Local and Global Communication in Multicultural Setting

Humans are formed by forces other than genetics.

• family background
• religious affiliations
• educational achievements
• socio-cultural forces economic conditions
• emotional states

and other factors shape human identities. Because of this, no two people could exactly be the same.

This situation – the diversity of people and cultures – impacts communication.

Most people tend to conclude that miscommunication results from a speaker’s lack of proficiency in
language.

What is not realized is the fact that even with excellent skills, people may still experience
miscommunication.

Communicating Across Culture

1. Communicating across cultures is challenging.

2. The challenge for multinational communication has never been greater.
3. We are all individuals, and no two people belonging to the same culture are guaranteed to
respond in exactly the same way.

• High Context vs. Low Context

• Sequential vs. Synchronic
• Affective vs. Neutral

o High Context vs. Low Context

- All international communication is influenced by cultural differences.
- Even the choice of communication medium can have cultural overtones.
- High context culture – Mediterranean, Slav, Centra European, Latin American, African,
Arab, American Indian. Low context - Germanic and English-speaking countries. o Sequential vs.
synchronic
- Some cultures think of time sequentially, as linear commodity t “spend”, “save” or
“waste”.
 - Other cultures view time synchronically, as a constant flow to be experienced in the
moment, and as a force that cannot be contained and controlled.
- full attention to one agenda (North Americans) vs. orientation past, present and future
(Asians)

o Affective vs. Neutral

- In international business practices, reason and emotion both play a role. - This does
not mean that people in neutral cultures are unfeeling, but un the course of normal
business activities, neutral cultures are more careful to monitor the amount of emotion
they display. Emotional reactions were found to be least acceptable ----- Japan, Indonesia,
the UK, Norway and Netherlands
- Emotional reactions are accepted in Italy, France, U.S. Singapore
- When it comes to communication, what is proper and correct in one culture may be
ineffective or even offensive in another.