Negociacin y Administracin

Intercultural

Vivian Kadelbach
Vivian.Kadelbach@anahuac.mx
Universidad Anahuac, Mxico Norte

The importance of communication

World of endless connection

Contact with others through communication
Cross-cultural communication is increasingly important as we interact
with others from different cultures
Business relies more and more on multicultural teams
Engagement in international projects & alliances
Standardized vs. localized products & services
Forms of management

Learn to communicate in ways that derive value from differences without

assuming similarity or impose conformity

A companys communication
process
Connecting with the
customers/
stakeholders in the
multicultural marketplace

Macro

Market research
Advertising
Public relations
Customer
satisfaction surveys

Connecting customers/
stakeholders with those in
the company who add valueOrganizational
to products & services

Connecting mission,
vision, strategies &
goals with multicultural
customer needs
Corporate culture
Training

Connecting with each other

in the multicultural company
to serve customers/
stakeholders

Project teams
Rewarding & motivating
Selling
Customer service
Planning
Organizing

Micro

The macro level of communication

Example: Advertising
Benefits of standardization
Demands of local culture
Products, services, brands & marketing
messages are perceived differently,
depending on cultural context
!

while the product or service may be

standardized, the message needs to be
adapted to the cultural orientations of
the different audiences

Examples for various messages

Steelcase Strafor:
!

Britain:
Text: If you are still smiling when you
leave the office, it was designed by
Steelcase Strafor
!

Tag line: Steelcase Strafor. More than

a partner, a partnership

Examples for various messages

Steelcase Strafor:
!

France:
Text: For this smile, Strafor designed
the office
!

Tag line: Steelcase Strafor. More than

a partner

Examples for various messages

Steelcase Strafor:
!

Italy:
Text: For this smile, Strafor designed
the office
!

Tag line: Steelcase Strafor. More than

a partner, a friend

Interpretations of differing
messages
Britain:
Higher emphasis on words > lowercontext culture
Add is direct
Language is instrumental rather than
expressive
Stress on partnership rather than
partner > formality & structure

Interpretations of differing
messages
France:
Ad is higher context & more indirect
Words used aim more at suggestion &
possibility rather than precision &
transfer of information
Ad is less instrumental
Highlights the importance of
relationship

Interpretations of differing
messages
Italy:
High context
Higher stress on relationships
Particularistic rather than universalistic
relationships

The organizational level of

communication
Corporate culture is the system that
connects the dynamic needs of customers
and other stakeholders with those in the
company who bring value to the customer
A global corporate culture needs to form
integrating values, mechanisms & processes
allowing a company to manage constant
change in a competitive marketplace
Primary integrative web connecting the
components of a business

The organizational level of

communication
Connection of components of a business
through:
Communicate vision, mission, values,
strategies & goals
Establish standards for professional
behavior & job performance
Define internal & external relations
Optimize flow of information through
global network
!

Provides context for decision making

The organizational level of

communication

A corporate culture should:

Be focused on customers &
stakeholders
Facilitate learning
Knowledge & knowledge
exchange are key

The micro level of communication

What is communication?
Exchange of meaning between individuals
If successful it involves little loss of meaning,
establishes or maintains a relationship,
leaves open the possibility for further
exchanges
Ultimate goal is synergy (benefits derived
from collaboration)

The micro level of communication

The ideal communication process
Information flows between sender & receiver
Intended message is identical to the received
message
!

But, cultural frames get in the way:

configuration of value orientations
Perceptual window through which the
individual defines him or herself, others, and
the world
Perceptions filtered through the cultural
frame are selective

The micro level of communication

Potential problems in cross-cultural
communication:
Environment: control vs. harmony
Time: single-focus vs. multi-focus; fixed vs.
fluid; present vs. future
Action: being vs. doing
Communication: high vs. low context; direct
vs. indirect; expressive vs. instrumental; formal
vs. informal
Space: private vs. public
Power: hierarchy vs. equality

The micro level of communication

Potential problems in cross-cultural
communication:
Individualism: individualistic vs. collectivist;
universalistic vs. particularistic
Competitiveness: competitive vs. cooperative
Structure: order vs. flexibility
Thinking: deductive vs. inductive; linear vs.
systemic