UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATION CULTURE GAP

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UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATIONCULTURE GAP
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The Four Layers of Diversity
Diversity the host of individual differences
that make people different from and similar to
each other.
Gender
Source L Gardenswartz and A Rowe, Diverse Teams
at Work Capitalizing on the Power of Diversity
(New York McGraw-Hill, 1994), p. 33
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Layers of Diversity

• First layer Personality
• Personality is at the center of the diversity
  wheel. Personality is at the center because it
  represents a stable set of characteristics that
  is responsible for a persons identity.
• Second layer Internal Dimensions
• a set of internal dimensions as surface-level
  dimensions of diversity. These dimensions, for
  the most part, are not within our control, but
  they strongly influence our attitudes and
  expectations and assumptions about others, which
  in turn, influence our behavior.
• Third layer External Dimensions
• external influences as secondary dimensions of
  diversity. They represent individual differences
  that we have a greater ability to influence or
  control. These dimensions also exert a
  significant influence on our perceptions,
  behavior, and attitudes.
• The final layer Organizational dimensions
• such as seniority, job title and function, and
  work location.

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Pros and Cons of Diversity

• Social categorization theory
• Similarity leads to liking and attraction
• The more homogeneous a work group, the higher
  the member commitment and group cohesion, and the
  lower the amount of interpersonal conflicts
• Homogeneity is better than heterogeneity in
  terms of affecting work-related attitudes,
  behavior, and performance.

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Pros and Cons of Diversity

• Information/Decision-Making Theory
• Diversity leads to better task-relevant processes
  and decision-making
• Diversity groups should outperform homogeneous
  groups .
• The logic of this theory was described as
  follows
• The idea is that diverse groups are more likely
  to possess a broader range of task-relevant
  knowledge, skills, and abilities that are
  distinct and nonredundant and to have different
  opinions and perspectives, on the task at hand.
  This not only gives diverse groups a larger pool
  of resources, but may also have other beneficial
  effects

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A Process Model of Diversity
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• Analysis of the various dimensions of diversity
  helps the business communicator transmit messages
  that are more understandable and acceptable to
  the members of that dimension of diversity.

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The Global Business Environment

• As the world economy becomes globalize, more and
  more firms are conducting international
  operations.
• MNC (Multinational Corporations) firms that
  conduct significant business activities outside
  their home countries and that view the world as
  their marketplace
• For all businesspeople who travel internationally
  the ability to bridge cultural differences in
  written and oral communication is crucial.

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Culture and Communication

• Culture ?

Culture as mental programming (Hofstede, 1991)

• Three levels of uniqueness in Human Mental
  Programming

Specific to individual
Inherited and learned
Personality
Specific to group or category
Learned
Culture
Universal
Inherited
Human nature
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• Culture
• the shared customs, beliefs, and social
  structures of human society
• Many components of culture
• Languages
• Rules
• Myths
• Family patterns
• Political systems
• - determine the way people communicate

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Cultural Influences on OB
Organizational culture

• Economic/technological
• setting
• Political/legal
• setting
• Ethnic
• background
• Religion

• Personal
• values/ethics
• Attitudes
• Assumptions
• Expectations

• Societal Culture
• Customs
• Language

Organizational behavior
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Your Experience

• I have worked with people of other cultures at
  work or school.
• AYes, BNo
• I have experienced a conflict or been frustrated
  when working with people of other cultures.
• A Yes, BNo

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Your Experience

• The conflict I experienced was due to cultural
  differences.
• AYes, BNo, C I dont know
• Learning about different cultures is interesting
  to me.
• 1Strongly Disagree, 3 Neutral, 5 Strongly Agree

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Ethnocentrism A Cultural Roadblock

• Ethnocentrism is the belief that ones native
  country, culture, language, and modes of behavior
  are superior to all others
• How do you overcome this?

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Cultural Intelligence

• Cultural intelligence The ability to interpret
  ambiguous cross-cultural situations accurately.
• Involves
• Recognizing different values and practices
• Understanding the meaning of others actions
• Perspective on ones own ways

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Test Your Knowledge

• A high performing manager was chosen for a
  foreign assignment. She tells a colleague I
  plan on just doing business the way I always do.
  Why change what works? People in the new
  culture may perceive her to be.
• Ethnocentric
• Culturally intelligent

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The Challenge of International and Cross-Cultural
Business Communication

• Language Differences
• Nonverbal Communication Differences
• Facial expressions, body movements, and gestures
• Other Cultural Differences
• The most important differences are in the ways
  people in other cultures think and feel values,
  attitudes, religions, political systems, and
  social orders.

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Two common barriers to successful cross cultural
communication

• Ethnocentrism
• the tendency to judge other cultures by the
  standards of ones own culture
• In order to counter ethnocentric tendencies, you
  must adapt and be willing to accommodate
  communication differences that exist in other
  cultures.
• Successful communication accommodates the
  customs, behaviors, and discussion topic of your
  foreign audience.
• Language limitation

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e.g. Cross Cultural Communication
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e.g. Cross Cultural Communication (cont.)
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the ways people in other cultures think and feel

• VALUES a societys ideas about what is good or
  bad, right or wrong
• Values determine how individuals will probably
  respond in any given circumstances.
• Hofstedes Value Dimensions
• framework for understanding how basic values
  underlie organizational behavior
• based on his research on more than 116,000 people
  in 50 countries
• sample - IBM

