Cross Culture

CROSS CULTURAL
COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS
WORLD...
CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Cross-cultural communication (also frequently referred to as

intercultural communication) is a field of study that looks at how people
from differing cultural backgrounds communicate, in similar and
different ways among themselves, and how they endeavour to
communicate across cultures.
RISKS IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
○ Cross-cultural risk is exacerbated by:
Ethnocentric orientation
Using our own culture as the standard
for judging other cultures
Polycentric orientation
A host-country mindset where the manager develops a
greater affinity with the country in which she or he conducts
business
Geocentric orientation
A global mindset where the manager is able to understand a
business or market without regard to country boundaries
PURPOSE OF UNDERSTANDING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
IN BUSINESS
○ To create cultural synergy between people from different

cultures within a business.
○ To avoid problems stemming solely from misinterpretation when

coming across people from different culture and society in the large
expanding business globally.
○ Communicating across cultures effectively improves your

productivity and efficiency.
○ Promotes harmonious work environment
○ Cross-cultural proficiency increases the effectiveness of

meetings and other encounters in international business.
CROSS CULTURAL DIMENSIONS :CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES
○ People in different countries have different ways to interpret
events, they have different habits, values, and ways of relating
to one another. When they come across, problems pops up.
○ People tend to view their cultural practices right while other as

wrong or peculiar. This is called ethnocentrism.
○ Gestures and body movements and beliefs and practices

related to human relationships are the two main factors that
impact cross cultural communication.
DIMENSIONS OF CROSS CULTURE : CULTURAL DIVERSITY
1. CONTEXT (SURROUNDINGS) - Low context and High context culture

(already discussed)
2. SOCIAL CUSTOMS - Social customs vary from country to country. Greeting

like bowing in Japan, Namaste in India, Exchange of gifts in first meet Japan,
China
3. STYLE OF DRESS- Modest dresses in Muslim countries, in business

meetings casual wear are not liked, in US and Canada weekends are dress down
days
4.PERCEPTION ABOUT GENDER ROLES- American and European

countries women are supposed to play equal roles. In Asian and Muslim
countries women are overlooked.
5. GESTURE- Body Language

○ SPACE-The concept of "personal space" also varies from country to country. In
certain countries it is considered respectful to maintain a distance while
interacting. However, in other countries, this is not so important.
○ ODOUR- Americans avoid body odors and try to hide them whereas in some
Asian culture believe body odor as an act of friendship to ‘breathe the breathe’
of the person with whom they converse.
○ FRANKNESS- North Americans tend to be frank or explicit, quickly getting

to the point. Germans and Israelis are even more frank than Americans. Asian
tend to be more implicit
○ PUNCTUALITY- In some countries like China and Japan, punctuality is

considered important and being late would be considered as an insult. However,
in countries such as those of South America and
○ the Middle East, being on time does not carry the same sense of urgency.
○ DECISION MAKING STYLE: In UK , US centralised, while in Japan it is more

shared responsibility
• BUSINESS AND SOCIAL ETIQUETTE : Greetings by hugging acceptable in
America, Shaking hands or kissing a lady’s hand in European countries.
GESTURES AND BODY MOVEMENT
CONTD…
CULTURE HANDSHAKES
○ Americans ○ Firm
○ Germans ○ firm, repeated
○ French ○ Light ,quick, not offered to

superiors, repeated
○ Soft
○ British
○ Latin Americans
○ Firm, long lasting.
○ Middle
Easterners ○ Gentle, repeated frequently.
○ Asians ○ Gentle: for some shaking hand
is unfamiliar and
uncomfortable.
○ Koreans ○ Firm
○ Arabs ○ Gentle, kisses on both cheeks.
BARRIERS IN CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION
In business, cross cultural communication plays a critical role in

successfully carrying out business with teams and stakeholders in
other areas of the globe.
When the communication is effective, everyone benefits from

