Managerial Effectiveness Managing the Self and Others

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Chapter 8 : Multi-cultural Communication Skills

+Understanding Different Cultures

+Need for Multi-cultural Communication Skills

 Being Sensitive to Different Cultures while Communicating

 Common Mistakes Committed in Cross-cultural

+Communication

+Enhancing Multi-cultural Communication Skills

+Cultural Fluency

Chapter Summary

Each organization functions according to the culture of the society in which it functions. Culture is the sum total of values, beliefs, behaviors, customs, and attitudes that differentiate one society from another. The elements of culture include values and attitudes, religion, communication, language, and society. All these elements interact with each other and cause an impact on the environment in which a business organization functions.

Managers who work in a multinational business environment need to equip themselves with all the necessary skills required for functioning efficiently. They have to develop their multicultural skills by understanding the culture of a particular country and respecting its customs and traditions. There are various elements of culture, like customs and traditions, mannerisms, values and attitude, religion, etc., that are of importance to international business.

All these elements have to be thoroughly understood before entering new markets. The culture of the country influences the culture at the workplace. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions help in understanding the various dimensions under which culture can be classified. They are power distance, individualism vs collectivism, masculinity vs femininity, uncertainty avoidance, individual vs collectivism and finally, long term orientation.

Communication is an important part of any business. Especially in international business, any mistake in communication will prove costly for a firm. Firms have to be careful when negotiating business deals and using non-verbal communication. The various forms of non-verbal communication are kinesics, proxemics, appearance, posture, eye contact, paralanguage, and symbolism. Any person who has to work in a multi-cultural business environment should attain cultural fluency, which is the ability to perform like a person of the native culture.