Today's workforce is becoming increasingly diverse, which means that language and cultural barriers are creating new communication challenges. One of the rules of intercultural communication is not to assume that another's attitudes and life are similar to your own. A variety of factors contribute to cultural differences. These factors include social values, ideas relating to status, decision-making habits, concepts of time, the use of space, cultural context, body language, and manners. If you don't understand these differences, you may unknowingly do or say something offensive. Doing so can spell disaster not only for your reputation, but also for that of your company.

Let's take a look at some of the cultural differences that show up in social values. Many Americans believe that material wealth translates into superiority, and that those who work hard to attain it are better than those who don't. Americans are often tempted to assume that people of other cultures also value this drive when, in fact, many cultures condemn materialism. Another cultural difference is the goal orientation of U.S. businesses. Americans typically value efficiency and assume that others in different countries do so as well. Consequently, although a U.S. business would look for ways to have two people do the work of four, in countries like Pakistan, where unemployment is high, businesses prefer to hire four people to do the work of two.

Now let's look briefly at some other important cultural differences.

• Roles and Status. Culture often dictates a social hierarchy. For example, in many Muslim countries, women are subordinate to men; a factor that can cause problems for western businesswomen. In other countries, such as China, officials are typically addressed by their titles. This norm could prove a source of embarrassment to Americans accustomed to addressing superiors as "Mr."
• Decision-Making Customs. In the U.S., executives typically make decisions as quickly as possible, reaching agreement on the main points and leaving the details for later. In Greece, by contrast, this practice would be seen as untrustworthy because Greeks tend to regard working out the details as a sign of good faith.
• Time. Most U.S. executives try to manage their time as efficiently as possible. They try to make points quickly because time is of the essence. However, executives from Latin America and Asia view time as better spent developing business relationships as opposed to reaching a deadline.
• Personal Space. U.S. and Canadian business people typically prefer standing about five feet apart when conversing. For German and Japanese business people standing five feet apart is too close, while for many Arab and Latin American people this same distance is not close enough. Different cultures have different "comfort zones" and it's important to know them.
• Body Language. It's important to know how people from other cultures supplement what they say with body language. For example, Americans and Canadians typically signal "no" by shaking their heads, but in Sicily people raise their chins. Another example is eye contact. In the U.S., failure to make eye contact is often taken as a sign of evasiveness, but in Latin America averted eyes are a sign of respect.
• Politeness. Rules of etiquette can be formal or informal. Formal rules teach the "rights" and "wrongs" of how to act. If these rules are broken, people can easily explain why they are upset. Informal rules are learned by watching others and imitating them. If violated, people of another culture may not be able to clearly explain why they are upset but they know they feel uncomfortable.

How to Effectively Deal with Barriers

In addition to understanding cultural differences, you must also learn how to deal with language barriers. With the growth of global markets, American businesspeople are realizing that they can neither expect everyone to speak English nor assume that those who speak English as a second language clearly understand idioms. To avoid problems, refrain from using slang and other idiomatic expressions since meanings don't always translate well. One should choose words that will clearly convey the most specific meaning. Further, be sensitive to the fact that non-native speakers of English may pronounce words in unfamiliar ways.

There are four options for dealing with an unknown language. The first is to learn the language. The second is to use a translator. The third is to hire a bilingual professional to help translate. The fourth is to use the back-translation technique.

The best way to prepare yourself to deal with these intercultural challenges is to learn as much as possible about the culture of the people with whom you'll be dealing. Use that knowledge to adapt your negotiating style as well as your assumptions about time, personal space, and decision making.

Now let's apply some of these ideas to the situation at CanGo. Click "next" to proceed.

 
 
page 2 of 13 | go to page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13