, norms of behavior and systems of belief.

• Quality culture – a quality centered way of thinking and acting.

• Total quality management (TQM):

- a comprehensive management method with an accent on quality

- a company wide quality management system

involving all employees in activities aimed at improving products and services.

• “Culture is a communication problem. As cultural variance increases, so do problems of communication.”

• “If we are unaware of the significant role culture plays in communication, we may place the blame for failure on those “other people”.It’s unfortunate as the problem is really culture, and the difficulty of communicating across

cultural boundaries,” (Sitaram).

I WONDER WHAT HE MEANS?

GOOD MORNING!

Variables in the communication process -(whose values are determined, in part, by culture):

(1) attitudes

(2) social organization

(3) patterns of thought

(4) roles and role prescriptions

(5) language

(6) use and organization of space

(7) time conceptualization, and

(8) nonverbal expression.

(Porter,1972)

• Attitudes - psychological states that lead us to

act in certain ways when we encounter various

social events or objects in our environment. Ex:

a)How many of you like to eat the durian fruit?

b)How many of you can eat “non-halal food”?

• Attitudes affecting intercultural communication

most are: ethnocentrism, world view, absolute

values, stereotypes, and prejudices.

• We tend to see things as we want them to be,

not as they really are.

How

You

See

It -

Is

What

You

See!

Social Organization – the societal composition of cultures

can also affect our perception, such as those related to

the perception and communication process, below:

a) geographic societies - composed of members of a nation,

nationality, tribe, ethnic group, or religious sect; and

b) role societies, composed of members of a profession,

polictical or ideological, caste or religious group.

3.) patterns of thought – form of reasoning prevalent in a society

a major difficulty in intercultural communication is the difference between modes of reasoning prevalent in Western cultures and other modes.

The hypothetical example below, sometimes elicits different views from different people (take an opinion poll of the audience):

A cruise ship is sinking and one man is faced with a dilemma. His wife and his mother are thrown overboard and he has only one life jacket to throw to one of them. If you are the husband,

to whom would you throw the life jacket?

4.) Roles and Role Prescriptions – when some

people encounter members of other cultures

whose behavior seems strange to them, it may

be a matter of different role prescriptions ,

or role expectations.

Members of the government establishment

might ask these questions of themselves:

a) Do we understand the role of an “ulama”

in a Muslim community?

b) What are the roles of elders in “kampongs”

or ethnic villages in Sarawak?

Language - communicating interculturally, we encounter problems where cultural differences affect our ability to communicate.

“Communicating and relating to one another involve attitudes, values, and sentiments that have their roots

in the culturally shared experiences of the people in the communities where they were born and raised - prior to their first interactions and dealings with public officials.

It would be useful for public officers and functionariesto be aware of these basic cultural orientations when relating to villagers, rural people and fellow citizens whom they serve in their respective communities.

Time Conceptualization - Western cultures tend to

conceptualize time in lineal-spatial terms,

meaning that we are aware of a past…, a

present…, and a future.

How is it different from the Filipino (and other

Asians’) concept of time as a cyclical notion of

recurring events, for instance, e.g., lifecycles

and seasons?

(How and why are “Filipino time,” “American

time,” “Mexican time,” and “Indian time,”

different? How about jam karet, in Malaysia?)

Use and Organization of Space – Porter (1972)

“We unconsciously structure space as a

function of our culture; …it often serves as a

nonverbal means of communication”

Example:

How are the longhouses in Sarawak

structured, and functionally operated?

Nonverbal Expression – culture affects the social

perception process. It determines the form that

nonverbal messages take, circumstances calling for

their expression and amount of expression permitted.

“The Japanese smile is a law of etiquette that has

been elaborated and cultivated from early times - not

necessarily a spontaneous expression of amusement.

The Japanese child is taught to smile as a social

duty so that he will always show an appearance of

happiness and avoid inflicting sorrow upon his

friends.” (Klineberg)

Note: Filipinos smile to hide their shame or

embarrassment.

For government functionaries operating in the field, they may consider this notion:

“Communicating and relating to one another involve attitudes, values, and sentiments that have their roots in the culturally shared experiences of the people in the communities where they were born and raised prior to their interaction with public officers.

Thus, it would be helpful for public officials and personnel to be aware of these basic cultural orientations when relating to villagers, rural people and fellow citizens whom they are tasked to serve.”

The core national interest “…is national harmony, and the promotion of social harmony and national unity is vital, even as we recognize cultural diversity.”

An appropriate intercultural communication strategy may provide the winning edge in enlisting the hearts and minds of a diversified and diversifying workforce towards the transformation to a quality culture.

Pertinent questions may be raised at this point:

1.) How are public sector staff and personnel perceived by people in communities in different regions ofthe country? Are they seen to be “helpers orharassers, protectors or predators?”

2.) What are the role expectations of regional officials and their subordinates?

3.) What are their values, norms and customs that may be in conflict with those prevailing in the kampongs and communities where they operate?

4.) Conversely, what are those that are shared, or may be aligned, with the values, norms and customsprevalent in the same sites?

5.) In spite of the high degree of cultural diversity in Malaysia, the Philippines, and other countries, how can publicofficers enhance national unity and harmony?