Intercultural Communication

Marinita Schumacher

Culture

• is linked to communication and a wide range of human experience including feelings, identity and sense-making

• provides people with different ways of thinking, seeing, hearing and interpreting the world

• involves a number of man-made, collective artefacts and is shared by the members of a social group

• is something that shapes one‘s behaviour or structures one′s perception of the world

Culture and Communication

• Culture is often defined in interrelation to communication:

"Culture is communication and communication is culture.“

!Culture is passed on via communication and communication reflects one′s culture

Hall, 2000

Cultural factors

• Behaviour is not only affected by culture but also by other factors such as – organizational norms– education – age – social class

• each of these factors can be understood and manifested in a cultural context

!while communicating we use different cultural habits and meaning systems

Intercultural Communication

• is a research field that studies how people from different cultural backgrounds communicate with each other

• is an instrument which transmits a certain meaning, composes and reinforces identity and expresses feelings

• is an instrument to connect with others

Constraints for intercultural understanding

• cognitive constraints– the frame of reference or world-view which provides a

backdrop that all new information is compared to or inserted into

• behaviour constraints– each culture has its own rules concerning proper behaviour

which affect verbal and nonverbal communication

• emotional constraints – different cultures regulate the display of emotions

differently. Some cultures get very emotional while others try to keep their emotions hidden

Ting-Toomey, 1999

low- and high-context settings

• low-context settings– screens its direct

attention more to the literal meanings of words and less to the context surrounding the words

– we “say what we mean, and mean what we say”

– leaves few space for interpretation of the explicit message

• high-context settings– are designed to let in

implied meanings arising from the physical setting, relations or shared understandings

– nonverbal signals are used to infer, imply, insinuate or deliver messages that we want to transmit indirectly

Hofstede, 2002

Individual Strategy

• Depending on the kind of relationship, the situation and the purpose of communication the low- and high-context communication, used as an individual strategy, may be more or less explicit and direct.

!Low- and high-context communication are not only individual strategies, but may be used to understand cultural groups

Hofstede, 2002

Low- and high-context-culture

• Low-context-culture– values the individualist’s

goals– separates person and issue– is confrontational– uses logic-deductive thinking

and explicit codes of speech– expresses emotional

information through facial expressions, tone of voice and body movements

– individualist cultures tend to gravitate towards low-context starting points

• High-context-culture– values the collectivist’s

goals– merges person and issue– relies on contextual cues

and situational knowledge – uses implicit references

and indirect speech – masks its emotions – collectivist cultures tend to

use high-context communication

Hofstede, 2002

Situational Factors

• most people use a mixture of low- and high-context-communication

• even in the most direct, low-context setting, implicit meanings will be conveyed

• there are 3 factors that could affect the choice of direct or indirect communication in intercultural workplaces

– cultural identity– work status– time urgency

Hall, 2000

Cultural Identity: Third Culture

• intercultural communication takes place in a “third culture”

• Part of “third culture” dynamics is the establishment of common communication rules

• People take into account– the demand of situational characteristics– the cultural identity of the other person – the existence of shared intercultural norms

that are not necessarily the same as one's home culture.

Maletzke, 1996

low-context communicators interacting with high-context communicators

should be mindful that

• building a good relationship can contribute to effectiveness over time and nonverbal messages and gestures may be as important as what is said

• status and identity may be communicated nonverbally and require appropriate acknowledgement

• face-saving and tact may be important and need to be balanced with the desire to communicate fully and frankly

Hofstedewww.idec.gr./mens

high-context communicators interacting with low-context communicators

should be mindful that

• things can be taken at face value rather than as representative of layers of meaning

• roles and functions may be decoupled from status and identity

• efficiency and effectiveness may be served by a sustained focus on tasks

• direct questions and observations are not necessarily meant to offend, but to clarify and advance shared goals

• indirect cues may not be enough to get the attention

Hofstedewww.idec.gr./mens

Work status

• Individualists– don’t alter their

behaviour according to status

– value low power distance resulting in a more egalitarian approach

• Collectivists– use more

confrontational techniques when power and status increase

– tend to value high power distance or the unequal distribution of power

Hall, 2000

Time urgency• Monochronic

– one task at a time– efficient task

performance– need to save time and

energy– short-term framework,

time is tangible– stress caused by

deadlines will increase directness and terseness as they tend to be achievement-oriented and goal-driven

• Polychronic– many task are handled

simultaneously– less emphasis on

prioritising tasks and an approximate attitude to timeframes

– obscurer and less mindful of time constraints

– long-term perspective, time is fluid and flexible

– able to retain their composure and to draw on social support from other team members

Hall, 2000

Stereotypes

• Stereotypes often reflect the differences in socioeconomic status, religion or dialect

• It is important to suspend judgement, avoid misconceptions, narrow perspectives and immature reactions

• Stereotypes often contain a grain of truth, but cannot characterize an entire culture

• Getting the whole picture of culture needs active participation

How to communicate effective

• Desire – to communicate– to connect with other humans– to be proactive when approaching a new culture

• Knowledge– knowing about other cultures will help to develop skills

and to act in a way that respects these preferences

• Stereotypes– reach beyond stereotypes

Conclusion

• Intercultural competence means understanding what culture is and how it works

• Culture is not congenital, but adapted and modified by the individual’s personality

• The knowledge about cultural concepts are useful to compare cultures that are relatively closed

• The various levels of culture show that culture can be seen as an onion-like construct

• Cultural understanding is a journey, that never finishes, because the process and the endpoints change constantly

Bibliography• Adler, N.J., 1997, International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior, New York, Wadsworth

Publishing• Hall, E.T./ Red Hall, M., 2000, Understanding Culture Differences, Intercultural Press Inc.,U.S• Hall, E.T./ 1959, The silent language, New York, Double Day• Hofstede G., 2006, Lokales Denken, globales Handlen, interkulturelle Zusammenarbeit und globales

Mangement, Berlin, DTV-Beck • Hofstede G., 1980: Culture‘s consequences: international differences in work-related. Beverly Hills,

Sage Publications• Hofstede G., 1994, Cultures and Organizations: software of the mind: intercultural. London

HarperCollins• Maletzke, G., 1996, Interkulturelle Kommunikation: zur Interaktion zwischen Menschen, Opladen.

Westdeutscher• Ting-Toomey, S., 1999, Communication Across Cultures (Guilford Communication Series) Guilford

Publications

• Learning Menu developed by Leonardo Project MENS available atwww.idec.gr./mens