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Four value dimensions

• Power distance
• Penerimaan masyarakat terhadap
  ketidak-sederajadan.
• Individualism vs Collectivism
• Masyarakat individualis memiliki hubungan yang
  renggang, setiap orang diharapkan untuk mengurus
  diri sendiri dan anggota keluarga inti.
  Masyarakat kolektivis memiliki hubungan yang
  erat, saling melindungi dan saling loyal.
• Masculinity vs Femininity
• Pada masyarakat maskulin peran jenis dibedakan
  secara tegas, sedang pada masyarakat feminin
  perbedaan peran jenis kabur dan overlap.
• Uncertainty avoidance
• Sejauh mana anggota masyarakat merasa terancam
  oleh situasi yang tidak pasti dan belum pernah
  mengalami

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Four value dimensions
HIGH
LOW
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Power distance di tempat kerja
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Individualisme vs Kolektivisme di tempat kerja
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Maskulinitas vs Femininitas di tempat kerja
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Uncertainty Avoidance di tempat kerja
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High vs. Low Context Cultures

• Low context cultures
• Communication in low context cultures depends on
  explicit written and verbal message.
• Germany, Switzerland, the Scandinavian
  countries, USA
• High context cultures
• communication in high context cultures depends
  not only on the message itself but also on
  everything that surrounds the explicit message,
  including nonverbal message
• China, Korea, Japan, the Arab countries

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High vs. Low Context Cultures

• High-Context
• Establish social trust first
• Value personal relations and goodwill
• Negotiations slow and ritualistic
• Chinese
• Korean
• Japanese
• Vietnamese

• Low-Context
• Get down to business first
• Value expertise and performance
• Agreement by specific, legalistic contract
• Negotiations as efficient as possible
• German
• Swiss
• Scandinavian
• North American

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Adding Context to International Communication

• Communication context directly influences
  communication style.
• Several factors affect communication in context
  cultures
• Personal Relationship
• Timing
• Level of Formality
• Body language
• Eye contact
• Personal space
• Clothing

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Guidelines for Successful Cross-Cultural
Communication

• Basic Guidelines
• Review the Foundations and Principles of Business
  Communication
• receiver understanding, necessary receiver
  response, a favorable relationship, goodwill for
  organization
• Analyze Your Own Culture
• Develop the Ability to Be Open to and Accepting
  of Other Cultures
• Learn All You Can About the Other Culture and
  Apply What You
• Keep Your Message Short and Simple When Using
  With Members of Another Culture

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Guidelines for Successful Cross-Cultural
Communication Cont

• Basic Guidelines Cont
• Use Short, Simple Phrases and Sentences When
  Using an Interpreter
• Practice With Your Interpreter
• Select Only Translators Who Are Qualified to
  Translate the Type of Written Message You Are
  Sending
• Provide for Back Translation of Your Written
  Messages

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MENGELOLA BERANEKA MACAM TENAGA KERJA PRAKTEK
SAAT INI

• Apakah perusahaan peduli dengan perbedaan?
• Apakah perbedaan merupakan agenda perusahaan pada
  saat ini?
• Mengapa perusahaan ikut serta dalam upaya
  mengelola perbedaan (diversity management
  efforts)
• karena tekanan pemerintah (29)
• kesadaran dari para manajer senior tentang
  pentingnya program manajemen perbedaan (diversity
  management programs) (95)
• diakui adanya kebutuhan untuk menarik dan
  mempertahankan tenaga kerja trampil (90)

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• Apa yang dilakukan perusahaan saat ini dengan
  adanya berbagai macam perbedaan?
• Affirmative action plans (laws) legislation
  designed to give employment opportunities to
  groups that have been underrepresented in the
  workforce (e.g. women, minorities)
• Diversity management programs programs in which
  employees are thought to celebrate the
  differences between people and in which
  organizations create supportive work environments
  for women and minorities

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• Apa yang dilakukan perusahaan untuk memelihara
  perbedaan tenaga kerja?
• promoting policies that discourage sexual
  harassment (93)
• providing physical access for employees with
  physical disabilities (76)
• offering flexible work schedules (66)
• allowing days for religious holidays (58)
• offering parental leaves (57)

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• Berbagai macam program manajemen perbedaan
  (diversity management programs)
• Awareness-Based Diversity Training
• a type of diversity management program to make
  people more aware of diversity issues in the
  workplace and get them to recognize the
  underlying assumptions they make about people
• increase knowledge, awareness, and sensitivity
• challenge existing assumptions
• eliminate stereotypes
• Skills-Based Diversity Training
• an approach to diversity management that develop
  peoples skills in managing diversity
• Cross cultural understanding, intercultural
  communication, facilitation skills, flexibility
  and adaptability
• ? Kedua pendekatan pelatihan tersebut memiliki
  tujuan jangka panjang yang sama berusaha keras
  untuk membuat interaksi antara kelompok yang
  berbeda-beda menjadi lebih mudah dan lebih efektif

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Diversity Management Two Major Approaches to
Training
Awareness-Based Diversity Training
Skills-Based Diversity Training

• increase knowledge, awareness, and sensitivity
• challenge existing assumptions
• eliminate stereotypes

• develop new diversity skills
• strengthen current diversity skills

Improved quality of interaction with people from
diverse groups
Organizations competitive position is enhanced
Levels of morale, productivity, and creativity
are raised
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• Diversity management pada umumnya efektif

• Fakta Diversity is good business
• Pedoman untuk sukses
• Actively pursue the best people
• Make sure that people accepted and fit in
• Educate everyone
• Assess how youre doing
• Pay attention to details
• Plan for the future

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Menghindari kesulitan dalam mengelola perbedaan
(diversity management)

• Focus on a range of differences between people
  not stereotypes
• Managers should not treat someone as special
  because s/he is a member of a certain group
• Managing diversity requires total management
  support