Running head: IMPROVING CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION 1

Written Assignment Unit 5

Managing in the Global Economy

BUS 5211

University of the People

March 2022
Improving Cross-cultural communication 2

Introduction

Communication or interaction between individuals from different cultural backgrounds can often

lead to cross-cultural misunderstanding. In such situations, it is not uncommon for an individual to behave

according to the norms and values of his culture and expects the other to understand the communication

style, gestures, or social contexts exhibited. The other party may decode or interpret the message

differently, thereby resulting to a misunderstanding of what was meant to be conveyed. Against this

backdrop, the purpose of this paper is to discuss a cross-cultural misunderstanding scenario using critical

incident analysis (CIA), which can be useful in avoiding unbiased responses or ambiguity.

We can better comprehend human attitudes, expectations, behaviors, and interactions by using the

problem-solving method known as critical incident analysis. A critical incident, according to Flanagan (as

cited in Radford, 1996), is any observable human action that is sufficiently full to allow for inferences and

predictions about the individuals involved. Simply put, it is a methodology used to enhance cross-cultural

communication. Critical incident analysis can be helpful in examining the behavior and attitudes that may

be crucial to improving each participant's role and in understanding one another in a cross-cultural

situation (NorQuest College, 2007). Kilianska-Przybylo (2009) suggests that addressing the questions of

who, what, when, where, how, why would be effective in recalling and analyzing incidents.

Cross-Cultural Misunderstanding

About four years ago, I had a colleague from a certain Middle Eastern country who newly took

up an appointment in my organization. As this was his first international assignment, and first time out of

his home country, he was excited to work in a new culture and learn more about it. In fact, he held the

organization in very high esteem. Unfortunately, his excitement quickly turned to confusion and

frustration when he encountered a cultural misunderstanding.

Improving Cross-cultural communication 3

My colleague was surprised to find that the business practices in in the organization were vastly

different from his home culture. He was accustomed to a hierarchical system, where decisions are made

and communicated from the top down. In the new organizational culture, decisions were made

collaboratively, with input from all levels of the organization and discussion of possible solutions. This

caused a lot of confusion and frustration for him as he not used to this approach. As such, he experienced

difficulties making inputs in meetings. What worked best for my colleague was to be given a set of

instructions on what to do.

In this situation, a culturally sensitive reaction could have been achievable if my colleague had

used the Cultural Incident Analysis (CIA) method. CIA is a method of looking at a situation from an

objective point of view and analyzing the cultural beliefs and values that contributed to it (Radford, 1996).

By using CIA, he could have recognized the differences between his home culture and his new culture

and been able to adapt his behavior accordingly.

The theories and suggestions from our readings regarding having success in cross-cultural

settings suggest that people should be aware of their own cultural values and beliefs and be open to

learning about other cultures. They should also be sensitive to the cultural differences between their own

culture and the culture they are interacting with. Additionally, they should be willing to adjust their

behavior to fit the situation and be patient with misunderstandings and mistakes.

As a manager, I would have handled this situation differently by taking the time to explain the

cultural differences between the two cultures. I would have also provided him with resources and training

to help him learn more about his new culture and the cultural values and beliefs that are important to it.

Additionally, I would have set up a system for cross-cultural communication, such as weekly meetings to

discuss potential solutions, and I would have created a safe environment for this discussion to take place.
Improving Cross-cultural communication 4

Another approach I would use to understand what was contributing to my colleague’s behavior

was the application of the cultural iceberg dimension. As a manager, I would endeavor to explore the

visible and hidden cultural attributes that may have impacted my colleague’s ability to adapt to the new

work environment.

Finally, I would have provided my team with training on cross-cultural communication and how

to avoid misunderstandings. This would include teaching them about the cultural differences between

their own culture and the culture they are interacting with, as well as how to adjust their behavior to fit the

situation. In this way, I could ensure that my team is able to adapt to multiple cultures and avoid cross-

cultural misunderstandings in the future.

Improving Cross-cultural communication 5

References

Kilianska-Przybylo, G. (2009, June). The analysis of “critical incidents” as a way to enhance

intercultural competence. Humanizing Language Teaching, 11(3). Old.hltmag.co.uk.

http://old.hltmag.co.uk/jun09/sart09.htm

NorQuest College. (2007). Facilitator and Activity Guide Critical Incidents for Intercultural

Communication Critical Incidents for Intercultural Communication An interactive tool

for developing awareness, knowledge, and skills.

https://www.norquest.ca/NorquestCollege/media/pdf/about/resources/intercultural-

resources-for-educators/critical-incidents-for-intercultural-communication-toolkit.pdf

Radford, M. L. (1996). Communication Theory Applied to the Reference Encounter: An Analysis

of Critical Incidents. The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy, 66(2),

123–137. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/4309107.pdf?refreqid=fastly-default

%3A0ce3ca92e397e4b9080f4477f4ab80e3&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fc

ontrol&origin=&initiator=search-results&acceptTC=1