increased bandwidth, institutional knowledge, and competitive
advantage. Ineffective communication however, can offend,
confuse or send a misconstrued message which could lead to
broken relations with customers, partners, vendors, and employees.
1. Language
Misunderstandings are common among people who speak the same language, so it’s not surprising that people from different cultural and
linguistic backgrounds face communication barriers. Anything from the mispronunciation of a word to a lack of specificity can lead to
misunderstandings. Although English is regarded as the common international language of business, not every business globally uses English on a
regular basis. Employees may have more difficulty when communicating in English, which can lead to misunderstandings when taking direction,
understanding level of urgency and communicating issues or concerns.
2. Stereotypes
These are assumptions made about a group of people and are applied to individuals irrespective of their personal characteristics because of their
affiliation with a certain group. Stereotypes can be positive, negative or neutral. Many stereotypes are negative or even hostile and are a serious
barrier to workplace communication. The concept of the stereotype is used in various contexts. For example, the distinctiveness of Chinese cultural
characteristics has been recognized in these ways. Chinese are often described as: emotionally more reserved, introverted, fond of tranquillity,
3. Body Language
Body language, includes all the communication through the non-verbal channel. This can include
how we greet others, how we sit or stand, our facial expressions, our clothes, hair styles, tone of
voice, eye movements, how we listen, how we breathe, how close we stand to others, and how
we touch others. The pressure of body language can especially be felt in emotional situations
where body language usually prevails over words .The study of body language is known as
kinesics. Eye contact, posture and facial expressions carry different meanings throughout the
world.
4. Emotional Display
What is considered an appropriate display of emotion can differ from culture to culture. In some
5. Ethnocentrism
It is a tendency to judge other groups according to standards and values of ones own group. Ethnocentric value
not only act as communication barrier but can hinder one student morale and productivity. Ethnocentrism is the
assumption that the culture of one’s own group is moral, right and rational, and that other cultures are inferior.
When confronted with a different culture, individuals judge it with reference to their own standards, and make no
attempt to understand and evaluate it from its members’ perspective. Sometimes ethnocentrism will be
combined with racism – the belief that individuals can be classified into distinct racial groups and that there is a
biologically-based hierarchy of these races. In principle, however, one can reject a different culture without in
any way assuming the inherent inferiority of its members . But ethnocentrism also can create obstacles to
communication with those who are culturally different from you. It can also lead to hostility toward outside
groups and may blind you to seeing other perspectives, other values, other ways of doing things.
6. Prejudice
Prejudice arises from the ‘pre-judging’ of someone’s characteristics simply because they have been categorised
as belonging to a particular group. It is usually associated with negative attitudes to that group. This attitudinal
barrier can be devastating for organizational communication because it can cause entire segments of the
workforce to be left out on important information
OVERCOMING BARRIERS
1. Understand your own culture and communication variables such as

social role, symbolism, thought patterns, worldview, silence and
particularly the various nonverbal aspects of communication .
2. Learn the communication rules for the other culture by reflecting on
its approach to nonverbal and other aspects of communication. Be
sensitive to verbal and nonverbal language codes, and use language
appropriate for the culture or co-culture with which you are trying to
communicate.
3. Approach intercultural communication with a positive attitude and
with the goal of understanding the other side rather than preaching

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CROSS CULTURAL

Cross-cultural communication (also frequently referred to as

○ To create cultural synergy between people from different

○ To avoid problems stemming solely from misinterpretation when

○ Communicating across cultures effectively improves your

○ Cross-cultural proficiency increases the effectiveness of

○ People tend to view their cultural practices right while other as

○ Gestures and body movements and beliefs and practices

1. CONTEXT (SURROUNDINGS) - Low context and High context culture

2. SOCIAL CUSTOMS - Social customs vary from country to country. Greeting

3. STYLE OF DRESS- Modest dresses in Muslim countries, in business

4.PERCEPTION ABOUT GENDER ROLES- American and European

5. GESTURE- Body Language

○ FRANKNESS- North Americans tend to be frank or explicit, quickly getting

○ PUNCTUALITY- In some countries like China and Japan, punctuality is

○ DECISION MAKING STYLE: In UK , US centralised, while in Japan it is more

○ French ○ Light ,quick, not offered to

In business, cross cultural communication plays a critical role in

When the communication is effective, everyone benefits from

understanding level of urgency and communicating issues or concerns.

1. Understand your own culture and communication variables such as

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